New Girls' School in Kenya
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Please help us raise $50,000 to purchase computer and science equipment for our new school!
Background
Girls in rural communities of Africa continue to face the greatest challenges to achieving even basic education. They are often viewed as economic assets, and their education is not a priority for community investment. In our region, nearly 80% of girls undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) when they reach puberty, after which they enter into an arranged marriage, ending their education before even completing primary school. Despite Kenyan laws that prohibit these practices and enforce the right of every child to basic education, only 17% of girls in our community attain a primary education, and one in two girls are married before the age of 19. These realities perpetuate cycles of poverty, low educational achievement, and high teenage pregnancy rates.
Who are we?
For the past ten years, Kakenya’s Dream has worked to educate and empower girls and transform our communities.
We have developed an education program that takes into account the girls’ context in their families and communities, the pressures they encounter in their daily lives, and the factors that typically lead to poor outcomes and early school dropouts. Our approach has been effective; in a community where only 17% of girls finish primary school, 400 girls have attended our primary boarding school, where they all have remained free from FGM and child marriage. All our 8th grade graduates have continued on to high school, and our first class of high school graduates began college in 2018.
Kakenya’s Dream provides a safe, secure boarding school campus where girls can focus on their studies. We teach girls about their rights and how to stay healthy and clean. Finally, we educate parents along with the girls about the benefits of education and the negative consequences of FGM and early marriage. With the support of the community leaders, parents are required to sign an agreement when enrolling their daughters at our school that they will not subject their daughters to these practices.
Our Goal
Demand for our programs is greater than our capacity. Increasingly, as local attitudes are changing about the value of educating girls, people are seeking out these opportunities for their daughters. Each year, more than 300 girls come to apply for one of the 35 spots in our incoming 4th grade class.
Currently, we are addressing this by building a second school. Our new campus will serve girls in grades K-12 and will allow us to triple enrollment so we can provide more girls with the education they desire. When it is completed, the school will include an early learning center, a library, computer and science labs, and a youth-friendly health clinic open to young people across the region.
We believe that providing our girls with state-of-the-art facilities will lead to better educational outcomes. Our labs will complement classroom instruction and equip learners by providing valuable hands-on learning experiences. This will elevate our students’ appreciation of the sciences and, along with better exam scores in this subject, we expect it to result in more girls pursuing STEM-related careers.
How will the money be used?
We plan to use this funding to outfit our computer and science laboratories at the new campus.
Science skills and computer literacy are key differentiators in setting girls up to be successful in secondary school and beyond. No schools in our region have these kinds of facilities, so even when girls are able to complete secondary school, they are not well prepared for success in degree programs.
Science lab equipment (microscopes, goggles, beakers, utensils): $20,000
Computer lab equipment (computers, monitors, software, installation): $30,000
How can you help?
Every donation will bring us closer to reaching our goal and helping these young girls receive the education they deserve. We would also truly appreciate your help in sharing our campaign and spreading the word about Kakenya’s Dream!
Website - Twitter - Facebook - Instagram
This project is supported by the Girls Opportunity Alliance .
Your donation to benefit this campaign/project will be allocated to the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund (“GOA Fund”), a project of GoFundMe.org (a U.S. public charity). The Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund may grant a refund in limited circumstances at its sole and absolute discretion, however, donations are not refundable after the GoFundMe payment platform has transferred your donation to the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund. Transfers from GoFundMe to Girls Opportunity Alliance fund typically occur once monthly. All donations are subject to the variance power of GoFundMe.org, as stated in the applicable GoFundMe.org policies (https://www.gofundme.org/policies/). Subject to applicable law, donations may be tax-deductible.
The GOA Fund is restricted to supporting girls' education and your donation is made for the support of the above described project. Notwithstanding that the campaign description may name a specific organization that is anticipated to engage in the projects, GoFundMe.org retains variance power, that is, discretion and control over how funds are disbursed within the purposes of the GOA Fund generally, and within the purpose of the project specifically. For example, if the project does not reach its minimum fundraising goal, GoFundMe.org may re-assign money raised to another campaign within the GOA Fund.
As of April 11, 2019, the Direct Impact Fund operates as GoFundMe.org.
