Education of Vulnerable Girls

Sauti Moja has two projects in support of vulnerable girls – one in Kenya and one in Tanzania. These projects differ significantly, as the culture of the target populations and the challenges faced by young girls who have unwanted pregnancy differ. Sauti Moja takes responsibility for helping girls continue their education and become capable of caring for themselves and raising their child. Recently, a new focus is being placed on reproductive health education and life skills training for young girls in the expectation that empowerment of girls will result in fewer pregnancies.

 

Supporting Vulnerable Girls in Northern Kenya

Sauti Moja strives to enhance the lives of girls and young women who face discrimination and lost opportunity due to early, out-of-wedlock pregnancies. Some of them are among the most stigmatized and discriminated people in this area, and forced to leave their families and communities. Others experience less discrimination, but also face a bleak future. We are committed to restoring hope for these girls and ensuring healthy futures for them.

The Challenge

Most pregnant girls and young women from the Borana and Gabra communities, which have very conservative standards regarding sexual activity among unmarried persons, are stigmatized, and are forced to leave their families and communities and drop out of school. Without family and community support, they are destitute, and survive on casual labour, handouts, and sexual favours. They are at high risk of second pregnancies. Their dreams of an education, career, and good marriage are shattered.  These girls and their children carry a stigma for life, and are the most vulnerable to poverty, HIV/AIDS, and poor health.

In contrast, young girls from the Rendille community face a much greater risk of unwanted pregnancy, but the immediate consequence of pregnancy differs. Young mothers are often rejected by their fathers, and this rejection may include marrying her off to whomever. Often, girls will run away with a young man only to become disillusioned, so return home, later. Nevertheless, returning to school is highly unlikely, as parents are disappointed with the girl and unwilling to risk further investment in a girl’s education.  These girls, too, have shattered dreams of education, career, and good marriage.

Regardless of circumstance, Sauti Moja provides all vulnerable young mothers with counsel, scholarships for school, and opportunities to start small businesses.  

Our Response

  • Counseling. This program is implemented by local health educators who collaborate with school officials and local leaders to identify pregnant girls. They visit the child mothers and assure them of on-going support for a new start.  This affirmation is integral to the girls’ psychological health and their ability to overcome the odds set against them.
  • Family Mediation. Sauti Moja volunteers work to restore family relationships and intervene in cases of abuse or neglect. If a girl is returning to school, a caregiver for her baby must be identified. Sometimes, fathers are so humiliated that restoration of relationship takes years.
  • Legal Advocacy. In cases of sexual abuse, Sauti Moja supports girls to file a police report and put girls in contact with legal organizations that will help them with any relevant legal proceedings.  Sauti Moja will fund any legal support required. However, this is intimidating and emotionally exhausting for girls, so very few are willing to proceed with legal charges or seek financial support for the baby.
  • Health and Human Rights Education. Sauti Moja conducts workshops and retreats for Child Mothers, where they learn more about sexual and reproductive health issues, decision-making from a long-term perspective, and their rights as women and children.
  • Scholarship Programs. Sauti Moja emphasizes the importance of achieving a good education, as the hope for an illiterate girl becoming self-sufficient is small. Whenever possible, we help Child Mothers return to school. Usually, this means returning to secondary school (equivalent to high school), but sometimes, it is primary school. When a sponsor is willing to facilitate post-secondary or technical education, we provide this support.
  • Micro-business Development (Income Generating Activities). When girl mothers are unable or unwilling to return to school, Sauti Moja helps them become more economically self-sufficient by providing training and helping them to set-up and operate a small business, such as livestock trading, tailoring, and shop-keeping. However, the success rate for girls is low, due to challenges of illiteracy, limited markets, lack of purchasing power in droughts, and limited access to marketable goods.
STORY HIGHLIGHT: Gail’s Story

At 14 years of age, Gail was sexually-exploited. When her pregnancy was discovered, she was chased from home. She nearly lost her life due to pregnancy complications and depression. Her dreams were shattered -- no more education, a child to support, and no work.  Upon hearing her plight, Sauti Moja’s health volunteers visited Gail in hospital, where she was being treated for depression, and provided counsel and support. They learned that her dream was to return to school, so convinced a school to accept her, helped her enroll, and provided all necessities for her to continue her education. Gail’s daughter is growing well and has started school thanks to the care of Gail’s aunt and the food support and health monitoring by Sauti Moja.

