Project Report
| Aug 26, 2011
WGEP Exec. Dir. speaks about East Africa famine
By Amy Maglio | Founder and Executive Director
Many of you have heard that East Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years, with the U.N. estimating that more than 10 million people are threatened by starvation. While news headlines have focused on Somalia, which has borne the brunt of the drought, Kenya, too, is now on the brink of famine, with 2.4 million Kenyans at risk, especially in rural areas.
During times of drought, famine and financial hardship, many rural families take their children--especially their daughters--out of school to work and help provide for the family. A recent article from Reuters highlighted how some desperate rural Kenyan families sold their daughters as child brides in exchange for money to feed the other children at home.
The drought is affecting the rural area of Tharaka where WGEP Kenya is based. Our program is doing everything we can to support our scholars' families during this difficult time and to ensure that our scholars stay in school. If it were not for their WGEP scholarships, many of our girls would most certainly have dropped out of school by now. We thank you for your continued support of WGEP Kenya--we are making a real difference.
Our scholars and their families find themselves at the fringes of their societies, and most vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters. All of us at WGEP wish to thank you for your support of our mission and for helping us affect lives.
We could not do our work without you.
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Jun 2, 2011
News from the Field
By Amy Maglio | Founder and Executive Director
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NEWS FROM THE FIELD: WGEP SISTERS-TO-SCHOOL KENYA
145 Women Participate in Adult Literacy Classes
WGEP Kenya's Adult Literacy program held classes for women in six villages with 145 total attendees. In addition to studying basic literacy and math, the women share ideas and tips for income-generating activities, and for managing family commitments to prioritize study time for their children--especially their daughters. They also collectively vowed to refuse female genital mutilation for their daughters and serve as role models for the empowerment of women.
Gatunga Scholars Receive De-wormers
In 2010, Gatunga Primary School received health information and de-wormers from a health community worker with the Ministry of Health, Marimanti Hosptial.
Molding Clubs Reach 500 Children
WGEP Kenya's "Molding Clubs" program reached 500 boys and girls from eight villages in 2010. This is up from 350 participants and five villages the year before. Molding Clubs provide girls and boys with opportunities to break down gender barriers and work together on community issues important to them. This year Molding Club participants learned and worked together on topics such as health, adolescent well-being, personal relationships, decision-making skills, girls' education, women's rights, and ecological and economic projects such as chicken rearing and tree planting.
These reports from the field encourage all of us at WGEP that our work is making a difference in the lives of real people. Thank you for joining us in this work!
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Mar 15, 2011
IMPACT TO DATE: We are making a difference!
By Amy Maglio | WGEP Executive Director
Thank you for supporting the work of Women's Global Education Project to fight global poverty through the empowerment and education of women and girls! These recent numbers of our IMPACT TO DATE show that our work is making a big difference: **WGEP has provided 1,254 scholarships since our inception in 2003: 997 through our Senegal program and 257 through our Kenya program! These scholarships make it possible for girls who otherwise could not go to school have the opportunity for an education. **Retention rates in both our Senegal and Kenya programs have remained at 90 percent or higher over the past four years! This is especially impressive since the communities where we work have historically been known for high dropout rates among girls due to the prioritization of education for boys' over girls', over reliance on girls for home and farm chores, and the prevalence of early marriage. If you would like to learn about our sister project in Senegal, please visit our WGEP Kenya GlobalGiving page at http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/educate-girls-and-fight-poverty-in-senegal/or you can visit us at www.womensglobal.org. If you would like to further support our work in Senegal and Kenya, GlobalGiving will be matching gifts made via GlobalGiving.org on Wednesday, March 16, 2011, up to $1000 per donor, with $75,000 in matching funds to be dispersed. We would not have been able to do this work without your support. Thank you for making a difference!
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