Celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Morneau Shepell Secondary School for Girls in Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp
TORONTO, June 20, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, Morneau Shepell marks World Refugee Day by celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Morneau Shepell Secondary School for Girls, which is located in Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp.
Through a longstanding commitment to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Morneau Shepell has provided support for the people of the Kakuma Refugee Camp for nearly 10 years. Within the past decade, the Community Technology Access Centre (CTA), which opened in 2012, has supported more than 3,700 students and the Morneau Shepell Secondary School for Girls, which opened in 2014, has supported 568 students. Since the school opened, 216 students have graduated and some are pursuing post-secondary education.
"I had the great honour of visiting Kakuma to meet with the students, staff and our partners; it was truly inspiring to meet everyone in person and learn more about life in Kakuma," said Stephen Liptrap, president and chief executive officer, Morneau Shepell. "Through our conversations, I came to realize that we are all working toward the same purpose: improving the lives of those within our communities. The dedication of the staff and our partners, combined with the students' aspirations to enhance their education, makes this a perfect partnership and one we will continue for years to come."
"Education is vital. It gives everyone an opportunity to realize their potential regardless of their status, ethnicity, nationality or religion," said Fathiaa Abdalla, UNHCR Representative, Kenya. "We are thankful to Morneau Shepell for their distinct support for education for refugee children, girls and boys."
The Kakuma Refugee Camp and settlement is home to about 180,000 people who have been displaced from their homes. Among the people living there, approximately 75 per cent are under the age of 25. Since the Morneau Shepell Secondary School opened, there has been a 400 per cent increase in the number of girls within the region graduating from primary schools – up from 423 in 2014 to 1,690 in 2018 – signalling a greater need for access to secondary school.
"No one should be made a refugee and although World Refugee Day is a difficult reminder of the realities that our friends in Kakuma face on a daily basis, we will continue doing what we can to support those affected by conflict," said Liptrap.
To learn more about Morneau Shepell's continued support for the people of Kakuma, please read the company's corporate social responsibility report: https://www.morneaushepell.com/ca-en/corporate-social-responsibility.
About Morneau Shepell
Morneau Shepell is the leading provider of technology-enabled HR services that deliver an integrated approach to well-being through our cloud-based platform. Our focus is providing everything our clients need to support the mental, physical, social and financial well-being of their people. By improving lives, we improve business. Our approach spans services in employee and family assistance, health and wellness, recognition, pension and benefits administration, retirement and benefits consulting, actuarial and investment services. Morneau Shepell employs almost 5,000 employees who work with some 24,000 client organizations that use our services in 162 countries. Morneau Shepell is a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: MSI). For more information, visit morneaushepell.com.
SOURCE Morneau Shepell Inc.
For further information: Cathren Ronberg, Morneau Shepell, 855.622.3327, [email protected]
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