Empower Maasai Girls in Kenya

The past few months have been busy here at MGEF, and we're thrilled to share some updates!

This month, MGEF became an official member of Girls Not Brides, a global coalition of organizations working to end child marriage around the world. We're honored to join this incredible partnership, powered by a group of international leaders known as the Elders, who include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson, and Jimmy Carter (among many others). Keeping a girl in school is one way to ensure that she marries later -- when she is older and free to make her own choice. Girls who marry later have healthier families and are at lower risk of fistula and infant/maternal mortality. MGEF illustrates the many benefits of educating girls and delaying marriage by leading community workshops for girls, boys, women, and men. To learn even more about this program, check out our newly released video on YouTube!

On May 4th, MGEF held one of it's newest program initiatives, the Mothers and Elders Workshop, which brought together 44 men and 51 women from the Elangatawuas area of Kenya (check out the map below). Discussion topics included the harmful cultural practices, like female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage, that contribute to the low enrollment of Maasai girls in school and their high drop-out rate. Of the male participants, an astounding 100% thought that FGM and early marriage should end, as indicated by one attendee who explained, "...we are not seeing any value brought about by such activities." This as a huge step forward, and one that we hope will be replicated in the workshops to come.

So, what's ahead of us?

In July, we will be traveling to Kenya! Look forward to photos, interviews, and stories upon our return, and be sure to visit our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates while we're there.

Thank you for being a part of our ever-growing community!

With gratitude,