Educate girls and fight poverty in Kenya

Since 2016, Our Sisters Read (OSR) has brought storybooks and literacy activities to primary students across Tharaka, Kenya. The goal of the program is to build foundational reading skills and create lifetime-learners among rural primary school students, especially girls. Rural girls make up the majority of those out of school, and rural women are the least likely to achieve literacy, leading to great disadvantages in financial independence and personal development (UNICEF, 2013). Tharaka District, where OSR operates, is one of the poorest districts in Kenya, with low secondary school completion rates, especially for girls, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty.

We are excited to say that thanks to the help of supporters like you, our mobile libraries and reading activities--which visited 21 schools last year--are expanding to 29 this school year!

By building reading skills, encouraging and motivating children in reading while working with families to build a supportive community, OSR increases student time spent reading both at school and at home, improves women’s literacy and overall well-being, encourages parents to value literacy and education, and helps create a sustainable culture of reading for years to come.

Here's some of our impact so far:

Students participating in reading activities in school every day:

2016: 15%

2018: 74%

Students reading at home for fun for over 30 minutes per day:

2016: 9%

2018: 51%

Parents who believe reading leads to a brighter future, employment, and

self-reliance:

2016: 23%

2018: 80%

Thank you so much for your generous support of our programs in Kenya. A movement begins one girl at a time!

This year, WGEP will give life-changing scholarships to 213 girls in the rural Tharaka region of Kenya. Each of those scholarships includes more than just tuition--it also includes everything a girl needs to succeed, like books, toiletries, FGM/C prevention and workshops.

But that's not all. Our scholars go on become the next generation of leaders and change makers.

WGEP scholars have the support of their teachers, families, local leaders, and entire communities. Girls who have gone through our program frequently come back as event speakers, tutors, volunteers, interns, and even staff members, eager to serve as role models for younger girls who need someone to look up to and show them that the world is full of possibilities.

Meet Sarah Karegi Kiria, former WGEP scholar. Aniceta Kiriga, director of the Tharaka Women's Welfare Program (TWWP), our local partner organization, said that she began noticing that as a beneficiary, Sarah would be very active in the community. She would ask a lot of questions, arrive early for workshops and events, and volunteer to go above and beyond in making sure the other attendees felt welcome. Now, at just 21 years old, she works for TWWP as a Program Outreach Officer!

I joined the Sisters to School program in 2009 while in primary school and attended the Alternative Rite of Passage program to avoid female genital cutting as well. Sisters to School was so helpful in keeping me in school by paying for my secondary school fees and personal items a swell. The program empowered me to realize my full potential and gave me the skills to handle life's toughest challenges!

After I completed my final year of school, I was so excited to be invited to work in the TWWP office. My goal is to go to university to further my education by taking Mass Communication and Journalism classes. A lot of kudos to WGEP’s donors and all program officials for their support, because now that I have a great job, I can assist my parents in paying for my 3 sisters and brother to go to school!

Stories like this are what makes our program and local partnerships so special. Thank you for supporting young girls like Sarah as they step up to become the next generation of inspiring leaders!