The Kennedy Airlift facts for kids
The Kennedy Airlift was a special program that helped many young people from Kenya and other parts of East Africa go to college in the United States and Canada. It started in 1959 thanks to a young Kenyan leader named Tom Mboya.
He wanted bright students to get a good education abroad. The program brought hundreds of students between 1959 and 1963. Many groups and famous people in North America helped, including the African American Students Foundation (AASF). Stars like Harry Belafonte, Jackie Robinson, Sidney Poitier, and Martin Luther King Jr. also supported it.
The program got its famous name in September 1960. Senator John F. Kennedy was running for president at the time. He helped get a large donation of $100,000 from the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr Foundation. This money paid for plane tickets for the students in 1960, just when the program was running out of money.
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How the Airlift Started
The idea for the airlift really took off in 1959. Tom Mboya traveled around the United States. He was looking for scholarships to help students from East Africa study there.
The very first group of 81 students arrived in New York City on September 11, 1959. They then went to different universities across the United States and Canada. In Kenya, Mboya worked with Julius Kiano and Kariuki Njiiri. They helped find the students who would join the airlifts. Both Kiano and Njiiri had studied in American universities themselves.
The British government did not like the airlifts. Kenya was a British colony at the time. Britain did not want America getting involved with its colonies. British officials even tried to tell top Kenyan students that American education was not as good as British education.
What Happened After the Airlifts
The airlifts officially ended in 1963. Most of the students who graduated from American and Canadian colleges came back home. They helped build the new, independent Kenya.
Many of them got jobs even before they finished their studies. They often worked in government offices as district or provincial officers. It was easier for men to find jobs that matched their skills. Women, however, faced more challenges. They were often offered secretarial jobs, even if they were more qualified than many men in the same departments.
Still, including women in the program was a smart move by the organizers. One of these women, Wangari Maathai, later won the Nobel Peace Prize. Another, Leah Marangu, became the first female head of a university in Africa.
Overall, the students from the airlift achieved a lot. Many became successful business owners, government ministers, and important leaders.
Famous People from the Airlift
More than 800 students, mostly from Kenya, benefited from the Kennedy Airlift. Here are some of the well-known people who were part of it:
- Wangari Maathai: She was the first African woman and the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Prize.
- Mahmood Mamdani: A famous academic from Uganda. He is known as one of the top public thinkers.
- George Saitoti: He later became the Vice President of Kenya.
Many other important people also came from the airlift program. They became leaders in different fields.
Leaders in Education
- Prof. Leah Marangu: She was the former Vice Chancellor of Africa Nazarene University.
- Prof. Miriam Were: She is the Chancellor of Moi University and won the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize.
Leaders in Government and Diplomacy
- Pamela Odede Mboya: She was Kenya's representative to UN Habitat.
- Hon. Simon Thuo Kairo: He was the first Kenyan ambassador to China.
- Prof. George Saitoti: A mathematician who became the Vice President of Kenya.
- Hon. Arthur Magugu: A Kenyan politician and former cabinet minister.
- Hon. Wilson Ndolo Ayah: A Kenyan politician and former cabinet minister.
- Dr. Zachary Onyonka: A Kenyan politician and former cabinet minister.
Leaders in Science and Health
- Prof. Miriam Were: A well-known researcher in HIV/AIDS. She is also the Chancellor of Moi University.
- Dr. Ng'endo Mwangi: She was the first Kenyan female doctor. She was also the first black African student at Smith College and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
- Prof Reuben Olembo: A Kenyan scientist and environmentalist. He was a Deputy Director at the United Nations Environment Programme.
Barack Obama Sr.'s Connection
Some news reports have said that Barack Obama Sr., who was the father of Barack Obama, was directly part of the airlifts. This is not quite right.
He was inspired by the airlift program. He applied to different American universities and got private money to attend the University of Hawaii. He also received help from the African American Students Foundation (AASF) with Tom Mboya's support. So, he was part of the same generation of students who went to America for education, even if he wasn't on an airlift flight himself.
