The Academy for Girls: An Agent of Change

The Kakenya Center for Excellence will be a primary boarding school focused on serving the most vulnerable underprivileged Maasai girls. The first primary girls’ school in the region, the academy will focus on academic excellence, female empowerment, leadership, and community development.

Who Will Attend

Projected to open in January 2009, the Kakenya Center for Excellence will enroll 150 students in grades four to eight—ages 8 to 14—in the Transmara district of Kenya. The girls will be identified by established women’s groups in the district and interviewed by the founder. Priority will be given to girls living in extreme poverty as well as those at high risk of child marriage and female genital cutting.

Core Subjects

Each grade in the school will have its own classroom. The students will be instructed in eight standard subjects – English, Swahili, math, science, geography/history, religion, the arts, and physical education. A health course will focus on educating the girls on FGC, their menstrual cycles, and sexual and reproductive health. The aim of this portion of the curriculum is to improve the girls’ awareness of HIV/AIDS and their roles and negotiating power in future sexual relationships.

Leadership Training

A unique feature of the academy will be a leadership training program. Besides instruction in effective strategies for leadership, girls will get firsthand experience through student councils, student-run extracurricular activities, and community outreach. Living in this environment of personal involvement promotes self-confidence, something many girls may experience for the first time. The resulting empowerment will encourage the girls to speak up for their convictions and to assist in development of programs in their school and their communities.

Preservation of Culture

In addition to academic and leadership instruction, the school will also promote the preservation of non-destructive cultural and domestic values. Girls will be taught the life skills of their villages so that their connection to their homes is maintained and strengthened, contributing to family traditions and productivity. Through education, they will learn about the latest ways to improve their farms, the health of their cows, and their homes. Benefits to their families will be immediate.

Summer Leadership Workshops

The Kakenya Center for Excellence is committed to providing resources to every girl in the surrounding community. To that end, all girls will have the opportunity to attend summer leadership workshops. These programs will foster an inclusive relationship between regular students and local girls in the region.