BEADS for Education.org

We are committed to solve the challenge of equitable classrooms which will provide equal access to quality education and a safe and equitable learning environment. The proposed solution is Collaborative Community Based Learning (CCBL) project. We work with the community leaders, teachers and students to implement our project. We use  a simple technology-based solution that addresses learning barriers such as connectivity by providing access to zoom, What'sApp, and online classes., For gender, equality we have been supporting girls education in the Maasai community since 1998.  The Maasai community in Kenya traditionally denied girls education. We work with the poor and marginalized Maasai population.  We boast many college graduates who serve as role models for the students and community.   Replicating our project will have a massive impact when scaled globally. It will increase the engagement of learners in the remote locations, enhance both teacher and learner creativity and empower parents.

There are many barriers that significantly decrease the engagement of learners in remote and even physical environments. In our Maasai community in Kenya,  girls are often denied access to any education. Very few of the poor in sub-Saharan Africa have access to quality education.  During the  pandemic many more girls have dropped from school often forced into early marriage and female genital mutilation.  In our Maasai community 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,  there are 52 million girls in sub-Saharan Africa not enrolled in school.  In low income countries typical of the sub-Saharan Africa, the numbers drop and only 2/3  finish primary education, and only a third 1/3 finish high school.  Our solution to support girls'  quality education  increases learner engagement by addressing the gender, cultural, connectivity and accessibility barriers. 

The Collaborative Community Based Learning  a series of alternative communication and teaching methods that suits the geographical gap as defined by its connectivity and accessibility. We use zoom workshops, WhatsApp, on site delivery and any adaptable social media platform.  These platforms are used for classes at our high school and in remote Maasai villages.  CCBL recognizes the need for collaboration to involve stakeholders - cultural leaders, community members (Maasai warriors), school administrators and our students.  The support of the leaders changes negative cultural practices such as denying girls education and  female genital mutilation.  After researching these issues online, the stakeholders will demand a quality education instead of rote memorization where students parrot the answer back verbatim.   Our pedagogy stresses critical thinking which is the most important skill for the 21st century.  Facts can be looked up but concepts need to be absorbed. Students, parents and teachers will demand creative and critical thinking. They will demand that the students are armed for the 21st century with digital literacy via   Ebooks, online classes, offsite learning through online applications and online research. CCBL lays a foundation for inclusion and respect for diversity. It promotes culturally relevant teaching. It empowers students and the community. 

BEADS for Education has been supporting Maasai girls’ education in Kenya since 1998. We have over 600 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 girl/young women 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, the importance of digital literacy and avoidance of rote memorization.  Our goal for the next 5 years is to continue to expand this program depending upon our success

Equitable classroom requires a solution that addresses the barriers, lays a foundation for inclusion and respects diversity. CCBL targets a section of the community vulnerable for exclusion thereby bridging the gender gap. It's  conglomerate of alternative technologies increase engagement of learners by providing tools for community/parental support. Scheduled zoom workshops enhances teachers' adaptation to effective teaching pedagogies strengthening their capacity to handle diversity and teach critical thinking. BEADS has its own school Tembea Academy that provides a safe physical environment for the learners. Self-advocacy workshops equips learners with with tools to report violence and mitigating emotional and mental threats.  

Although we have been working in Kenya educating girls since 1998, we are in the growth stage. Ten years ago I retired from my teaching position and began working on BEADS full time. I realized that the Kenyan curriculum is totally based on rote memorization excluding all critical/creative thinking. I decided to provide a quality education preparing our sponsored girls to be ready for the challenges of the 21st century by opening our own high school (Tembea Academy) in 2013. In addition to preparing the girls to have critical thinking skills we mentor each girl to address and follow her talents.  We are in the biginning stage of this. 

New use of technology in Maasai comunities and our school zooming around the world.

Many organizations approach with a viable solution but don’t  involve the stakeholders in the development of the solution.  Often the stakeholders have needs that an outsider can not possibly for see. For the solution to work, the stakeholders must either invest money or time into the solution in the very beginning of the project to demonstrate their commitment to the long term success. A USA government group built a well for women who were walking hours daily to obtain their water. It seemed like a great idea, but the women destroyed the well because their favorite activity was walking with their friends to fetch water.  Our initiative to provide online learning was led by our leadership of principals, teachers, parents and the students.  Students live very remotely often in mud huts with no electricity and definitely no internet.  For the online learning to be successful the community, leaders, principals, teachers and students must be committed to the project. As the corona virus and the lockdown in Kenya continues, most of our girls are in class online from 9 to 4 working with their teachers.  Most schools in Kenya are not having success including Moi Girls School, Enkii Boys, Olkejuado Boys High School to name a few

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 girl/young women 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.   

HOW TO MEASURE OUR IMPACT   

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. 

We have 12 full time teaching staff working on this solution.  During the pandemic the staff has been working their regular classes from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. on a daily basis using online applications.  Cultural leaders, community leaders and parents are volunteering to support this process. 

We are well-positioned to deliver this solution because we have been supporting girls' education in Kenya since 1998. Several of the girls who graduated from BEADS for Education program work for us as teachers, our accountant, vice principal, outreach and development project coordinators.  Our school staff have been employed many years and are committed to our program of quality education and enrolling more girls in school. Our high school is a boarding school for 125 girls annually.  Community and cultural leaders have also been working with us since 1998 and are  highlycommited to supporting quality education for girls. As more of our students graduate from colleg they become role models and for their families/communities.  The awads and achievments of our girls speaks volumes to the community that girls should receive a quality education.  Two students were honored at the U.N.'s International Day of the girl, three students have been selected as Yale Young African Scholars, the Ministry of Tourism awarded one of our students the best student of the year, one girl has become an Ashoka Young Change Maker.

One of our teachers has developed an innovation for HundrED for online learning in remote areas.  His IT skills are taught to our students preparing them for digital literacy 

We teach a student centered interactive curriculum that emphasizes critical/creative thinking. These are the skills the students need to become problem solvers for their families, communities and the nation. We are ready to share our skills with school administrators and teachers. 

BEADS recognize that the acceptance of cultural, religious, and economic differences is essential to its core mission of strengthening local communities. It is this acceptance that informs BEADS’ vision. We have employed a range of formal and informal professional development tools like coaching, mentoring and education opportunities.  We focus on our impact and metrics when assessing our current practices. We have recruiting and selection practices that are informed by diversity connecting our organization to diverse talents, views and strategies for growth. We have an effective, inclusive and collaborative college track program that empowers students from underserved communities to be successful in their endeavor. We regularly take part in and promote community on-going discussions where we engage in honest, open and multidirectional dialogue at different levels. We also work on developing a shared understanding that diversity requires hard work and commitment of every team member.

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 was. A good STEM program would give the girls the confidence that they are capable. 

Working with other Solve Teams would provide more expertise following their successes. It would also be helpful to know what programs did not work and why.

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

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

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 are planning to develop a STEM program to provide the best science curriculum available.

Our core mandate is to empower girls and women through quality education to rise and take their place in the formal labor market. The award will increase our capacity.

We are planning to develop a STEM program to provide the best science curriculum available. We recognize the role of technology in the the delivery of quality education, serving humanity and also scaling our impact. 

Our team will use the prize to create more awareness. Increase our capacity to take part in the coming out of age without the cut and educate many more community members about the benefits of educating girls.   

One of the key barriers is the socio-economic status of vulnerable Maasai communities. As such alleviating poverty will increase the likelihood of many girls being sent to school. It will also cater for sourcing equipment and gadgets to promote distant learning.