Now, at age 20, after five years of support from Sauti Moja, Gail has completed secondary school, and is studying business management in college.  This year, she interned in a large bank, as it would afford her the best employment opportunity after graduation.  She is a charming young woman -- a far cry from the ‘hopeless’ child mother that she once was.  Now, Gail is an encouragement to other child mothers who suffer rejection and hopelessness.

Gail is so grateful that her life was transformed by a sponsor.  She looks forward to a career, loving marriage, and opportunity to provide an exciting future for her child.  Would you like to provide new hope and a bright future for a child mother, too?  For more on sponsoring a child mother in Kenya, click here.
 

Our Achievements

  • Girls who are otherwise stigmatized and neglected have received affirmation and support. Our volunteers have reached out and provided counseling and support to more than 100 Child Mothers. This support cannot be overstated. In many cases, Sauti Moja volunteers reach girls on the brink of emotional breakdown, but with a little support, we’ve seen them dramatically turn their lives around and find a new hope for the future!
  • Family relationships have been restored. In a few cases, our interventions have helped change attitudes in the family and restore relationships. Parents who were previously overwhelmed with shame are finding pride in their daughters’ achievements.
  • Child mothers are back in school. As of October 2012, Sauti Moja has assisted 27 girls’ return to school. In several instances, the girls have been some among the top-ranked students. While we have faced apprehension from teachers about accepting child mothers into class, the good performance of our existing girls – three are in college - has changed negative attitudes. Head Teachers are accepting other child mothers, too.
  • Many have become self-sufficient due to small business training and income. As of October 2012, Sauti Moja has helped 19 Child Mothers to start small businesses. Their remote environments create many challenges in maintaining profitable ventures, especially when there is a shortage of cash in the community due to drought, but Sauti Moja is persevering with them. However, identifying a viable opportunity for a relatively-uneducated girl who lives with stigma and lacks self-confidence is one of the biggest program challenges that Sauti Moja faces.
  • The children of young mothers who have returned to school are healthy.  Sauti Moja staff regularly monitor the health of babies and small children, provide food aid support during drought and hard times, and ensure medical services are secured for health problems.
Did you know?

This program is indebted to two of Tim Wright’s (Sauti Moja’s Director) previous staff in Marsabit - Clara Robe and Martha Bone. For several years, they witnessed the dire straits faced by child mothers and shared a commitment to helping them. When they brought their concern and ideas to Sauti Moja, we hopped on board to develop this program, together. Martha is now Program Coordinator, and Clara is a board member of Sauti Moja Marsabit. 
STORY HIGHLIGHT: Sara’s Story

At age 15, while attending secondary school, Sara was pressured into a sexual relationship with an older youth.  She couldn’t withstand the pressure and social ridicule that awaited her from friends and community, if she didn’t. However, her choice was affected by a common misconception among Maasai girls, as she thought, ‘You only get pregnant, if you have sex with a much older man’!

When the school discovered her pregnancy, she was expelled permanently. She felt hopeless. Her widowed mother had struggled to keep her in school, Sara was the only hope that they could overcome their poverty. With pregnancy, not only were Sara’s dreams shattered, but hope for the entire family was dashed!

Sara came to Sauti Moja staff in despair, seeking counsel and support.  Out staff ensured that safe delivery for her bab, and that Sara’s Mom would be willing and able to care for it.  Then, Sauti Moja found a sponsor, so that Sara could attend a private school that would accept young mothers. 

Sara is completing secondary school, and will soon proceed to technical school. Sara’s perspective is that ”I’ve been given a chance. I will achieve my dreams! I have new hope!”  Our perspective is that three generations have a brighter prospect for a secure future.

  Sauti Monja is unable to help all the young mothers who have been expelled from school and are at risk. A sponsor gave Sara hope and a chance to achieve her dreams. You can help by sponsoring another promising, but needy, girl by clicking here.

 

Supporting Vulnerable Girls in Tanzania

Sauti Moja is working to increase Maasai girls’ opportunity for education.  However, these girls in Tanzania are at high risk of pregnancy due to a combination of cultural factors and lack of education about reproduction and pregnancy prevention.  Of specific interest are school girls who face pregnancy and, therefore, are expelled from school. We help them manage their situations and obtain ongoing educational opportunities for them!

 

 

The Challenge

Like other indigenous groups, the Maasai are marginalized by the dominant culture, As a result, they have fewer services and weaker public institutions, such as health and education. This has led to fewer Maasai getting an education, and therefore, their ability to influence government and other agencies has been low. Within rural Maasai communities, Maasai girls are less likely to go to school, less likely to stay in school, and less likely to be successful in school, as compared to their male counterparts. This is due to a host of factors related to cultural values, prejudice in schools, and the poor capacity of school institutions.

