Support girls' education and end FGM in Kenya

In November, all 8th graders in Kenya sat for their KCPEs, the national primary school exam. The KCPE tests students on material from the past five years of primary school and the exam results determine the students' high school placement. Getting a high score on the KCPE is vital if a student is looking to attend a nationally ranked high school, which all our students aspire to. This year, we had 32 8th grade girls who all took the KCPE. They spent the months before the exam diligently reviewing the material and getting extra tutoring in subjects they struggled with. Our teachers, program staff, and parents all rallied together to support the students as best they could, encouraging them and printing practice test after practice test to help the girls familiarize themselves with the test's format and question style.

After three long days of exams, the girls waited anxiously to get their scores back. They, their parents, and the entire community was delighted when we finally received the students' reports, which showed that the Kakenya Center for Excellence once again achieved scores much higher than the national average. Only 25% of students nationally scored above 300 points on the exam, while all but 4 of our students scored above that mark (with the other four only missing the 300 point cut off by a few points.) In addition, 5 of our students scored above 350 points, which placed them in the top 7% of students nationally. With these scores our students have qualified for nationally ranked high schools and the community is celebrating their successes. I'm excited to see what these young women accomplish in high school and beyond, and can't wait to tell you about their future achievements.

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