The Urgent Need
Maasai women in Kenya enroll in college at much lower rates than the national average for women.
They are no less talented than women from other ethnic groups. Because they come from a marginalized tribe, their access to public aid is virtually non-existent.
Because of this, the demand for privately funded scholarships for Maasai women is immense.
Through its scholarship program, the S.H.E. College Fund is leading an inspiring campaign in Narok County to advance gender equity and inclusive educational opportunities among the Maasai.
-
Every year, hundreds of girls leave behind everything they know to escape their family’s harmful traditions of Female Genital Cutting and forced marriage. Some may run away on their own. Others are guided by a caring relative, pastor or neighbor. Some may be taken into police custody for their own protection when rumors of a clandestine “cutting ceremony” circulate through the village.
Once beyond the reach of their families, these girl are registered through the Child Protection Unit as wards of the State and assigned to live in Safe Houses, orphanages or children’s homes who shelter and educate them through high school.
As high school school graduation approaches, most Safe House students have been formally “reconciled” with their families. Reconciliation is brokered by Safe House staff and is the first step in assessing if a young woman will be able to live safely at home. Through education, she has become an empowered woman. Her accomplishment sets her apart from her age-mates in the village. Many of the S.H.E. students have, in fact, been the first girls in their village to graduate from high school.
On their eighteenth birthday, they reach maturity and are no longer protected minors under Kenyan law. This means they must also leave the protective walls of the Safe House. Even with a high school education, they do not yet have the skills to earn a living and make their way in the world. If their only recourse is to return to their village, they will soon face the same harmful traditional practices they had escaped as girls.
As a young woman without a means to earn her own money, she will endure unbearable pressure to follow in the footsteps of the obedient, traditional Maasai women — her mothers, grandmothers, and aunties — who came before her.
The S.H.E. College Fund seeks to support these young women by enrolling them in higher education and preparing them for the workforce, so they can earn a living, help their families and communities, and make their dreams come true.
Meet Brenda.
She defied the odds.
When she graduated high school, instead of returning to her village, Brenda enrolled as a S.H.E. student in a certificate program.
She worked her way through to a bachelor's degree in community health and HIV/Aids management.
She is now a health educator at the local maternity clinic.