One of the main factors inhibiting girls from staying in school is pregnancy.  This is a complicated issue, but due to sexual values among the Maasai, the power dynamics in most girls’ relationships, conditions of poverty, and a terrible lack of sexual and reproductive health education, girls are pressured or forced, in some cases, to begin sexual relationships at young ages.  This leads to a high rate of pregnancy among school girls and, subsequently, a low school retention rate for teenage girls.

This situation is aggravated In Tanzania, as girls who get pregnant while in a public (government) school are immediately expelled and prohibited from ever returning.  There are few countries in the world that retain such an archaic law; unfortunately, Tanzania is one of them.  Due to this law, in most cases of pregnancy, Maasai girls return home, and often, they proceed into early marriages, giving up their aspirations to an education and a healthier future for themselves and their future family. The result is that many Maasai girls’ right to an education is being compromised and right to live free from discrimination is not being protected!


Our Response

  • The Tumaini kwa Wasichana Centre (Hope for Girls Centre)   School girls who face early pregnancy and school expulsion are welcomed at the Centre, where they are provided a safe place to stay for three weeks, during which time a Support Worker provides counseling, meets with their families, facilitates access to health care, and provides sexual and reproductive health education.  It is a period for recovering from the shock of pregnancy and expulsion from school, and rejuvenating hope!
  • Support healthy pregnancies and safe delivery   Support staff ensure that each girl in the program has access to good medical service to optimize their health and that of their babies. This often includes transporting the girl to a hospital for delivery of the baby, and sometimes includes payment for a C-section.
  • Family mediation.  Support staff visit girls’ families and maintain a good relationship in order to encourage them that ongoing school opportunities are available, and work with the family to identify opportunities for continued education.  The prime goal is to avoid early marriage!
  • Scholarship support for private school   Sauti Moja is committed to networking with other organizations to solicit financial support, which will allow girls to attend a private school, following pregnancy. Obviously, cost of private school is high compared to government schools, so the challenge of raising funds from impoverished families is significant! Therefore, Sauti Moja is increasingly relying on sponsorship to help girls return to school.
  • Capacity-building with schools   In collaboration with a Dutch organization, SNV, Sauti Moja assisted in facilitating workshops with school committees, administrators and managers in order to better address issues relating to girls’ education. Sauti Moja staff visit schools to advocate for referral of expelled girls to our program.
  • Sexual and Reproductive Health Education  Sauti Moja conducts educational initiatives in local schools in order to empower girls and help them make informed choices. In addition, all of the young mothers who have returned to secondary school attend workshops during school break. Here, they learn about reproductive health and are trained in life skills in order to help them prevent further unwanted pregnancy and protect themselves against disease.

 

Our Achievements

  • Girls facing early pregnancies and school expulsion are getting support.   More than 60 girls have reported to the Tumaini kwa Wasichana Centre and received support, as they transition through the difficult circumstances they face.
  • Girls are avoiding early marriages.  With few exceptions, our support workers have been successful in family mediation activities and motivating families to help girls return to school following pregnancy.
  • Girls are returning to school with renewed hope!    As of October 2012, 36 of the girls that came to Tumaini kwa Wasichana Centre have successfully returned to school, with financial support from Sauti Moja and several other Tanzanian and international organizations.
  • Girls are making informed choices to prevent pregnancies.  Girls are learning about sexual and reproductive health matters, which is empowering and leads to greater self-confidence and healthier choices.
  • Schools are addressing issues affecting girls education.  Workshops have been conducted with School Management Committees, which are now more aware and proactive concerning the challenges girls face.
  • The early pregnancy issue and the law prohibiting girls from returning to school has become a significant political topic.  We have raised the issue with a host of government authorities, Members of Parliament, and Parliamentary Committees who are aware of and debate the issue, and beginning to prioritize it. However, the current government adamantly rejects allowing girls to return to school.
Did you know?

When Joanne Allgoewer, a retired businesswoman from Ottawa, was volunteering in Longido, a number of school girls came to her in great distress and confided about unwanted pregnancy.  The distress was not only related to pregnancy, but also, the accompanying family pressures for early marriage and related loss of hope for a good education and career.  Joanne responded by providing counsel and financial support to a few girls, but as her awareness of the magnitude of the problem increased, she engaged Sauti Moja in discussions about how to provide on-going support to such girls. Joanne and her friends have provided substantial support for this program, and as a Trustee of Sauti Moja, advocates strongly for these girls.