In June 2009, ground was broken in Maasai Mara,
Kenya, for a girls’ secondary school that will benefit
nine neighboring communities. Forgirlsake raised funds
for the library. The school will openits doors in
January 2011.
|
2009 Maasai Mara, Kenya
In this past year we raised funds for a library at a girls'
secondary school under construction in Maasai Mara, a rural
region of Kenya with a high poverty rate. Instead, we surpassed our original fundraising goal and raise $9,600!
|
2008 Sironko, Uganda
In 2007 we accomplished our goal of sending seven girls to high school. Later we discoverd that nine more girls from the same elementary school had passed the graduation exams — so how could we stop there? In 2008 we raised an additional $6,950, and now these nine other girls are also on a path that can offer them and their community new opportunities.
|
2007Sironko, Uganda
In our founding year, our goal was to raise $4,200, $20 at a
time, to send five Ugandan girls to secondary school for four
years. Instead, we collected $6,350! The additional funds
enabled us to send a total of seven girls from the village
of Sironko in eastern Uganda, to Buhugo Secondary School. |
|
|
info@forgirlsake.org |
2009 Maasai Mara, Kenya
This past year Forgirlsake funded a library at a girls’ school under construction
in Maasai Mara. Thanks to donations of mostly $20 at a time amounting to
$9,600, Kenya is one step closer to unleashing the potential power of girls on
economic development. |
This year we partnered with Free the Children to fund a library for a girls' secondary school under
construction in Maasai Mara. Our goal was to raise $5,000 to furnish the library under construction
with books and infrastructure such as desks and shelves. Instead we raised $9,600!
These contributions will benefit the girls who will be attending the school, along with the community
which will also have access to it. For centuries Mara has been the home to two tribes, the Kipsigi and
Maasai people. Through the construction of a central girls' high school and library, girls’ education
will become a priority in the region and encourage cooperation between both groups. Kipsigi and Maasai girls from over nine neighboring communities will benefit from the new secondary school, and with our support, the school's library.
The additional funds will go towards the building structure itself, and to fulfill our 4-year commitment
to 16 Ugandan girls who are now in their third year of high school at Buhugu Secondary School
in Sironko.
Free the Children Offers New Opportunites for Girls: Naomi Cherotich’s Story
Founded in 1995, Free the Children has built more than 500 schools around the world. Its primary
goal is to "free" children from poverty and exploitation, and from the notion that they are powerless to
affect positive change in the world, Girls in particular have much to gain from their efforts.
In 1998, Naomi Cherotich began as a first grade student at the local Motony Primary School. Since the mud cow dung and stick classrooms were overcrowded, Naomi’s teachers conducted their lessons under a tree on sunny days. And on rainy days, her class stayed home. Concerned about the girl's education, Esther, Naomi’s mother, sent her daughter to live with a distant relative in a community about 30 km away. Here, there was a school with a smaller population and therefore enough classrooms for Naomi to attend school during the rainy seasons. There were monthly visits to stay in touch, and Esther knew her daughter was being cared for well.
However, when Naomi reached Grade Six, her caretakers began making alternative plans for her future.
They declared that Naomi was now of age to be circumcised, and made preparations for her ceremony.
This would symbolize the end of her education, and would prepare her for an early marriage at the age of 14 or 15. Word spread quickly to Esther of the caregiver’s plans, as many community members actively fight for women’s freedom and development to stop the spread of female circumcision and continue educating their children.
Luckily, Free The Children had begun a partnership with the Motony Community and had built classrooms, a library, teachers’ offices, and a water project. Esther immediately set foot down the dusty road until she reached Naomi. She rescued her daughter, brought her back home, and registered her as a student in the new school.
Naomi loves school, and is forever grateful to her Mom, who inspires Naomi with her work as a birth attendant and community health worker. She says, “I would like to be able to help my fellow villagers in the community like my Mom helped me.” Naomi hopes to one day be a doctor.
With the construction of the regional All Girls High School in Masai Mara, more girls like Naomi will not only have access to secondary education but they will also be able to delay, if not fully escape, the practice of circumcision and early marriage.
For more information, visit www.freethechildren.org
 |
|
