School gives lifeline to teenage mothers and orphans in Migori

Students at Wiser Girls Secondary School in Muhuru Bay, Nyatike Sub-County, Migori County. The school offers full sponsorsship for teenage mothers and orphans. [Anne Atieno, Standard] For nearly a decade, a little-known school in Muhuru Bay, Nyatike constituency has been a beacon of hope for girls seeking education to avoid early marriage. Women's Institute for Secondary Education and Research (Wiser) was a name coined by Prof Rose Ogwang' who hails from Muhuru Bay, and Andy Cunningham. Through the help of Prof Sheryl Braverman of Switzerland, the duo secured funds to establish the school. "We wanted it to be a model school where we could even have women who got married while they were still young come back and realise their dreams even as they took care of their homes," Prof Ogwang' says. They also wanted to research on how HIV was being transmitted in the community, and address issues of triple threats in teenage pregnancy, new HIV infections and Gender-Based Violence. Ogwang's father had offered 10 acres of land for the school's construction. But they moved to another location after it was established that the land was far from Lake Victoria. Proximity to the lake would ensure easy pumping of water to serve the school, community and neighbouring facilities. They collaborated with the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) which made the water project a success. With enough funds, Ogwang' and Cunnigham ensured the institution was built to completion in 2009. "They used to send money through my personal account. We constructed the school until it was ready to be occupied," Ogwang' narrates. In 2010, Wiser Girls admitted 27 girls. The school would have teen mothers and orphaned girls get the first priority to join the school. Being a model school, Wiser Girls would give full scholarships to the girls while providing them with school requirements and shopping. It does this to date. Over the years, the numbers have increased from 30 to 45 girls per class. Violet Sing'oei, Principal at Wiser Girls Secondary School says they have a good number of girls going to university. "When Wiser began, the community was very supportive. When the first group performed well, the community realised girls had a place in society," Ms Sing'oei says. She says full sponsorship and provision of personal amenities ensure the girls are at peace, hence the good performance and discipline. In the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination results released in January 2025, the school had a mean grade of eight points. To help keep teenage pregnancy low, the school would ensure time taken by its girls in school was longer than the normal school calendar. Wiser Girls would only close for one week. "We could talk to education officers and request an extension of time. That really helped reduce teenage pregnancy," Sing'oei narrates, saying they have zero dropouts. Girls who excelled would have donors such as JHS sponsor them through their tertiary level in Switzerland, while those joining universities in Kenya would get a Sh50,000 boost. JHS would always pick six best annually for full sponsorship. To keep the girls disciplined, any who would get pregnant would be dropped off from the JHS scholarship. The school has so far educated 418 girls, with 54 per cent going to university and graduating between 2013 to 2023. Wiser Girls' management has also engaged some of alumni as full-time teachers in Chemistry and English. The school which has over the years been a beckon of hope for girls has also helped transform the community, with a majority of the girls from the school being able to break the cycle of poverty, which was one of the major problems affecting it (the community).

School gives lifeline to teenage mothers and orphans in Migori

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