KEEPING AKILI GIRLS IN SCHOOL THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS

Although an educated girl is a powerful force for change, many girls  especially in the rural Kenya where we work never make it to secondary school. This is because most families live in poverty and can barely afford to feed their families and meet inhibitory costs of school uniforms, stationery, menstrual hygiene supplies, school lunch programs and school fees. 

Lack of sanitary pads has particularly continued to hold many girls back from staying in school. When these rural girls have their periods, they are forced to make their own “pads” using old clothes/ rags or stay at home for a week or more and miss crucial school days  thus adversely affecting their test scores. Some girls are forced to engage in transactional sex for sanitary pads which they buy with money obtained from motorcycle taxi operators in exchange for sex. Unfortunately, this has always led to early pregnancies and school dropouts in our community making girls not to finish school. 

With your support,  we are #BreakingBarriers to girls’ education through provision of school uniforms, high school scholarships, menstrual hygiene supplies  and mentorship. We are committed to providing girls with menstrual hygiene supplies and underwear to ensure that they go through their periods in dignity. Our sexual and reproductive health sessions and mentorship also ensure that our girls are well equipped with the right knowledge and attitudes to protect themselves and avoid early pregnancy. 

This month, we are sending 45 girls to high school by giving them scholarships that cost $120 to $150 annually. Some of these girls joined Akili prep School in 2012 when they were barely 4 years old. We are excited to see them grow into empowered young women and we are honored to give them a platform to support their dreams. We are also giving over 2000 students school uniforms, sanitary pads, underwear and offering mentorship sessions to give them the agency they need to reach their fullest potential. 

Together with you, we are enabling these girls to work their way out of  poverty and into a more stable living environment. As we remove these inhibitory costs of school fees, school uniforms, means of transport to school, menstrual hygiene products and food, we are gradually breaking the systemic barriers of poverty, early marriage and pregnancy, gender-based violence, and traditional practices and attitudes about the status and role of women that often hold girls and women back from  accessing quality education and succeeding in life. By removing these barriers, we are enabling all our girls to complete secondary education and transition to higher education where they continue to develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the future.

We can’t wait to see how they will use their education and agency to grow their futures . In 50 years, our community will be different because our work helps to achieve  gender equality in education, including STEM education hence reducing the gender and skills  gap in STEM areas as will be demonstrated by the increased employment and productivity for women in our community. Women will no longer be living in poverty, instead, there’ll be improved economic growth as women earn higher wages from employment and support their families and communities.

Women in our community will be leaders in Kenya and beyond because our work enables them to gain self efficacy, positive gender attitudes, self governance skills and leadership skills  that empowers them to actively participate in development and decision making in the society.

Since our work applies a gender lense by involving boys in girls’ empowerment, we look forward to a more stable and resilient community in 2050, where both boys and girls have equal opportunity to fulfill their potential.

The boys and men of 2050 will ensure that all girls and women are safe at school, work and in the community and have all the resources they need to realize their dreams, participate in the decisions that most affect them, and build better futures for themselves and their families. Riley Orton Foundation Org foresees a future where there will be no area where women and girls are underrepresented, because their potential is unlimited. 

Thank you very much for partnering with us and giving to enable underprivileged girls thrive.