Maasai Girls Education Fund

The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the District of Columbia. We were founded in 2000 to increase the literacy, health, and economic well-being of Maasai women in Kenya. MGEF's goals are to increase enrollment of Maasai girls in Kenya, reduce the dropout rate, and support every student until they have the knowledge and skills to enter the workforce in Kenya. Our work involves a long-term commitment to each of our students. Our success is measured by how many scholarship students complete their education and are prepared for a job in Kenya. The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) works in Kenya's Kajiado, Loitokitok, and Ngong Distri... read more The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the District of Columbia. We were founded in 2000 to increase the literacy, health, and economic well-being of Maasai women in Kenya. MGEF's goals are to increase enrollment of Maasai girls in Kenya, reduce the dropout rate, and support every student until they have the knowledge and skills to enter the workforce in Kenya. Our work involves a long-term commitment to each of our students. Our success is measured by how many scholarship students complete their education and are prepared for a job in Kenya. The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) works in Kenya's Kajiado, Loitokitok, and Ngong Districts, where two-thirds of Kenya's Maasai population lives. Currently, only 48 percent of Maasai girls in this region are enrolled in school. Only 5 percent of those who enroll make it to secondary school. As MGEF scholarship students graduate from colleges and universities, they are demonstrating to the Maasai community the greater economic value of educating a daughter rather than marrying her off for a one-time dowry. They are, by their example, changing the way people think about educating girls, and that change is resulting in more girls being enrolled in school.