She returned to her village to improve the lives of Maasai girls
Kakenya Ntaiya had always dreamed of becoming a teacher. When she was five years old, her future husband was chosen. When she was 12 years old, she was prepared to undergo the traditional female genital mutilation (FGM) to get married and then drop out of school. Her dream of becoming a teacher was now out of reach. Against all odds, she managed to convince her father to let her continue her education, as long as she underwent the circumcision.
Kakenya finished school, won a scholarship for university studies in the US, did a Ph.D., and got a job at the UN in New York. She decided to travel back to her village to give other young girls a chance to study. She founded a school –Kakenya’s Centre for Excellence, a boarding school for Maasai girls where they receive an education in a safe environment, without the risk of undergoing FGM. The tradition of circumcising girls to then marry them off is deeply rooted within the Maasai community. In the area where Kakanye grew up, only 1 in 15 girls continue to high school. Kakenya wants to change this.
Social Initiative supports the expansion, making it possible for more young Maasai girls to create a better future for themselves. Right now, we are expanding the school to enable girls to study all the way from first grade to high school.