Background
Girls in rural communities of Africa continue to face the greatest challenges to achieving even basic education. They are often viewed as economic assets, and their education is not a priority for community investment. In our region, nearly 80% of girls undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) when they reach puberty, after which they enter into an arranged marriage, ending their education before even completing primary school. Despite Kenyan laws that prohibit these practices and enforce the right of every child to basic education, only 17% of girls in our community attain a primary education, and one in two girls are married before the age of 19. These realities perpetuate cycles of poverty, low educational achievement, and high teenage pregnancy rates.
Who are we?
For the past ten years, Kakenya’s Dream has worked to educate and empower girls and transform our communities.
We have developed an education program that takes into account the girls’ context in their families and communities, the pressures they encounter in their daily lives, and the factors that typically lead to poor outcomes and early school dropouts. Our approach has been effective; in a community where only 17% of girls finish primary school, 400 girls have attended our primary boarding school, where they all have remained free from FGM and child marriage. All our 8th grade graduates have continued on to high school, and our first class of high school graduates began college in 2018.
Kakenya’s Dream provides a safe, secure boarding school campus where girls can focus on their studies. We teach girls about their rights and how to stay healthy and clean. Finally, we educate parents along with the girls about the benefits of education and the negative consequences of FGM and early marriage. With the support of the community leaders, parents are required to sign an agreement when enrolling their daughters at our school that they will not subject their daughters to these practices.
Our Goal
Demand for our programs is greater than our capacity. Increasingly, as local attitudes are changing about the value of educating girls, people are seeking out these opportunities for their daughters. Each year, more than 300 girls come to apply for one of the 35 spots in our incoming 4th grade class.
Currently, we are addressing this by building a second school. Our new campus will serve girls in grades K-12 and will allow us to triple enrollment so we can provide more girls with the education they desire. When it is completed, the school will include an early learning center, a library, computer and science labs, and a youth-friendly health clinic open to young people across the region.
We believe that providing our girls with state-of-the-art facilities will lead to better educational outcomes. Our labs will complement classroom instruction and equip learners by providing valuable hands-on learning experiences. This will elevate our students’ appreciation of the sciences and, along with better exam scores in this subject, we expect it to result in more girls pursuing STEM-related careers.
How will the money be used?
We plan to use this funding to outfit our computer and science laboratories at the new campus.
Science skills and computer literacy are key differentiators in setting girls up to be successful in secondary school and beyond. No schools in our region have these kinds of facilities, so even when girls are able to complete secondary school, they are not well prepared for success in degree programs.
Science lab equipment (microscopes, goggles, beakers, utensils): $20,000
Computer lab equipment (computers, monitors, software, installation): $30,000
How can you help?
Every donation will bring us closer to reaching our goal and helping these young girls receive the education they deserve. We would also truly appreciate your help in sharing our campaign and spreading the word about Kakenya’s Dream!
Website - Twitter - Facebook - Instagram
This project is supported by the Girls Opportunity Alliance .
Your donation to benefit this campaign/project will be allocated to the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund (“GOA Fund”), a project of GoFundMe.org (a U.S. public charity). The Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund may grant a refund in limited circumstances at its sole and absolute discretion, however, donations are not refundable after the GoFundMe payment platform has transferred your donation to the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund. Transfers from GoFundMe to Girls Opportunity Alliance fund typically occur once monthly. All donations are subject to the variance power of GoFundMe.org, as stated in the applicable GoFundMe.org policies (https://www.gofundme.org/policies/). Subject to applicable law, donations may be tax-deductible.
The GOA Fund is restricted to supporting girls' education and your donation is made for the support of the above described project. Notwithstanding that the campaign description may name a specific organization that is anticipated to engage in the projects, GoFundMe.org retains variance power, that is, discretion and control over how funds are disbursed within the purposes of the GOA Fund generally, and within the purpose of the project specifically. For example, if the project does not reach its minimum fundraising goal, GoFundMe.org may re-assign money raised to another campaign within the GOA Fund.
As of April 11, 2019, the Direct Impact Fund operates as GoFundMe.org.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kristina Lederer
Organizer
Nairobi, Kenya
Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund, a project of GoFundMe.org
Beneficiary
