Support girls' education and end FGM in Kenya

As part of our holistic model, Kakenya's Dream attends to our students’ physical, mental, academic, and psychosocial needs, believing that a girl’s whole self must be empowered for lasting change. Last fall, our staff conducted a mental health awareness campaign for students at our boarding schools. Our in-house school counselor carried out mental health screenings while staff at our adjacent health clinic provided ongoing therapy for students interested in these services. Our integration of mental health education and resources is rare among similar rural schools and is one of the differentiating factors that help our students thrive.

The final term for the 2024 Kenyan school year ran from August to October. In November, our sixth and twelfth grade students sat for their standardized national exams, which assess their cumulative primary and secondary school knowledge, respectively. To celebrate the girls’ hard work throughout the year, we held prayer days before the exams, bringing parents and teachers together on campus. In a community where less than two out of three girls finish primary school and educating girls is not seen as a priority, these events encourage families to invest in their daughters’ education and relay the significance of academic milestones. By integrating families and parents into our education programming, we shift social norms to value girls’ education and solidify community buy-in for our work. As a result of our multifaceted approach, 100% of our students complete their primary and secondary education!

Alongside their academics, the girls held student government elections for the 2025 school year. These extracurricular activities serve as important avenues for girls to exercise agency and leadership, both of which are critical skills needed to empower students and prepare them inside and outside the classroom. After the 2024 school year concluded, all students attended a one-week holiday training and mentorship program organized by grade level in November. The training sessions focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and mental health, while the mentorship component provided career guidance. Where we work, information on sexual and reproductive health is regarded as taboo and, when available, is distorted or inaccurate. The stigma and lack of resources contribute to higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases, teenage pregnancy, and other adverse health outcomes. These holiday trainings ensure students learn comprehensive SRHR education and have the chance to further develop their self-advocacy skills.

Thank you to the GlobalGiving community for your ongoing support and belief in the power of an educated girl! Together, we look forward to bringing life-changing education and opportunity to more vulnerable girls in 2025.

Over the summer, students at our schools, the Centers for Excellence, have participated in a number of extracurricular activities alongside their classroom instruction. 75 girls played in netball, volleyball, and football (soccer in the US) teams for inter-school and zonal sports competitions, and two girls proceeded to the county level for their volleyball skills. Students also performed at the sub-county musical festival, where they presented English and Kiswahili poems, songs, and participated in public speaking. One ninth grader, Marion, placed in the top 10 students in the region for her Swahili poetry! We are proud of her creative and well-executed performance, as well as the school staff for supporting and encouraging all of our students to express themselves. 

After their hard work and studying, junior high students went on a field trip to the Maasai Mara National Reserve before breaking for the second term academic holidays. Alongside spotting the big five (lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, and buffalos), the girls had an opportunity to cross the Kenya-Tanzania border, which separates the Maasai Mara from the Serengeti. Many of our students rarely have the chance to travel outside their villages; these field trips help foster intellectual curiosity and independence as the girls grow and cultivate their own sense of agency. 

Last month, our high school emerged among the top 20 schools nationally in the Young Scientists Kenya 2024 National Science and Technology Exhibition. Two talented students, Rael (left), and Irine (right), represented our school with their innovative project,"Home Baking Oven." They used accessible materials to build a cost-effective prototype that does not require electricity–an ingenious solution for remote communities like ours where home ovens are expensive and access to electricity is scarce. In testing their oven, Rael and Irine found it could feed as many as 10 families in a day. We look forward to cheering these two students on as they advance through the exhibition and are excited to see more students apply their interest in STEM subjects to solve real problems close to home. 

In July, we held a two day life skills training at our high school to build student leadership skills and gather feedback from the girls. Our trained local facilitators started the session with an anonymous Q&A session allowing students to share their burning questions and discreetly open up about their life challenges. Then they used appropriate follow up questions and participatory activities to initiate a dialogue with the girls for collective problem solving. This way we provided the most relevant information to our students and equipped them with effective tools to promote healthy decision making and self-advocacy. We strive for our programs to be girl-centered, so giving students a platform to voice their needs in sessions like these is vital, placing them and their input at the forefront of what we do. 

Thank you to the GlobalGiving community for your generosity. Because of you, our students are receiving a quality education in a safe, supportive environment and growing into future change makers and leaders.