Empower, Engage, Educate in Rural Kenya!

Women and girls are essential to our work to empower education in rural Kenya. During the month of March, we are celebrating our programs to support girls in school and the women who work tirelessly to ensure their children can stay in school. We are excited to provide a glimpse into the programs that your donation is helping to support!

Wings Poa Reusable Sanitary Pad Kits: Since 2017, we have distributed over 1500 FREE locally made Wings Poa Kits to girls at our partner schools. Along with providing the kits, our staff provides menstrual health and hygiene information and answers the girls questions about their bodies and periods. As a result, girls are no longer missing 4 to 5 days of school each month. 

Girl/Boy Empowerment: Girls in Kenya are vulnerable to unwanted sexual advances and predatory behaviors by men. During the pandemic, we learned that teen pregnancy sky rocketed with 98 girls from our 63 partner schools becoming pregnant including 26 from primary school. As a result, we developed the year-long Girl/Boy Empowerment Program to reduce unplanned pregnancy and gender-based violence. This program provides accurate sexual health and reproduction information along with an understanding of consent, boundaries, respect and peer pressure. The program is designed for both girls and boys (who meet separately) so each group becomes confident and empowered. As Faith Doucette program director shared, " It doesn't make sense to just provide information to the girls. The boys need to understand these concepts so they can be advocates and healthy partners." 

LitMom Program: In partnership with LitWorld, Kenya Connect has brought the joy of reading and income-generation projects to three cohorts of women in the LitMom program. This program brings mothers and grandmothers together to learn about the importance of reading and how to engage their children in school while also providing them with training on sewing, jewelry making, and beekeeping. As a result, these mothers have earned income to pay for school fees and food for their families while experiencing the joy of a Read Aloud story and art projects. 

Kenya Connect Staff: We have a staff of ROCK STARS with 13 women providing programs to students, teachers and parents at our 63 partner schools. They are creative, dynamic, fun, and effective in bringing digital literacy, library programs, teacher professional development,  and leadership and mentorship programs. They also serve as role models for girls at our partner schools. Last year one girl in the Lema PS Girl/Boy Empowerment Program shared when she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up was "Kenya Connect" since her mentor Jackie made learning fun and she realized that there were important jobs in the non-profit sector.

As a donor to Kenya Connect, you are helping us to ensure that girls have educational opportunities and pathways to a brighter future. We thank you for ensuring that girls don't miss school during their periods and that our library has books that feature stories about powerful and inspirational women like Wangari Mathai. Thank you for being a champion for girls and women in rural Kenya!