Every Girl Deserves a Quality Education

I am a graduate of Penn State University with a B.A. and teaching certificate in languages. In 1991, I came to Kenya by myself without knowing anybody in the country or the language.  When I arrived, I asked myself, "What made me think this was a good decision?" But as an educator, when I met the 13 year old Maasai girls being forced into marriage and circumcision, I discovered my life's purpose. Supporting girls' quality education and rescuing them from poverty became my passion. My major obstacle was to change these cultural norms by engaging the men and leadership as to the value of educating girls. With the leaders' support, soon many parents were requesting my help to educate their girls. In 2013, I opened a private school in Kenya to provide a quality education 

I am the sole recipient of Penn State's Service to Society Award for 2017. 

Girls' access to quality education is limited due to cultural norms/practices which have been followed for hundreds of years.  We empower the cultural, community and school leaders to research and embrace the impact quality education has for girls from primary school through the university.  We provide the online technology for them to research these issues and realize the impact well-educated girls have on their families, community and the nation.  Well-educated girls educate all their children with a quality education, earn more money, improve the standard of living for their families, address the effects of climate change, and have better health care. These girls inspire the community to insist on a quality education to prepare them to meet the challenges of the 21st century. We propose enrolling many more girls in school from primary through university by engaging donors.

Girls are denied access to any education and especially not a quality education. We work In the Maasai community in Kenya, Africa, where less than 50% of girls enroll in school and only 10%  enroll in secondary school. Girls are married off at an early age (13) to older men who are not of their choosing. They are also subjected to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Education is not a priority for girls and women in the Maasai Community. According to the UNESCO’s 2014 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, millions of girls are still denied opportunity to access quality education. There are 52 million girls in sub-Saharan Africa not enrolled in school.  The 2018 World Bank report on missed opportunities outlines that while 89% of girls complete primary education, only 77% complete high school.  In low income countries typical of the sub-Saharan Africa, the numbers drop to below 67% to finish primary education, and only a third finish high school.  Poverty and cultural norms remain the key factors determining whether a girl can access quality education. Our solution addresses both these issues by supporting girls' education with the generous help of our donors. 

Since 1998, we have been supporting Maasai girls' education in Kenya from primary school through the university.  In 2013, we opened our own high school to provide a quality education based on critical thinking as opposed to the normal methodology of rote memorization.  Our girls are prepared to become problem solvers. Each girl is mentored to select a volunteer project based on her skills to help solve one of her communities problems. We are an Ashoka Changemaker School  and one girl has been designated as a Young Changemaker Fellow. Her project on enlightening her community and schoolmates about reducing our carbon footprint has been published and presented to her Member of Parliament. Another project focuses on food security and the best farming practices. Our leadership training has enabled three girls to be selected as Yale Young African Scholars out of 40 African countries.  Alumni work as teachers, accountants, doctors, founder of a geology company, Director of Amboseli Community Wildlife Rangers, social workers, nurses etc. Girls that complete our program become successful members of their families, communities and hopefully the nation. They are role models and mentors for the community and the younger students.

We work with the Maasai community in Kenya who have shunned education until recently. With population growth and the loss of much of their pasture land, embracing new methods of survival, including education, became critical. Not receiving a quality education is a sentence to poverty and the community began to see this development. When I arrived in 1991, men did not endorse educating girls. Most of our community is poor and rural.  Many live in mud huts with no running water or electricity. 

The Maasai women that I met wanted to sell their bead work and that is how we began. Next, they implored me to help support their girls' education. After I met the cultural leaders of the Maasai men in Amboseli National Park, they also wanted me to support girls' education. We have been educating girls since 1998. 

Education is the key to improving their economy and escaping poverty. When we ask our high school students what their life would be like if they were not enrolled in our high school they say, "I would probably be married, be the second or third wife of a much older man and have 2 or three children by 18." Sad.

We challenge community, cultural and school leaders to embrace the need to educate all their children and to insist on a quality education focusing on critical thinking and the ability to be problem solvers. IT and social media skills are also critical to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Educating girls has a profound impact on the world's major problem.  With each further year of education a woman earns more money which she invests in her family. She has fewer children and provides for them better health care and quality education. Fewer children diminishes the world's carbon footprint. 

