In Maasai communities in Kenya, less than 50% of girls are enrolled in school in their lifetime. Even fewer go on to secondary school. Secondary school can be an insurmountable expense for families already living in extreme poverty. Many families arrange marriages for daughters as young as 12 years old to decrease household size and receive a dowry that can sustain the family. These early marriages can be life threatening for the girls; childbirth is a leading cause of death among adolescent girls in Africa.
The Girls for Change program was founded by Ann Tome and Catherine Mututua, two Kenyan community organizers who participated in the 2009 Bridge to Change (BTC) program. They returned to Kenya after graduating from BTC and worked with Partners for Women’s Equality to build the current Girls for Change program.
Partners for Women’s Equality’s Girls for Change Program in Kenya provides necessary support for girls to have access to secondary education. By helping these young women to complete their high school education, we are putting them in a better position to help support their families when they graduate. By empowering them with skills and a support network, we are creating leaders that can make profound differences in their comunities.
Through the generous support of our donors, we provide tuition, supplies and living expenses, as well as access to in-country program support personnel. In 2013, we are exploring expansion of the program to include community leadership training.
To find out more about supporting this program, visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Pwe2012
