Support girls' education and end FGM in Kenya

The 2024 school year began in January, when we welcomed back 284 students and enrolled 111 new girls in Grades 4, 7, and 9 across our two boarding schools, the Kakenya Centers for Excellence. Total enrollment at both schools is 395 students. Along with new student orientations, we held meetings with parents to discuss expectations for their daughters’ education and build ongoing relationships. At our schools, parents must sign contracts promising that in exchange for our full support of their daughters’ education and personal needs, they will not to marry off or subject their daughters to female genital mutilation (FGM). This policy is highly effective and has resulted in 100% of our students remaining free from FGM, unlike the majority of girls and women in the community. 

Through the parent-teacher meetings, we also encourage fathers to play a more active role in their daughters’ lives. In traditional Maasai communities, daughters and fathers rarely interact. Girls normally go through their mothers to ask their father’s permission for things and even that can be rare. What starts as parent-teacher conferences about academic performance grows into supportive relationships as fathers and daughters get to know each other on a deeper level outside the confines of social traditions. By integrating parents into their daughters’ educational journey, our students receive holistic social support inside and outside the classroom while parents become advocates for girls’ education and against harmful practices.    

Alongside regular classroom instruction over the past five months, students have elected a new student government for the school year, participated in extracurricular sports, and gone on field trips to Kisumu and Rusinga Island. In March, our high school students participated in a series of sporting events at neighboring schools, performing in handball, cross-country, long jump, high jump, and short races. One student, Lilian, even made it to the county-level competitions for her excellent performance in the triple jump! 

Later that month, our tenth and sixth graders enjoyed a field trip to Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria. With a boat ride on the lake and visits to the Tom Mboya Mausoleum and the Mbita Rusinga bridge, the girls enjoyed a day of learning and discovery outdoors. They explored the island and its history of liberationist leaders and fishing communities, as well as its role in early human history when over 18 million years ago, the island was home to an ancient primate relative of humans. Likewise, our fifth grade students enjoyed a school field trip to Kisumu, visiting the airport and main shipping port on Lake Victoria with plenty of hands-on learning opportunities. By exposing our students to a range of industries, we encourage them to be bold with their dreams and career aspirations. With the right support, the girls will grow into future pilots, ship captains, and leaders in their field. 

Finally, to help manage our growing student body, a new dining hall was erected on our high school campus last year. The building has a 600 person capacity, attached kitchens, storage space, and a spacious dining area. In addition to holding student performances, indoor games, assemblies, and graduation ceremonies, we plan on using the space to host community outreach events. Last month, the dining hall was inaugurated with our first high school performance night, organized by the school’s language department. From poetry, to plays, to a ferocious rap battle, students showed up with originality and creativity. Through events like this, we are cultivating a supportive campus community, helping students build confidence, improving literacy and spreading joy. We believe that giving girls opportunities to speak up and amplify their talents is essential, and we hope they will carry this into their futures. 

Thank you to the GlobalGiving community for your generosity. Because of you, our students are receiving a quality education in a safe, supportive environment and growing into future change makers and leaders.

In late 2023, our Kakenya Centers for Excellence (KCE) students in both eighth and twelfth grade sat for their mandated national exams. These exams — the Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE) and the Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE) — are critical for the high school and university placements of our eighth and twelfth graders, respectively. Not only did all seniors graduate, but the eighth graders scored third highest in our organizational category! This is a remarkable achievement given that only 58% of girls on average complete primary school where we work and less than 1 in 4 finish high school (2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey), compared to our boarding schools, which have 100% primary and high school graduation rates. We are so proud of all our students for the work and dedication they put into preparing for these exams! 

At our boarding schools, our students receive high-quality instruction in five core areas: languages, math, science, technical skills, and humanities. In addition to the government mandated curriculum, we also provide peer mentorship opportunities and leadership and life-skills training to help them become confident young women and agents of change in their communities. Not only do we promote their academic lives, but we are also committed to the professional development of our students. Over school holidays last month, we had four students volunteer at the local health center, sub-county hospital, and even our own nonprofit offices. These volunteer placements support students’ career interests, while also providing important professional experience, which is critical given Kenya’s ongoing high youth unemployment. 

We also partnered with a peer nonprofit called I’m Worth Defending to hold self-defense workshops for students on our school campuses during the December holidays. Girls are particularly vulnerable during school breaks in rural Kenya, when the time away from school means they can be pressured into the harmful practices of female genital mutilation and forced early marriage or exposed to food insecurity and abuse. This highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to education that goes beyond mere class attendance. In addition to the self-defense workshops, our students receive training in sexual and reproductive health, public speaking, and leadership during these holiday breaks as part of our holistic model of education and growth. 

Finally, we are excited to share the first edition of our annual student magazine, Golden Voices. Created by our high school’s Journalism Club, the magazine offers a creative outlet for students to share their voices, perspectives, and artwork. Kakenya’s Dream exists to embolden girls to raise their voices in a society that often silences them. This student-driven magazine is a powerful example of what that work looks like.