I first came to Kenya in 1991 excited to go on safari.  But when I met the young Maasai girls who were marrying as young as 13, I knew I wanted to help them. I first started with a group of Maasai women selling their bead work. We thought they could earn enough money to send their daughters to school. But this was not successful to earn the required amount for school fees. As one of their daughters was about to be married after finishing 8th grade, we decided to look for other ways to support girls' education. I formed an NGO, BEADS for Education, and searched for donors

A few years later I went to Amboseli National Park and met the leader of the warriors. He was selected by the leaders of the Maasai community to lead the 8000 men in his age set.  A position he will hold for life. He asked me to help his community educate girls. We worked with all of the leaders and they embraced his ideals that girls need a quality education.  I started to support girls in his region.

When I saw the young girls being forced into early marriages and female genital mutilation, I knew I wanted to help. I could not bear to see them uneducated and facing a life of poverty for them and their children. I know all of our college graduates and am so happy to see their successes. I love hearing about their careers, meeting their husbands and children, learning about how they help financially support their families, and why they are so committed to a quality education for all their children.

I am also passionate to continue my life's work as there are still so many marginalized girls who deserve a quality education.

I am a certified teacher who has extensively researched how to provide quality education with up to date methodology. Our high school focuses on  critical/creative thinking, student-centered, interactive and interdisciplinary methodology.  I have also worked in advertising and public relations for a major company adding to my skill set. 

I have worked in Kenya since 1998 and have developed and trained many teachers, administrators and staff. For the past 20 years, I have been embraced by the Maasai cultural leader who endorse my programs of providing quality education for girls.  Some of our college graduates work for BEADS for Education as teachers, accountant, donor support, development and outreach.

Many donors have supported us since 1998. When their girl graduates, they enjoy her success and ask to sponsor a new girl. 

When I first arrived, the Maasai men were totally against educating girls. They felt it was a waste of their resources especially as the girls would soon be married and move away and each man eagerly anticipated the bridal dowry: a gift of cows.  Cows are the Maasai wealth and it was hard for them to give this up. But as time passed, they realized that an educated girl brings many benefits to the family and community.  Now a Maasai man will say that his educated daughter is worth more cows.

Another major challenge is for the community to endorse a better style of education as opposed to the rote memorization which diminishes critical thinking and the ability to problem solve. Similar to our SAT exams, students take an exam at the end of 12th grade which qualifies them for different professions. This exam is based on rote memorization and antiquated curriculum.  The curriculum and teaching methodology does not prepare students with critical thinking and problem solving skills. We mentor each girl to design a project focused on her skills that addresses a problem in her community. Seeing these projects, the teachers and parents learn to embrace our teaching methodology.

While on safari in Kenya, I met a 16 year old Maasai warrior named Patrick. He had to drop out of school in 10th grade due to finances and was working at the lodge as a greeter. When I visited his village, I realized he was the leader of 8000 Maasai warriors - a position he would hold for life.  Traditionally, the leader would not leave for boarding school but remain in the community to lead. To be the best leader he needed the best education available. We met with the elders and after hours of discussion they agreed to send Patrick to school.  Next, we went to the school Principal. Patrick stood behind me in immaculate warrior dress, hair and beads. The Principal asked, "Do you think he will fit in here." I replied, "YES." At 22 he shaved his warrior hair, put on his school boy shorts and joined 9th grade. Later he became the president of the school.  Patrick finished his college education through us. He now works as the Director of Operations of Amboseli Community Wildlife Rangers. 

Empower the stakeholders to lead the change.  This is my innovative concept.  To lead a culture to change their attitudes regarding denying girls education and the detrimental practices of FGM and forced early marriage by beginning with the cultural leaders. I began by starting my work with the cultural leaders of the Maasai community in Amboseli National Park --  Chief Olitiptip and the leader of 8000 warriors. My leadership style was not to tell them what is wrong with their practices but to lead them to decide for themselves.

 When the Maasai leaders realized that after graduating from college the young women would be a great asset to their families and communities, they totally embraced the importance of educating girls. Since 1998 many parents have implored me to help educate their girls. 

