Support girls' education and end FGM in Kenya

The Kakenya Center for Excellence campus is located in Enoosaen, a Maasai village of about 10,000 people located 250 miles west of Nairobi. In 2009, on land donated by community elders, we built our two-story classroom that became the anchor for our first class of 32 students. Today, with 183 girls enrolled at KCE, our campus has become a foundation in the community. We are not only changing the lives of the 183 girls that live on our campus, but are changing the social norms around educating girls in Enoosaen; and challenging our community members to reconsider harmful traditional practices such as FGM and early marriage that endanger the lives of their daughters.

Living on campus is a tremendous benefit to our girls, which I cannot begin to emphasize enough. Our campus provides a safe space for girls to live and study. Living on campus gives the girls more hours to focus on schoolwork, greater access to teachers, and enables them to form lasting friendships with classmates. Perhaps most importantly, our girls have an overwhelming sense of pride about our school campus.

As our student enrollment and community involvement grows, we continue to dedicate energy and resources to our campus infrastructure. Recently the dorm walls were freshly painted inside and out, new mattresses were purchased, a local carpenter built additional classroom chairs and tables, our teachers moved into new housing, and we broke ground on another academic building. I'm proud to have new accommodations for teachers that provide every teacher with a private space on campus near our students.

On February 18th community leaders, parents, teachers and students held a groundbreaking ceremony on campus for the new classroom building which will house 3 classrooms and a library. We are excited about the new library, which will provide a dedicated space for our books and e-readers, and a quiet space for teachers and students.

While the structural foundations of our building continue to grow and strengthen, we continue to nurture the personal foundation of all our girls at KCE as well. Leadership building, health education and preservation of culture are integrated into our curriculum at all levels.

Thank you for your steadfast support as we continue to strengthen our foundations and cultivate community!

Dear Friends,

Six years ago, before so many caring people helped Kakenya Center for Excellence open its doors to educate girls in Southwestern Kenya, the future for girls in my village was bleak. Before KCE, girls as young as 8 or 9 were at risk of undergoing the painful rite of female genital mutilation (FGM). Young girls were being forced into early marriage, and any girl who might have actually started school would likely have been pulled away from education early, as her destiny of servitude, poverty and marginalization overtook any hopes and dreams she might have had.  

Today, it is a vastly different and wonderful new story, thanks to so many kind people who have helped bring about change through education and leadership at Kakenya Center for Excellence.   

Let me tell you about Nasieku, who came to KCE as a timid 10 year old. Nasieku’s parents were preparing her to undergo genital mutilation and, as was the norm in our village, to marry her off in exchange for livestock. When they heard about theKCE boarding school and our mission of excellence, education and empowerment for rural girls, they wanted to know more. Nasieku’s parents learned that they could enroll their daughter in this novel school dedicated to advancing the development of Africa through transformational educational strategies for girls.

Nasieku’s parents discovered that in order to enroll her in the KCE boarding school, they would need to agree, as must all KCE parents, to protect her from being genitally mutilated. Their decision to reject social norms and partner with us in Nasieku’s education has forever changed Naisieku’s life story.

It is worth noting that not one of our KCE girls has undergone the painful FGM procedure because all KCE parents must sign a letter of commitment in which they promise to protect their daughters from this life-limiting and illegal rite. Six years ago, when Nasieku came to KCE, she could not write or read, let alone leverage the skills and knowledge needed to protect herself. Today, she excels in her schoolwork and she understands her health and her legal rights. Most importantly, she dreams about her own future and of creating a better world for girls everywhere. 

Nasieku’s story is inspiring, yet there is much work left to be done. Together we can help ensure that girls in rural Kenya and beyond are able to sidestep risks and realize their full promise as valued and respected individuals who have equal opportunity and ability to lead and engage their families, communities and the world.

From the bottom of my heart,

Thank you!

Kakenya

Please consider donating as generously as you can during this time and help us spread the word! Remember, all gifts made between now and December 31 will mean DOUBLE the amount to KCE and our girls! Thank you!