Empowering 600 Girls Through Education in Kenya

Hello!

We're writing today because we have a special update about Village Impact's Counseling Program and our new girl's school in Kenya.

Last year you stepped up and donated to help us expand the counselling program. As you may recall, with your help, the new all-girls high school has opened, and our counselling team has grown!

Since you joined us in supporting this effort, we're very excited to share the latest update from the Village Impact team. It's a thrill to let you see what we're accomplishing together, and we want you to know that the seeds you helped plant are thriving.

Speaking on behalf of Village Impact, we are also thankful for the opportunity to demonstrate how much we appreciate your heart, your loyalty and the vast difference you make every day in the lives of girls and their families in Mai Mahui.

We hope you are encouraged by what you see—I know Pete and I are. Remember, as you watch our video, this community had no idea what counselling even was. And now Connie conducts classes on self-esteem, setting boundaries and saying no to sexual advances, among others. She now has girls knocking on her office door, wanting to talk!

So, friends, please click on this link to visit what the Village Impact team has dubbed the "Counselling Hub of Awesome"—there is something special waiting for you there!

In the meantime, anytime you have any questions about the work, please don't hesitate to contact us!

We're so grateful for your generosity. Thank you for caring and bringing education, safety, healing and hope to Kenyan communities.

Warm regards,

Ellyn and Pete

P.S. If you have problems with the embedded link, here is a direct link to the awesome!

https://app.searchie.io/hub/brV976Wj9X 

Girls at Risk

As you may recall, Village Impact was approached by leaders from the community of Mai Mahiu in Nakuru County, Kenya. Over 2,700 children attend the single primary school in the village—but the closest high school was miles away down dangerous highway corridors. 
 
While the leaders expressed concern for the safety and future of all their students, they were particularly worried about the girls in their community. 
 
Even before the COVID crisis, girls were at an increased risk of not finishing their primary and secondary education. Some are needed to take care of younger siblings when their parents have to go to work or are burdened with other time-consuming household tasks like water collection. Others are preyed upon by Boda Boda (motorcycle transport) or truck drivers for sexual favours in exchange for local transport or a few shillings to buy food or essentials like menstrual supplies, otherwise out of reach for their families to provide. More social challenges exist in the community, like a prevalence of child-headed households, low literacy rates and lack of parental guidance. 
 
Many girls here are exposed to generational cycles of abuse, neglect, and exploitation and are exposed to drugs and alcohol at a very tender age. Early marriage, pregnancy, and gang recruitment are not uncommon, all of which drive adolescent girls to drop out of school.
 
On top of that, during school closures because of COVID, some children were forced to work outside the home—selling firewood, engaging in farm and domestic work and, in some cases, survival sex work. It has been hard for struggling families to sacrifice small income gains and send their children back to school, especially girls. 
 
With Your Help, There Is Good News

But there is good news. With your help, Village Impact is committed to a long-term relationship with the community, starting with the construction and resourcing of the 600-seat all-girls public school and broader community work to elevate the value of education as a path out of poverty. 
 
Phase 1 construction of 12 classrooms, two science labs, a school library and water/sanitation facilities is nearing completion. Doors opened in May, and we welcomed an inaugural class of 110 girls to Grades 9 & 10! 
 
School Counselling
 
In your last update, we also shared that we hired a dedicated Pyscho-Social Counselor, and we've been thrilled to welcome Connie Kamonya to the team! Connie is passionate about empowering teens and has worked with students on mentorship and behavioural change programs in various schools. 
 
Her role is to promote all learners' emotional, social and academic growth and, working with teachers and administrators, helps ensure everyone learns in a safe, healthy, and supportive environment.
 
We are pleased to report that Connie has been settling in well, getting to know both the girls at the school and their parents. She has been able to orient the school staff, girls and their families to her role and what value she can deliver, both on academic and personal levels. And she has begun to provide one-on-one counselling and group sessions to students, parents and staff in two core areas of focus: 
 
Educational and Vocational Counselling:  Creating awareness amongst students on the importance of education, educational opportunities available to them, and career prospects is a crucial responsibility for Connie. During counselling interactions, she helps students answer essential questions about how, what, where, when and why to study. Students may also need help to get acquainted with the learning process, understand how to use school time effectively, self-study, peer study habits, and how to deal with excessive anxieties at examination time and fear of failure. She is also addressing challenges in deciding on a career path helping students to recognize and match their attributes and talents with future employment opportunities. This allows the students to start seeing education as an essential step toward their future and develop a love for it.
 
Personal Social Counselling: Connie helps students, parents, and teachers process challenges affecting and disrupting their lives, including anxiety, depression, communication issues, abuse, grief, and relationship difficulties. She is working to advocate for and equip and empower girls with the life skills necessary to live and adapt peacefully and positively in any community. She's also helping teachers, parents and caregivers with skills and knowledge to better relate to their kids and reinforcing essential values such as self-discipline, honesty, self-control, and dignity at home. Parental counselling is paramount as it allows a parent/ guardian to know whether a child benefits from counselling services offered at school.

Construction Progress
The second block of classrooms, which includes a science lab and library, has been completed, and a multi-room administration building is currently being constructed. The admin building will house the Principal's office, teachers' lounge and a large, highly-adaptable modular workspace that enables multifunctional use and flexibility for teacher's offices. 
 
Challenges

A challenge we are currently working to overcome is that the planned water solution, a borehole and solar pumping system, has been rendered inoperable due to the extreme heat of the groundwater–—on average, 68 degrees Celsius! We are consulting with VICDA and Well Aware, two local implementing partners, to explore how we may best meet the school's needs for the long term. 

All Because of You

Thanks again for your generous support of this project and the girls at Negya. We hope this report reminds you that you are making a difference in the lives of girls in Kenya every day. Without this school, their futures were very tenuous and uncertain. With this school, girls now have enhanced opportunities to dream big and have the education, skill and support to pursue them. 

We can't wait to share more in the next report!