Empower Maasai Girls in Kenya

Dear friends,

I have just returned from Kenya, where I was able to visit all students, new and old, on their way to start Term 1 of 2026.  This year we will have a very full roster of 180 active students – 54 primary/junior high students, 55 secondary, 3 vocational, 54 post-secondary and 14 pending post-secondary students applying to various institutions of higher learning.

This year, MGEF has decided to award 16 new scholarships. Two to each of the seven Kajiado county divisions, and two to the office. Unfortunately, there are far more applications than we are able to award scholarships to, but the local board members pick those applicants who they feel are most needy or in danger of being married off to an elderly man. They then bring their recommended applications to the MGEF-Kajiado office. The staff will then do a home visit to make sure the applicant is indeed needy. Once the students have been picked, then comes the process of finding good schools for them to attend. 

I was very fortunate to be able to be at the office to meet all of these new eager scholars. Often they are very shy and quiet, but once they open up, it is so exciting to hear their academic dreams. There was quite a variety of professional aspirations his year — teachers, doctors, lawyers, journalists, nurses and one pilot. 

Often at this time of year, there are family members, advocates and chiefs coming to the office in search for scholarships for Maasai girls in need. This year was no different though I was there to receive them. One chief showed up with a very sweet little girl of eleven years of age named Silvia. Silvia comes from a single-parent home of four children. Her father died in 2020. Her father’s family had seven boys. Each son was to inherit seven acres. Silvia’s grandfather passed away, adding 100 more acres to be divided amongst the brothers. Due to the illiteracy of the brothers and their wives, the eldest son, who could read and write, was given the deed. Unbeknownst to the brothers, he began to sell off the land, keeping the money for himself. He is an alcoholic and has squandered the money. He sold off all the land except for two acres. The local chief was contacted by the brothers in fear of losing their home and all of their land. The chief now has control of the deed of the two acres, which have been subdivided into .2 acres per brother. This is not enough land for the families to survive. Silvia’s mother struggles just to feed her four children. Silvia’s uncle decided to marry her off to an elderly man for a dowry. She is only 11 years old. The chief was told about the marriage and intervened. He had heard of MGEF so he brought Silvia to the office to apply for a scholarship. Silvia joined the MGEF family that day. 

Another girl was brought to the office by an advocate for early pregnancy caused by a wondering band of morans. Maasai Morans are young, initiated Maasai warriors (typically aged 14–30) traditionally responsible for protecting their community, livestock, and land. it is a common occurrence for these groups to come into a village and rape young girls. The girls are told not to complain or to report the attack. Seleyian, a girl of 15, had been a victim of this and had a one-month-old baby with her. Her father decided to have her undergo female genital cutting (FGC) and to marry her off to an elderly man as a second wife. Seleyian ran away and found a rescue center and an advocate for her cause. This advocate had heard of MGEF, so she brought her to the office in search of help. Seleyian is a very bright girl and does well in school. Her mother offered to take care of the baby if she found a scholarship. Seleyian was offered a scholarship that day. 

These are just a couple of the stories that are the very reason MGEF was founded and continues to work with the Maasai in Kajiado County, Kenya.  Thank you for all of your support that enables us to help girls like Silvia and Seleyian work towards a better life through an education. 

Dear Friends,

In the middle of August this year, Chief Felix was driving along a very dusty rural dirt road, when he saw a little girl tending to a few goats on the side of the road.  His first thought was, “it’s a school day, she should be in school.” He decided to stop the car and speak with her.  Her name was Blessing, and she was 10 years old.   She came from a family of six children, of which only two had attended school (and only the first grade).  Chief Felix decided to visit Blessing’s home to find out why the children were not attending school, and found that both of her parents were illiterate and did not see the value of an education.  The family struggled to put food on the table, and the job of attending the goats had been given to Blessing. Blessing told Chief Felix that she wanted to attend school like all the other children in their small village.  

The chief is a friend of MGEF and, in fact, his family has donated 3 acres of land to us.  He informed Lucy, Managing Director of the MGEF-Kajiado office in Kenya, about Blessing’s plight.  After performing a home visit (which is standard for all of our applicants to ensure all our scholarships go to girls in real need of assistance), MGEF decided to award Blessing a scholarship for Term 3, which started just a couple of weeks later.  At the end of August 2025, Blessing walked into a classroom for the first time in her life and began her academic journey.  It will not be an easy one, as she only speaks Maa (the traditional language of the Maasai) and the school will be speaking in Swahili and English.  Blessing is so excited to start learning and happy to be like the other children.  

Blessing is an example of exactly why MGEF was started 25 years ago by our founder, Barbara Lee Shaw: to give a young Maasai girl the opportunity to take control of her life, for her own well-being and for the benefit of her local community, all made possible through education.  

Scholarship Program 

MGEF was busy in August; in addition to getting Blessing enrolled in school, MGEF has a total of 173 active students – 25 primary, 26 junior secondary, 59 secondary, 3 vocational, an unprecedented 57 post-secondary and 3 pending post-secondary applying to schools, who were all returning for Term 3.  

At the end of Term 3, we will be celebrating 15 new high school graduates and 11 students graduating from Junior secondary and heading into high school.  We are very proud of the accomplishments of each student; whether they are graduating first grade or receiving their degree, all are setting a trail for other girls in their communities.

Women’s Business Training (WBT)

Last February, MGEF helped one of our WBT cohorts to construct a platform and purchase two water tanks to start a new business.  This was a much-needed commodity for the area, as it suffers from severe drought.  They were donated a third tank last May by the governor of Kajiado, though they needed to build the platform for the tank.  MGEF helped them with the cost of the platform, and they are now in full operation and thriving. 

Life Skills Workshop (LSW)

MGEF was fortunate to be able to hold seven LSWs for adults since our last update.  The workshops were well attended.  The women and men are split up in order to discuss topics they might not otherwise feel comfortable talking about.  On the women’s side, there was much discussion about being involved with their daughters when adolescence begins.  This is not the custom in their culture: in Maasailand, once the girl has her period, she is considered a woman and no longer a child in need of guidance.  The mothers were encouraged to help their daughters navigate both the physical and mental changes they are going through.  The discussion also included the topics of preventing teen pregnancy, female genital cutting, HIV and early marriage.  They were also encouraged to be involved with their children’s education and school.  The importance of protecting their land was also discussed.  Since 2013, wives are required to sign deeds of sale of the property, now they must become more involved in the decision.

On the men’s side, particular emphasis was placed on the importance of an education.  This included topics of available assistance as well as the traditions that prevent children – and especially girls – from attending school.  The facilitator also went through the rights of a child including education, health, and the right to be protected from violence and child abuse.  There has been progress in all of these areas, but still there is much work to do. 

At the end of the separate sessions, the men and women get together to further discuss topics.  These discussions can often become a little lively.  The issue of the rights of children – such as early marriage and education – were discussed at length.  At one workshop, the facilitator used the example of one of our students, who was from the area.  She was about to graduate high school, and her father married her off against her will.  MGEF was asked to get involved so she could return to school.  Going through the correct law enforcement channels, she was able to leave the unwanted marriage and return to school.  Now that she has a degree, she has become a productive and important part of her community.  With their independence, these young women are changing oppressive old traditions.  Their families and communities see that with an education, their value is immeasurable, and certainly far surpasses that of a dowry.  

The discussions at all seven workshops ended with how to move forward and change the traditions and issues that will help the Maasai community thrive.  One of the answers is the education of all of their children.  

We could not do what we do without the support of all of you.  Thank you for helping these girls and young women reach their dreams.