Isululu 4 Change

Girls in Kenya (Taita Taveta County) face a myriad of challenges in accessing education. Some of the challenges include but are not limited to;

1. Long distance to school. Some cover uptp 8km one way

2. Human Wildlife conflict- On the way to school, they encounter wildlife like elephants, buffalos, hyenas and snakes. The girls have to leave for school too early before the elephants cross the road otherwise they will not make it to school. In the evening, they have to leave school a bit late to ensure they do not encounter the animals.

3. Absenteeism - Due to the kilometres covered on a daily basis, some will opt to miss school.

4. Poor academic Performance. This is due to absenteeism and also reaching school when one is too tired.

5. Teenage pregnancies- In trying to get to school using paid for motorcycles, some of the riders take advantage of the girls impregnating them in the process. 

6. Household chores- Girls are expected to do their chores at home before going to school. Some of the chores involve fetching water for their domestic use and some of the water points are very far from home.

7. Carbon Emissions and exercising. Bicycles have zero carbon emissions and the other benefit is that of being healthy through the cycling. The idea of gym will be catered for.

In mobilising the girls with bicycles, we hope to address all the above challenges. A girl with a bike will finish the household chores on time and still be able to attend school which will affect their grades positively. If you encounter wildlife with a bicycle, your chances of moving faster are guaranteed. A girl will get to plan their time accordingly. 

The intention is to donate the bicycles to the schools and due to their durability, they can be used by up to 3 cycles of school girls (Form one to four and the bicycles are handed to incoming form one) - Revolving solutions.

The initial plan is school going children especially the girl child. The aim is to directly improve their access to education which is a current challenge. We intend to start with Taita Taveta County and then expand to other counties like Makueni, Machakos and Kitui County. 

With time, we will expand the impact to the community through mobilising community health workers and small business owners. 

We are students in Public Policy Management at Strathmore University in Kenya. We are passionate about impact in the community. One of us is the Legislator at one of the constituencies in Taita Taveta County. Born and bred in the area, the MP, Hon Danson Mwashako understands the challenges faced by the community very well. 

In trying to understand the needs of the society, we have visited several schools in the area and listened to the challenges and part of the solutions they recommended. Our solutions were seen as viable by the students and they saw the mobilisation as a strong empowerment too. We engaged with the schools in coming up with the solutions which were sustainable ie, our initial idea was to donate the bicycles to the students but the schools were for the idea of making them the property of the school for a revolving benefit.

Building of the bicycles shades will be done by the legislator using the constituency development kitty. 

We are seeking to find partners who can help with impact through monetary and/or non-monetary support. Donation of bicycles or even bettering the lives of the girls through school fees, boarding facilities. Whatever it takes to help girls remain in school. 

Our approach is to mobilise the girl child to access education. Through sorting the challenges of distance to school, human wildlife conflict, absenteeism from school, health girls who get to school with zero carbon emissions will ensure the empowerment of a community in the right direction. We aim to improve the academic performance in order to unlock other potential areas like jobs and networking for business. 

Impact goals are to have educated girls who are able to be self reliant in the communities they come from. 

Educating a girl is one of the best investments her family, community, and country can make. Educated  girls are more likely to be healthier, better paid in the workplace, and more empowered to participate  in social, economic, civic and political affairs.  This transformative effect contributes to a better world  for us all.

Some of the indicators for measuring the impact would be 

1. Reduced absenteeism from school

2.Reduced lateness to school/ Reduced commute time. 

3. Improved Grades especially /STEM 

4. Reduced school drop-out

5. Increase in number enrolled to schools 

6. Reduced Teenage Pregnancies

A rigorous independent randomised control and trail and other subsequent evaluations of the program in Zambia, have found that girls mobilised with Bicycles

a) Were 19% less likely of drop out of school after owning a bicycles for 2 years

b) Reduced their absenteeism by 19%

C) Cut their commute time by nearly 2hrs each way by 33% saving more than 2 hours a day

d) Scored higher in Mathematics

e) Reported to feeling more in control of their decisions affecting their lives

f) Ranked themselves higher Academically and gad a greater belief in their potential to succeed in life

g) Experienced 22% less sexual Harassment and or. teasing on their way to school

Buffalo Bicycles that are made of steel hence ensuring their durability. Bicycles have zero carbon emissions reducing the effects of climate change

Our team includes women in leadership and people who are not from same ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds. We are all from different age groups as well.