When Khalfan Mohamed was thinking about how to pay for university, tuition was only part of the cost. There was also the question of how to pay for food every day of the semester. At the Islamic University of Kenya in Kisaju, his scholarship covers both.
Khalfan is one of 300 students the Human Development Fund (HDF) directly sponsors at the university. Each scholar can have breakfast, lunch and supper on campus throughout the semester. The university’s kitchen program serves 450 students in total, including students who do not hold an HDF scholarship.
What three meals a day mean for Khalfan
“Before the scholarship, I didn’t know how I would pay for university, let alone eat every day while studying. Now I have breakfast, lunch and supper on campus, so my mind is on my lectures, not on where my next meal will come from. HDF didn’t just give me a place at university. They gave me the chance to stay here and finish.”
Khalfan Mohamed, HDF scholar
For Khalfan, knowing where he will eat after class means he can give the lecture in front of him his attention. His meals are part of the same scholarship that pays his tuition fees and provides a place to live.
Thirty new scholars joined in October
In October 2026, 30 new students attended orientation and joined the university’s group of 300 HDF scholars. The Global Scholarship Program supports students from across Africa who face financial barriers to higher education. Many are the first in their families to reach university.
Alongside meals, housing and tuition, scholars receive hygiene kits and take part in career development, AI skills training and a dawah program focused on Islamic outreach. HDF’s support continues through their studies, so students can plan for the terms ahead as well as the next day’s classes.
