Empower Maasai Girls in Kenya

Dear Friends,

MGEF started out the new school year this January 2018 with 11 new Scholarship Program students.  This brings our roster up to 132 active students -- 47 primary, 34 secondary, 33 post-secondary and 18 pending post–secondary.  Our pending post-secondary students typically attend computer classes after graduating secondary school as they apply to different universities, colleges or technical schools for acceptance in the summer or fall.  

Primary and secondary schools in Kenya take a two-week break in early April between Terms one and two.  The MGEF-Kajiado Director, Lucy, and Program Director, Margaret, took this opportunity to visit many of our Scholars and their families at their homes.  Here is a glimpse into the lives of three MGEF primary school scholarship students whose families were visited.

Lucy

Lucy’s story begins in September 2017 at the MGEF-Kajiado office in Kajiado, Kenya, while I was on a site visit there.  Her mother came into the office in the morning and submitted an application that she had filled out for her youngest daughter, Lucy.  She then remained sitting quietly in the corner of the office for some time, accepting candy that I had brought for the staff and students.  Finally, a staff member asked why she was still there. We learned that she had no money for transportation home.  The staff quickly gave her the small amount she needed to travel home from the cash box and informed her that Lucy was accepted, which rendered her speechless with tears streaming down her face.    

Lucy is a 16-year old girl, the youngest in a family of three boys and four girls.  Her three older sisters have either had no or scarce education due to poverty, leaving Lucy’s mother desperate to create a different life for her youngest. 

When Lucy goes home from boarding school, she returns to her traditional Maasai life.  Her parents are pastoralists, but due to the recurrent drought, the family now owns just two cows and four goats.  The family lives in a small hut with one room closed off by a metal sheet where her eldest sister, who escaped her husband due to unsafe treatment, now lives with her three small children.  Lucy’s father is elderly and sick but her determined mother sells charcoal every day and manages to put food on the table.  

Since Lucy secured a scholarship from MGEF, the family’s hope for a brighter future has been revived. Her mom smiles as she says proudly, “Life is hard right now, but I am happy that my daughter is able to go to school.  She will get a good job and support our family.”

The MGEF-Kajiado staff was especially encouraged by the change in attitude of Lucy’s father, which was completely different not too long ago.   He is very happy she is in school and gives her advice to work hard and stay away from the boys in the village.  He regrets that he was not able to educate his other daughters who were all married at an early age. He says with remorse, “If only I took them to school, their lives would have been better than what they have now.”

Josephine 

Josephine is a 13-year old girl who comes from a very large family.  Her father, who had six wives and 38 children (19 girls and 19 boys), passed away due to illness leaving the poverty-stricken family with his medical bills. All 18 of Josephine’s sisters have been married off to older men.  Only one enrolled in primary school but she too was married off in 2016.  Josephine is determined to reach her dream of an education.  

Josephine’s large family lives in a boma with four mud huts and one communal structure made of stone and other materials.  Their previous home did not have a roof.  They felt it was wonderful to look up at the stars at night.  But after years of dealing with water during the rainy season, they now appreciate having a roof over their heads.

Her mother is extremely grateful for MGEF’s support of her daughter’s education.  She is looking forward to seeing her daughter’s success in school with a lot of hope and admiration.  She says,“She is already different from the other girls in the village.  She is smart and assists me a lot.” And adds,“Education is very important and it’s the only way.”

Josephine’s first term in school was a little rocky.   She tried to run away from school and did not want to return for her second term.  MGEF-Kajiado staff, who mentor and closely track each scholarship student, quickly stepped in to evaluate the situation.  It was discovered that she was homesick, so she was promptly switched to a different boarding school much closer to her home where her mother can come visit her every weekend.  Josephine is now doing great at school, quick to flash her mischievous smile and show her confidence.  She has made good friends with other MGEF students and is eager to learn.  

Caroline 

Caroline comes from a single parent family comprised of her mother, two boys and three girls. They live on the outskirts of a small town near the southern Kenya border. The family lives in a two-room concrete home and struggles desperately to survive.  Caroline’s mother has AIDS and was shunned by her husband, leaving her and the children to survive on their own.  Caroline’s mother sells Maasai beaded jewelry to tourists but her sales dropped to almost nothing due to political unrest during the 2017 presidential election which negatively impacted tourism.  Now she has become too sickly to work at all.

Yet the family is very optimistic about Caroline’s scholarship with MGEF which she began receiving in 2015.  Caroline is a very smart girl.  In 2017, she won “Best Overall Performance” at MGEF’s 2017 Annual Parent Meeting, having earned an A+ average (98%) for the year.  She is exceptionally serious about her studies and works very hard.  

Caroline’s mother wants a better life for her daughter and says,“I am very happy that she is in school now. I don’t want her to have a hard life like her two sisters or being at risk of dropping out of school.”

Caroline’s two sisters dropped out of primary school due to lack of school fees.  Because of the family’s financial problems, the two girls reluctantly opted to get married and now are facing difficult times of their own.  The elder sister has two daughters and the other has one daughter currently staying with Caroline’s mother.  Caroline often stays at school during holidays to avoid the hard life she is exposed to at home and also to not burden her family with another mouth to feed. 

Caroline’s sisters are so proud of her also.  One asked the visiting MGEF-Kajiado staff to give her a special message.  “I am happy that my sister is getting an education, I know she will be able to get a good job and help to support my mother. Tell her to work hard and don’t let those who are supporting her down.  Let her know that we miss her.”  

Summary

Lucy, Josephine and Caroline are just three of the 132 MGEF scholarship students who provide hope for the future of their families, the Maasai community and the education of women.  They will add to the growing generation of educated Maasai women, joining MGEF’s 61 alumni, 51 of whom have graduated from post-secondary institutions.  Our well-educated alumni return to their communities as teachers, nurses, lawyers and even doctors.  They are an inspiration to their younger sisters and other girls in their villages.  They are helping change traditional Maasai beliefs about the education of girls and women, which in turn helps to break the cycle of poverty prevalent in Maasai communities. 

Thank you for the support that allows girls like Lucy, Josephine and Caroline to attend school.  Each girl we keep in school will someday join the growing army of empowered and educated Maasai women.