#106 – Boarding Scholarship for Girls

Summary of the Situation

Girls and young women in rural Kenya do not have many opportunities to thrive and escape poverty, which is so prevalent in their area. Most families can not pay the school fees for their children. Boys are chosen to get educated while girls do chores. During the dry seasons (Jan-April and August-Sept) young women often walk long distances, carrying plastic buckets on their heads to bring back fresh water for their families. In addition to missing school, they are also at high risk for rape.
Education provides hope and opportunity — but scholarships are in short supply, particularly for girls.

St. Lucy’s is a Boarding School that provides secondary education and a safe harbor for young women.

How will the funds be used?

We will provide 20 scholarships for girls whose families cannot afford to send them to school. The school will provide education and 3 meals a day.

The Sisters’s Response

An organization called Grandmother Circles supports communities of women living in these rural villages in Kenya. These women provide care of children and actively organize for economic, social, and educational justice. They provide care for orphaned and desperately poor children in rural Kenya. Providing education for young women also protects them from getting pregnant which prevents another obstacle so many young women face

Systemic Impact

Women in Kenya have little opportunity to rise out of poverty due to a lack of education and skills training. The girls usually are last to get educated as families find it more important to educate the boys. This program will give the girls give them the opportunity to rise out of the poverty they are so often living in.