Menstruation doesn't have to mean an end to educate young girls

Among all developing regions, sub-Saharan Africa has made great steps towards primary school enrollment for children. However, children from poor families are four times more likely to be out of school than those from rich households. Access to quality education for all is the fourth sustainable development goals and many education champions are working towards its realization in the next 15 years.

In Kenya, the girl child traditionally had been denied access to education and put at the center of harmful cultural practices such as the FGC which was followed off by early marriage. In most communities, families never deemed it beneficial to take their girls to school. Schools were only for the boys, sadly.

Their argument was, these girls would soon be married off and only the boys would remain to take care of the homes. For the girls, they would sit at home, work on households’ chores and get training from their mothers, aunts and grandmothers on how to take care of a family. At some stage in their lives before being married off, they would forcefully undergo harmful cultural practices like Female Genital Cutting. However, efforts from exemplary individuals have gone against all odds to rewrite the narrative of the African girl child. You may have heard the story of Dr Kakenya. She is now the Founder & President of Kakenya’s Dream.

I have developed an argument from the traditionally accepted responsibility of a girl or a woman was to take care of the family. Then I would ask, “Would they do it better if they are educated and have gone to school?” It is my strong belief that when you educate a girl, you empower the entire village or society as they would use their knowledge in handling day to day affairs at home.

Now let’s go back to the story of Dr Kakenya, as a young girl, Kakenya walked through many challenges and overcoming obstacles to achieve her academic ambition. Now she is giving an opportunity to hundreds of young adolescent girls’ to access education. In the little village of Enoosaen, South of the equator, down the hills from the Rift Valley on the plain land of Trans Mara West sub county, is where the seed is planted. The seed that grows day by day to give hope to many young girls, that with education, they can achieve all that they have ever dreamt of and become who they want to be in life. It is here that a school is established, the Kakenya Center for Excellence.

The Kakenya Center for Excellence girl’s boarding school has a population of about 400 girls from primary level 4 to level 8. For many of these girls in the school, it is their home and safe refuge from the ghosts of early marriage, teenage pregnancy and the biggest being Female Genital Cutting.

Education being the strongest pillar in achieving development, these girls are empowered to understand their legal rights and given access to health education. Studies show that girls with access to education are empowered; they stay in school longer and delay pregnancy up to a later stage in life when they have achieved economic independence.

We therefore invite you to contribute towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 and help touch the lives of adolescent girls who are eager to get access to quality education despite the many socio-cultural challenges surrounding them.

In her book, Malala narrates her experience when she met the village elders of the Maasai community, who now believe that the real Moran –a warrior is one who has gone to school. They now have a perception of a female warrior too and it is not the one who has undergone the cut like it was for many years ago, but the one who is educated and uses her education to contribute for the development of her people. One who will build more schools for girls. Just like Dr Kakenya. After all, the best gift you can ever give to someone is education. With education, they can choose freely who they want to be in life.