Friend, I’m excited to introduce you to one of our newest Global Partners, the Nasaruni Academy for Maasai Girls, which provides primary education to Maasai girls in rural Narok, Kenya.
Maasai girls often live constrained lives, as poverty prevents families from educating all their children. Because daughters can be given away for a “bride price,” many Maasai families put their limited resources towards educating only their sons, who are typically held responsible for supporting their parents in their old age. Girls thus have little hope for a future beyond the confines of child marriage, early childbearing, and housekeeping. In fact, barely 5% of girls pursue a high school education.
The Nasaruni Academy stepped in to fill this void, beginning with just 13 Maasai girls gathering outdoors beneath a tree for instruction. By the beginning of their third year in operation, Nasaruni had 50 students enrolled in K-8 outgrowing their three temporary classrooms. This year—its ninth in operation!—Nasaruni Academy welcomed 39 girls to begin their high school education in four new classrooms. |
