Support girls' education and end FGM in Kenya

These photos show candidates from ~70 girls who applied earlier this month to join the incoming 4th-grade class of ~30 to KCE. Hoping to learn about accepted students soon. Contrast the girls in these photos with the photo of the beaming KCE girls here, which speaks volumes about the girls in the school: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/www-kakenyasdream-org/

We thank all our supporters for their generosity this year and look forward to a great '11 for all!

Links:

• Kakenya Center for Excellence website

Tonight, 63 fourth and fifth graders will sleep four to a bunk-bed in an empty classroom lit by parrafin lanterns.  But not for too many more nights - we have broken ground for a wonderful new dormitory!  Because of the safety issues around girls walking long distances to school, we began to house our students at the school before we had a dorm.  They really don't mind because they are so happy at school, but it is best for them to have their own beds within a modern, cozy dormitory.

Eventually, this dorm will have two wings to accommodate all 150 students (a new grade starts each year until we are at full enrollment).  We have almost raised the money needed to complete the first wing - 32 more girls join our school in January, so it is vital that we get the dorm up and ready!  With faith that we can raise all the funding needed, we began construction in order to meet the January deadline.  The other reason it is costing a bit more - we are going ahead and building the village's first septic system.  If we are going to provide a world-class education experience for our students, then modern amenities best be a part of it. 

Enoosaen is blessed with water, so the new dorm will also have indoor showers - no longer will the girls have to fill basins and 'shower' with cups of water inside an outdoor, open-air, bathing room. And rather then just one big long open room (like most dorms), ours will have smaller home-like sleeping rooms, helping to create our community of family.  Needless to say, the girls are filled with anticipation and very excited!

The girls of KCE would be honored to have your continued support and we hope you will consider buying a 'brick' or two so we can finish building the dorm by January.

Links:

• if you'd like to see more photos of life at KCE

Greetings! I just returned from an exciting trip home to Enoosaen, Kenya. As always, my visits home are filled with joyful moments as I visit with my family, friends and community members. The very best part though is spending days at the school – seeing and talking to my lovely daughters. My time with the girls is filled with laughter, play, sharing, and sometimes dealing with the situations that come with being an adolescent girl!

The school's 4th and 5th graders are thriving. Although the plan has always been to become a boarding school, we went ahead and had the girls move to the school last May, even though the dormitory is not yet built. Too many of the girls were walking a long distance every day, putting their safety at risk. All the girls are sleeping in one classroom that is filled with bunk beds. They are so happy to be living at the school and they are so eager to learn.

While I spent a lot of time with the teachers reviewing academics and planning new programs, I miss most my time with my lovely daughters - planting banana trees so the girls can have fresh fruit, taking a run, eating fresh sugar cane, introducing them to the internet, reading their new storybooks, and practicing algebra!

A favorite memory is when we met with the girls' parents. When I talked about our hope to provide their daughters with not only the best education in the village, but an education equal to what girls in China, Europe and America were receiving, they burst into applause. They share the hopes and dreams of their daughters.

In January, we will greet a new class and grow to 93 students. We have just signed a contract with a local builder to start building a real dormitory so there will be a cozy and safe place for the girls to live. There will even be bathrooms - the first flush toilets in Enoosaen!

We've raised $50,000 for the dorm, but need to raise $12,000 to build the septic system. Any donations you make between now and the end of the year will go towards providing the girls with a real dorm.

The girls say Thank you!

Links:

• World Vision Radio Interview