By Tarice L.S. Gray

United Nations officer Chris Mburu has discovered purpose beyond his profession, founding  the Hilde Back Educational Fund scholarship in 2003 for students in the Central Kenyan village where he grew up.

Years ago, Mburu was the top student in his district. He overcame the challenges that came from being reared in a mud hut. He studied without electricity under the dim light of an oil lamp, hoping that education would direct him toward a brighter tomorrow.  Mburu said, “I knew that education was power and that it had gotten some people out of the village, even those who had been poor, so I hoped to benefit from it in the same way.”

Fate took a chance on Mburu. From a great distance, a woman named Hilde Back in Sweden discovered a sponsorship program for exemplary students in Kenya. As a Holocaust survivor, she understood the need to give back to those with less. And so she did. Her donation of $15 a month saw to it that Mburu graduated from secondary school. He then went on to college, then to Harvard Law School.

Back’s act of kindness stayed with Mburu. As a result, he started the fund and initiated a lingering friendship with Back. Their fateful story is the inspiration for the documentary, A Small Act, now airing on HBO. .

A Small Act follows the educational journeys of two girls and a boy in Mburu’s Central Kenyan village, where poverty is plentiful. The girls watch their mothers and uneducated women around them struggle through each day. The reality they face without education is harsh. Within a year or two of being kicked out of school for insufficient funds, they would likely become pregnant. These girls, barely in their teens, would also be condemned to a life of unyielding poverty.

The lack of education helps to perpetrate the cycle of poverty and fuel ignorance, which according to Mburu, can have political implications. “We have a situation in Kenya and in Africa in general, where politicians prey on uneducated and unemployed people to beef up their campaigns,” Mburu said. “These politicians are able to indoctrinate these people and can even pay them insignificant amounts of money to cause serious political unrest and disruption of social life. When people are ignorant, they are more easily manipulated for political means, and this could lead to violence and intolerance.”

That happened during the filming of the documentary. In late 2007, the Kenyan Presidential election sparked a political uprising that paralyzed parts of the country for several months. If a lack of education is the key to manipulation, Mburu suggests the antidote is knowledge.

The Hilde Back Educational Fund is a small organization, with the mission of promoting educational development through sponsorship. The film documents their small yet significant impact in Kenya.  But the tiny village in Kenya can be looked at as a microcosm for much of the rest of the world.

According to The World Bank, the biggest educational fund in the world, 65 million school age children are not in school. Those numbers are down from 130 million in 2000, but they are admittedly overwhelming. Africa is home to 45 percent of the world’s primary school age children who are not being educated. The World Bank contributes $4,519 million to the continent’s educational programs. $140 million is devoted to Kenya.

Phil Hay, communications adviser of the Human Development Network at the World Bank, says his institution monitors the progress of its investment. In fact they literally buy into the belief that knowledge is power. Hay said, “It’s one of the most astonishing passports to a better future. Especially in relation to girls. We know that girls who complete a minimum of a fifth grade education are more likely to stay in school, much more likely to entertain thoughts of having a career, and more likely to vote in local elections.”

Unfortunately the gender disparity is discouraging. 54 percent of school children are girls. Luis Benveniste, Lead Education Specialist at The World Bank , underscores that the financial institution has clear objectives in mind to ensure every child can get a basic education. Benveniste added, “Not just that every kid is in school, but every kid finishes a primary education. Then there’s gender parity; all boys and all girls [should] have access to quality education.”

The World Bank meets with its clients, world governments, to determine need. Agencies including the World Bank and Mburu’s employer, the United Nations, have their sights set on 2015 for their next millennium development goals. The hope is all children will at least finish primary school. Hay says a few countries are on pace to meet the completion target by then. He added an appeal. “At a time when donors like the United States and other rich country aid providers are thinking about priorities that are crucial to invest in, any additional evidence we can give to step up investment in education of the children is good. It’s impossible to over-estimate the benefits.”

Hay also believes it is crucial for parents and communities to become involved in these efforts. In “A Small Act,” the same principles are echoed. While the Millennium Development goals are primarily focused on primary school completion, The Hilde Back Educational Fund helps students attend secondary school, our equivalent of high school. It has supported about ten students in Kenya annually, with 55 students currently registered.

Mburu estimates the organization will be able to admit 150 students next year, a small but incredibly significant number in the grand scheme of things. Mburu, who works in the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, knows education is worth fighting for. He said his agency, “believes that education is a human right, and is working hard to ensure that it is recognized as such.”

A Small Act airs throughout the month on HBO. You can also find out more about the HIlde Back Educational Fund through the website.

Tarice L.S. Gray is a freelance writer and blogger with GrayCurrent.com