To stop the practice of FGM, I provided the opportunity for the leader of the warriors to research FGM with Equality Now in Nairobi.  When he told me of his experience he said, “Debby, we have been making a terrible mistake.”  This led the leaders to educate the families about the detrimental consequences of FGM.    Hosted by BEADS for Education, 10 ceremonies without the “cut” were hosted in the Amboseli region which reached 7,000 guests. Girls look forward to this ceremony from their earliest memories and now many parents host the ceremony without the cut. This provides a beautiful way to maintain their culture but eliminate the detrimental practices

The main problem is access to quality education among the girls in Maasai communities. This problem persists due to poverty and cultural practices.  If I am successful, girls will be successful individuals who can live independent lives and support their communities. They will marry men of their choice and have a manageable family. As women in their society, they will make education a priority to their children-both boys and girls.

INTERVIEW WITH THE STAFF OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL

‘In Kenya, although many women have the right to education, equal access to quality education remains a problem.’ - Tim, Principal, Tembea Academy

‘For women in the Maasai Community to achieve economic independence, education is the key’. -- Diana, Teacher, Tembea Academy.

‘At Tembea Academy, we provide quality education through which character is formed, intellect is expanded and the strength of the mind increased. The goal is to make a girl able to stand on her own feet.’-Ofisi, Senior Teacher, Tembea Academy.

If you are wondering what it takes to transform a society in one generation, and protect children from hazards of poverty and cultural oppression, It is Education of the girls-  Sunda, Deputy Principal, Tembea Academy.    

BEADS for Education has been supporting Maasai girls’ education in Kenya since 1998. We have over 500 girls that we have educated from primary school through the university. These young women are successful members of their communities and continue to be part of our alumnae support group. We are presently educating 43 girls at the university level. Our high school, which opened in 2013, supports the education of 125 girls annually. We opened the high school to provide the girls with a quality education rarely available in Kenya.  Each of these girls and young women serve as role models for younger students to finish their university education and become successful members of their families and communities. Our statistics indicate that each young woman reaches 100 girls and community members. Our conclusion is that we have directly impacted more than 50,000 people. We will continue to support over 200 girls education annually from primary school through the university. 

We work in the Maasai cultural regions of Kenya. Our goal for the next year is to host 10 workshops with 100 stakeholders to enable the leaders to research and embrace the importance of quality education for girls.  We would reach 1000 people next year.  Our goal is to prepare them to address the challenges to meet the 21st century. Education must focus on creative and critical thinking, avoidance of rote memorization, and digital literacy. Our goal for the next 5 years is to continue to expand this program depending upon the success.    

In the next year, we would like to begin workshops for cultural/community leaders, school administrators and parents to provide online research access to enable them to embrace the positive impact of quality education for girls.  It is important also for the leadership to realize the negative impact of not educating their girls.  Workshops would also focus on quality education focusing on creative/critical thinking, interactive and student centered teaching methodologies.  Computer literacy, online learning, Ebooks and 'zooming' with students around the world would also be emphasized.  All of the above are presently being taught at our high school with great success. We would like to provide these skills and knowledge to many more people. 

By running 10 workshops hosting 50 leaders we would reach 500 leaders.  These leaders in turn would reach another 100 participants totaling 5000 people educated on these issues. If this pilot program is successful during the next 5 years, we would continue running 10 workshops annually and encourage the graduates to do the same.

This program will definitely enroll more girls in school and the leaders and parents will demand a quality education. 

Two main barriers are poverty and cultural norms that deny girls quality education. 

All educated leaders, school administration, and teachers have during their 16 years of education been taught using antiquated curriculum and teaching methodology. The methodology is rote memorization and to parrot the answer back verbatim. This style of education even includes the teachers in colleges. Reading anything except the text books is not included in the current curriculum until 11th and 12th grade when the students read two books each year. BEADS' High School curriculum has a book club where in small groups a student based discussion transpires with the hope a love of literature will continue.

Enrolling girls in school requires funding and especially to enroll them in a school with a quality education.  The cost of a quality school is about $1600 per girl.

Five day workshops also require funding to cover teacher salaries and room and board for the participants @ $500 per workshop. 

