Radio Education for Rural Girls in Kenya

In late September, we undertook six distributions of Lifeline Energy Fenix radio lights to benefit hundreds of rural Kenyan school girls and boys. We visited four far-flung schools in Narok County and two in Taita-Taiveta County.  In Taita-Taiveta, far outside of the provincial town of Voi, several schools convened at each location given their distances apart.

Recipients were selected by their teachers with the criteria of those children whose families were the most under-resourced in Grades 6 and 7. No one of their families had a radio at home. This was the first time that boys were included. Covid-19 hit these communities very hard and many boys had to quit school to help their families with livestock or farming. 

Radios are never just given away.  Lifeline Energy ensures that the children are fully trained in the radio's use and care. For them, this is new technology.  They need to know how to wind the units correctly and how to charge them via solar. In addition, they were happy about the LED light since it will help them to study at night or walk to the toilet safely. 

Our partners in the project are the Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and the Bethel Network which cover menstrual hygiene education. KBC announcers host the event and also translate into local languages to ensure the children fully understand.

As the schools we visited are near large national wildlife parks, it is not unusual to see hyenas, elephants or lions around their homesteads.  The loud siren feature, coupled with the light could easily frighten them off.

Consistent positive feedback from school children who received our Fenix solar radio lights is what inspires us to continue this great initiative. For them, it is cutting-edge technology that makes a huge difference to feel informed and to be able to study at night.

Your continued support of the Esila project would be greatly appreciated as there are continual requests from schools.