Building a dormitory for 7th and 8th grade girls of Pathfinder Academy will provide a safe environment for girls who live in the most distant villages. The challenges are difficult for many girls who too often just stay home, marry early and inevitably live in poverty. Building a safe shelter for girls will transform their lives by providing them with education, food, clean water,and shelter. With an education, these young women will return to their communities to serve as change agents
In Kenya over 50% of children under the age of 15 live without care. The Pathfinder Academy is the only organization in the Kiminini region that supports these struggling children. Students attending Pathfinder must sometimes walk 30 km round trip daily. In some of the most unfortunate circumstances, students must cross swollen rivers during the rainy season, risking their lives. Additionally, our girls are oftentimes at risk of assault walking home from school in the dark.
The project will build a girls' dormitory that will provide a permanent and safe shelter for students who have to walk long distances through dangerous circumstances in order to get to school every day. Not only will the dormitories increase the girls saftey but it will also give them more time to study during the day.
Educating girls creates smaller, healthier and better-educated families. The more education women have, the more likely it is they gain a voice and status in their community, providing them with more economic opportunities, encouraging political participation, and transforming the society for the better. Specifically, educated women are more likely to access and disseminate public health information and encourage others to pursue their own education.