We have a very close connection with the cultural leaders and the community since we have been supporting their girls' education since 1998. We believe this relationship will enable us to influence many more people to support girls' education.  Our relationship with the stakeholders will also enable them to embrace that a quality education is critical. This relationship has already resulted in the leadership to address detrimental cultural practice of female genital mutilation. Together we have hosted 10 coming of age ceremonies without FGM reaching over 7000 people. Our plan is to continue this project in other regions of Kenya. 

Our college graduates serve as role models and mentors in the community.  Their example of being successful young women who financially help their families, educate all their children, and have secure careers leads the community to see the value of educating girls.  Every year more of the girls graduate from college and expand their influence.

In 2013, BEADS for Education opened our own high school in Kenya to address the issues of curriculum and teaching methodology. We have an extensive teacher training program and many workshops and classes for school administration, teachers, parents and girls enrolled in our program. 

We continue to expand our financial support for girls' education and workshop programs by keeping our supporters up to date about our progress and the girls' success stories.  Many supporters recommend our organization to their family and friends realizing more donors for BEADS for Education.

We work with HundrED.org an organization that seeks innovations to improve all aspects of teaching. Our innovations are published on their website which  include online learning for remote areas, girls as changemakers for their communities problems (climate change and environmental degradation) and developing critical/creative thinking skills.  https://hundred.org/en/innovations/online-learning-in-remote-areas  https://hundred.org/en/innovations/every-girl-a-changemaker  https://hundred.org/en/innovations/develop-creative-and-critical-thinking

We work with Ashoka developing girls' leadership skills. We also work with Yale University and two of our girls have been selected for their leadership conference.

The Segal Family Foundation has been a financial supporter of BEADS since 2010. They also provide best practices for running projects and fundraising.

In sub-Saharan Africa more than 52 million girls do not attend school If they do attend, they do not receive a quality education. We serve the marginalized Maasai girls population In Kenya. Maasai girls often marry as young as 13, to a much older man, undergo female genital mutilation and bear as many children as possible.  This is a sentence to poverty.  We support Maasai girls' education from primary school through university.  Enrolling in a school that provides quality education costs about $1600 per year. 125 of these girls attend the BEADS for Education high school Kenya. We support 43 young women who are in college. Over 500 girls have been through our program by donors.

Graduates of our program usually marry later, avoid FGM, choose a career, earn more money, have fewer children, educate all their children, assist their parents and siblings financially. They become role models for the community to embrace the importance of well-educated girls. Our graduates include doctors, chemical engineer, geologist, teachers, and accountants to mention a few. 

In 2013, we opened Tembea Academy to provide a quality education.  We focus on critical/creative thinking. Our methodology is student centered, interactive, and interdisciplinary. Digital literacy is critical to meet the demands of the 21st century.  Most schools in Kenya use rote memorization methodology. Answers are correct if they are parroted back verbatim.  Our style of education prepares our students to be critical thinking and problem solvers to meet the issues that will face them and the nation. 

We are primarily funded through sustained donations since 1998. Many of these donors have continued to date with their sustained donations. We have several major donors that make annual donations. Approximately $400,000 is realized annually through these sustained annual donations.

We receive an annual unrestricted grant from the Segal Family Foundation of $70,000. 

Other individual donors (who do not want their names to be listed) provide annual grants of $30,000.

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The stamp of approval to be selected by MIT as a Solver Team would immensely elevate our donors respect. It would provide new donors with great confidence in our work. The media and conference exposure would provide the opportunities to develop new donors especially beginning the process of a long term endowment to secure our school and programming. 

Professional support from MIT staff would be invaluable with technical support for online learning, developing a more intensive program for critical thinking, developing a monitoring and evaluation program and review of marketing and media exposure plan.

Although all of the sciences are taught most girls feel they are not capable. MIT could help us to develop a STEM program which would involve the girls in a much more meaningful way. A good STEM program would give the girls the confidence that they are capable. 

MIT faculty to help develop a STEM program, improve our critical thinking program, and support for our computer literacy program would be beneficial. This help will improve our teaching at our high school.

MIT faculty to help with long term business development, monitoring and evaluation plan could be crucial to sustaining our school.  Developing our skills more in these areas would definitely advance our progress.