Girls Gather for 4th Annual Kenya Keys Girls' Conference
Jumping for joy, almost 500 girls gathered together last month for the 4th annual Kenya Keys Girls Conference with the theme "Unscripted and Unstoppable". Girls came from 9 villages to be inspired and gain empowerment tools through teaching, drama, speeches and information sessions. Leaders and government officials, together with Kenya Keys graduates came long distances to support these girls, serve as role models and join in their celebrations on the International Day of the Girl.
The daylong conference began with a processional down the center of the highway, stopping traffic and having everyone in town take notice that these girls are unstoppable in their quest to stand up for girls' rights and be recognized.
The boys were not left out,
knowing that they play an important role in the transformation of the girl child's role in their culture. Real change is happening as these young people work together to become united in their quest to empower girls!
Share in the amazing experience of the
International Day of the Girl
with this special song by Symon Tokali, a Kenya Keys graduate, with video footage from Taru celebrating the strength and resiliency of the girls of Kenya and around the world.
Student Who Slept on School Floor
Returns to Help Build Dorm
Lugwe Govi is proud to help build dorm.
It was less than 6 years ago that Lugwe Govi spent his nights sleeping on his desk at Egu Primary School. Determined to do well on the national exams which would dictate their academic future, Lugwe and his peers would stay at the school overnight to study by the lights available only at the school in this poverty-stricken village. They could not travel home at night due to security and concern about elephant attacks.
Today, Lugwe is a university student studying education, but nothing would stop him from coming back to Egu to help build the dormitory that would now make sleeping in the classrooms only a distant memory.
Through the generous donation from Zimmer Biomet West and the support of the Parkin family, the new dorm at Egu now serves 80 students, both boys and girls. Parents pay what they can for their children's meals, with Kenya Keys providing the rest. The entire community of Egu is extremely grateful for this beautiful new dorm, honoring these faithful, amazing students and their dedication to education.
Listen to the Head Girl express thanks.
Like Lugwe, these students will also have the brighter future that only education can provide. The children are full of gratitude for their new dorm, but they have no beds! They lie on the hard concrete floors, grateful to have a safe place to sleep and study. Read volunteer Alayna Herbert's moving story of her visit to Egu in the blog
Concrete Bedsand consider joining with others to provide beds through our special Bunkbed fund below.
GIVING TUESDAY
Give the Gift of a Bed
The Tuesday following Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday, a time to share our abundance with those in need. We invite you to make a special donation to the Kenya Keys Egu Dorm Bunkbed Project to
purchase beds for Egu students.
"Life Changing and Awe-Inspiring"
Trip to Taru Brings Kenya Keys to Life
Kenya Keys has taken volunteers to the villages we serve in Kenya for the past 13 years. Almost 100 people have had the amazing opportunity to travel to rural Kenya with our leaders to discover first-hand the impact that this organization has had in the communities, schools, and individual lives of our students. The experience is unparalleled as volunteers from all backgrounds work to provide support to the staff, work in the schools and visit the families whose lives have been changed by the education of their child through sponsorships. To see Kenya Keys staff in action and to feel the excitement of the children as they meet the people who help to make their futures brighter is a rich reward.
Each volunteer's experience is unique - and profound. A
s Bill Allen, longtime supporter and sponsor, expressed when returning from his trip with Kenya Keys this fall: "I was deeply impressed by the devotion of the Kenya Keys Team and the tremendous potential shown by our recent graduates and university students. Kenya Keys is making a tremendous difference and my connection to the cause has been greatly strengthened by this exciting and fulfilling adventure." With their minds expanded and hearts filled, Kenya Keys volunteers serve as Ambassadors for the organization when they return home.
Holiday Shopping is Coming Up
If using Amazon, please be certain to link to Kenya Keys as your preferred charity. Click here for more info.
Adults Get a Chance at High School Diplomas
Our award-winning program supports adult learners
Kenya Keys has been providing a path toward education for children in the Taru area for almost 15 years. But what about all of the adults in the community who had no funds for education when they were young, and there was no Kenya Keys to sponsor them? Hundreds of adults in the area we serve were never able to attend secondary school, limiting their opportunities for jobs and leadership positions in their community.
All that changed six years ago, when Kenya Key
s volunteers and staff started a Non-Formal Education program (NFE) for adults in the Taru community. Armed with determination and pride, adults of all ages have overcome immeasurable challenges to have the opportunity to earn their high school certificate (diploma) through this program. People started traveling long distances, often walking for hours each way to attend.
What began as a group of about 35 learners and several volunteer teachers in Taru has grown to over 400 learners in four locations. A dedicated team of Kenya Keys graduates and community volunteers work tirelessly to help these adult students achieve their dream of a high school certificate. Not only is achieving a certificate a source of pride, it has a profound impact on the economic status of the family. Adults who once could not get a job are now able to seek employment or go on to college, proudly carrying their high school certificate in their hand.
Mbui Tumbo
The students in the program come from all backgrounds, with the cloud of poverty overshadowing each. Mbui Tumbo is married with three children. When he applied for jobs, he was turned away because he has no high school certificate. He dreams of being an engineer to support his family and send his children to school.
Sarah Mbigo wakes up at 5:00
Sarah Mbig
a.m. to prepare meals for her family, then walks 30 minutes to her NFE class. The family has only one solar light for studying in the evening.
We commend all of the hard-working adults in the program, and the dedicated volunteers who make it possible. Education truly is the key!
Recently the NFE program was recognized by the National Director of Adult Education as the most successful program of its size in the country!
knowing that they play an important role in the transformation of the girl child's role in their culture. Real change is happening as these young people work together to become united in their quest to empower girls!
Each volunteer's experience is unique - and profound. A
