Protecting young girls by completing education.

We are currently volunteering at the Lewa Wildlife conservation. When visiting Ntalabany primary school, the heart breaking reality for young girls was revealed. In this school the majority the girls have suffered through female genital mutilation, with some girls as young as just one years old going through this life threatening process. Despite it being illegal in Kenya, some societies have not changed their ways, due to FGM being viewed as an essential process in a girl being eligible for marriage. These young girls can be forcefully removed from schools and be married off to men whom are around the ages of 60. The ages from 9 to 14 are the most vulnerable ages and it is very rare to see a girl from these society complete school. The very few girls whom have not undergone FGM are completely shunned from society, therefore there is a constant social pressure from elders and parents to undergo FGM. Young girls are also threatened by Morans who are the warriors of the local tribes. These men are seen as the most important and powerful in their culture. They have complete dominion over women and exercise this through acts of sexual violence. One way we can better protect girls from experiencing such horrible acts is by sending them to boarding school. Here they have the protection of the school walls which reduces the chances of them being taken out from school by the Morans or enduring sexual violence on their way home. It costs £6,000 to put one girl through 4 years of boarding school, this will ensure the safety of that one girl. In turn protecting them from sexual violence, female genital mutilation, being married and having kids from the ages of 10 years old. We are climbing Mount Kenya with the hope that we can send as many girls as possible to boarding school to better protect them from these inhumanities and ensure them a better future. We hope you can help us to protect as many girls as possible. Thank you in advance for your help.

Leia Gonzalez-Lee and Luke Walton.