Our Story

In 2005, Victoria Sheppard travelled to Nairobi, Kenya for an internship at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters there. During her year at UNEP, she began volunteering weekly at MCEDO primary school in Mathare, the second largest slum in Nairobi. She met many community members who were working tirelessly to address the many issues faced by their community, and was inspired by their ingenuity, commitment and dedication.

When the time came for Victoria to return to Canada, she asked her friends in Mathare what she could do from home to continue supporting Mathare’s youth. Titus, Benedict, and Charles, who would go on to co-found the organization with Victoria, responded that they had always wanted to start a foundation to provide secondary school scholarships to students from Mathare. Secondary school is not free in Kenya, and most families in Mathare cannot afford to pay the tuition. However, education is a key step in breaking the cycle of poverty. It empowers young people to change their lives and their communities. You can learn more about Mathare here and the importance of education here. 

Canada-Mathare Education Trust (CMETrust) was born from these discussions, and became an officially registered Canadian charity in December 2006. Since the very beginning, we have been a partnership between Kenyan and Canadian friends motivated by a shared vision of a stronger Mathare built through increased access to education. We have expanded our programs based on feedback from parents, scholars, and community members to include professional development activities for the scholars during their school breaks, an alumni association, and support for post-secondary studies. We emphasize the importance of giving back, and we are proud that our alumni are active in community associations and primary schools throughout Mathare. Our approach has always centred on a commitment to decolonization, dismantling white supremacy in north-south partnerships, and implementing an inclusive and equitable approach that responds to the needs and aspirations of the community we serve. Lean more about our Commitment to a Just, Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive Education Program in Kenya.

Our strategy is working. Over the years, we have witnessed young people with slim hopes of pursuing secondary education not only completing secondary school but also moving on to university and graduating with big dreams. We hope you’ll join us as we continue to support change for young people and for the community of Mathare. 

Our Philosophy

CMETrust is a partnership of dedicated and passionate individuals in Mathare and in Canada who believe in the power of educated individuals to change their lives, their families, their community, and the world. Our goal is to create a critical mass of these individuals, so that their impact will be truly transformative. To do this, we support bright, dedicated young people throughout their educational journeys, and we actively foster the spirit of giving back to the community.  

We work according to five key values:

• Education Is a Right: We believe education is a human right.
• Empowerment: We believe education and service empower individuals, and that empowered individuals will take action.
• Partnership: We work collaboratively to deliver our mission. We place a premium on the perspectives and ideas of our Kenyan team members, and actively engage with the Mathare community to shape our programs and decisions.
• Action Learning: We are not afraid to try new approaches and test different ways of responding to emerging issues. We review and learn from our successes and challenges on an ongoing basis.
• Accountability: We are accountable to each other, our scholars, and our donors.

Our theory of change is simple: we believe that education empowers individuals, that empowered individuals help Mathare thrive, and that a thriving Mathare helps Kenya prosper. 

Our approach has always centred on a commitment to decolonization, dismantling white supremacy in north-south partnerships, and implementing an inclusive and equitable approach that responds to the needs and aspirations of the community we serve. Lean more about our Commitment to a Just, Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive Education Program in Kenya.