SAWA Kenya is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization empowering young girls in Kenya through education. SAWA strongly believes in the power of education to transform the lives of the girls we support. We target at-risk girls who have been forced to drop out of school because of child marriage, early pregnancies and lack of school fees. We've passed $8,000 but don't let that stop you, the more money we raise the more girls we can send back to school. See below for where future donations will go!

About SAWA Kenya:

SAWA Kenya is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working in Laikipia County, Central Kenya to improve access to education for young, at-risk girls. SAWA is a Kiswahili word directly translating to "equal" or "the same" (and more colloquially translating to "okay"), and in the case of our organization stands for Schooling & Action for Women's Achievement in Kenya. We target girls who have been forced to drop out of primary and secondary school because of early pregnancies, forced marriage and a lack of school fees. Using our network of community contacts, we identify girls who have dropped out of school or are at-risk of dropping out, provide them with 1-on-1 counseling services, and set them up with educational sponsorships to return to school.

We've passed our original goal, but don't let that stop you from donating! Here is what each benchmark amount raised would allow us to do:

• $8,000:  we can send the 17 girls that had their paperwork ready by November back to school for the 2019 school year.
• $14,000: we will be able to send the 17 girls back, as well as 11 girls that only recently completed their school registration paperwork. We will also be able to equip all the girls going to boarding school with all the major items recommended by their schools and with additional necessary personal items at the start of each term (x3 per year). 
• $18,000:  we will be able to send all 28 girls back in January, fully equipped for the year, as well as set up the first community educational initiatives during the schools' breaks this April and August.

  The Need: 

  Currently, SAWA Kenya’s focus is on the villages in the II Ngwesi Group Ranch in Laikipia County, Central Kenya. The II Ngwesi Group Ranch villages are made up of primarily Maasai tribes. In the Maasai community, less than 50 percent of girls are enrolled in school and only 10 percent of those girls reach the secondary school level.

  Many of the Maasai communities in the II Ngwesi Ranch still practice traditional cultural customs, such as female genital mutilation ("FGM") and child marriage. A typical Maasai girl undergoes circumcision between the ages of 10-13 and is soon married off to an older man chosen by her father in exchange for sugar, cattle, goats or cash. Girls have no say in their circumcision or in who or when they marry. If a girl is married off, her education is immediately terminated.

  Many of the girls growing up in these villages are not allowed to sleep in the same huts as their parents or brothers. It is common for "warriors," older men in the surrounding villages, to approach the girls’ huts at night and rape them. Many Maasai girls are impregnated at early ages by this practice. Girls stay awake late into the night fearful of warriors, rendering them exhausted and unable to concentrate in school the next day.

  Unplanned pregnancy is a very common problem among girls throughout these villages. While rape and child marriage are prevalent reasons, the most common cause is simply a lack of understanding or access to family planning. Many girls are impregnated at young ages and with limited financial resources and access to childcare, they are often unable to continue attending school.

  Of the girls enrolled in school, many struggle significantly more than their male counterparts. Girls come second to any brothers in the financing of uniforms, school supplies and school fees. Most girls in school don’t have any access to feminine hygiene products. As a result, girls stay home from school during their period, turning to cardboard and other unsanitary options. Girls face innumerable obstacles in attending and staying in school, as their education is not prioritized or valued.

  Our Solution: 

  Many of the issues facing our girls are cultural and deeply ingrained. Boarding schools help to eliminate some of these problems by keeping the girls in a safe, education-focused space. SAWA Kenya aims to enroll most of our girls in boarding school and when not possible, we work to provide guidance and support services. We hope to empower our girls through a strong support network devoted to their wellbeing and education.

  We believe that you cannot make a lasting change from outside the system, therefore we work very closely with our partners in Kenya to identify girls eligible for sponsorship and come up with the best plan to get them back in school. We also work together to develop longer term goals that will have the greatest impact on the community at large. We maintain daily contact with our partners in the community, and we will provide our sponsors with updates on the girls they support as often as they are available to us. 

  The challenges these girls face are numerous, complex, and daunting. We have to start somewhere, and we choose to begin by advocating for their education. We plan to support our girls beyond the classroom with additional counseling, mentorship, and workshops to further empower them and equip them with the tools necessary to ensure they can thrive on their own.

  Our Team and the Evolution of SAWA:

  SAWA Kenya began when Founder & CEO Meg Crampton, a medical student at Frank H. Netter Medical School, went to Kenya to research the driving factors behind the shockingly high dropout rates among female students in the communities of Laikipia County. Meg discovered the massive need for counseling and funding for the girls’ educational aspirations. With many community contacts and an ever-growing list of girls unable to continue their education, Meg returned home and began SAWA Kenya with the ambitious objective to empower girls in these communities through access to education.

  Sarah Frear, our President and Director of Finance & Operations, recently moved to Kenya and spent several weeks joining Meg on her initial trips out to the communities in Laikipia County. When Meg decided to found SAWA Kenya, Sarah was more than happy to join the team and continue the work she had witnessed. Sarah brings experience from 3 years at a large multi-national bank and works from the ground in Kenya with Josephine, our Country Director & Field Partner, to oversee and execute day-to-day objectives. 

  Josephine Ndirias, leader of the local nonprofit Mukogodo Girls Empowerment Program, was integral in helping Meg establish her initial research project and to help develop inroads into the communities. As SAWA Kenya developed from a research project into an operating nonprofit, Josephine became an integral part of our team, helping to coordinate our in-country efforts and to ensure that we are utilizing the best and most efficient methods for helping the girls and their communities. 

  Kasey Miller, our Grant-Writing & Corporate Sponsorships Volunteer, joined our initiative in the early stages. Bringing her passion and knowledge from time spent working in the nonprofit industry, Kasey helps identify and execute on our fundraising opportunities. 

  Together Meg, Sarah, Josephine, and Kasey work to identify the girls currently not in school, or at-risk of dropping out, and to get them back in school with scholarships that cover the cost of school fees for one year as well as school supplies and menstrual hygiene kits. Once we have enrolled our 2019 class of girls this January, we will turn our attention to orchestrating workshops in each of the 5 communities we work in to discuss topics such as menstruation, family planning, FGM, and gender violence. 

  During our initial time in Kenya, we partnered with filmmaker Dakota Lupo and had the opportunity to capture much of the experience and many of the prevalent issues in the communities where we work. We are in the process of putting together a film and hopefully a continuing documentary series which follow these stories. Please enjoy a teaser of the content we have thus far: 

  What We Need & Where Your Donation Goes:

  The first $14,000 raised will be put towards getting our group of 28 girls enrolled in school this January, as well as equipping our 25 girls that are attending boarding programs with the major items recommended by their schools. The $14,000 will be used as follows:

  • The average cost of one school year is $400 for 3 terms.
    • We prioritize sending all of our SAWA girls to return to boarding school where they can better focus on their education without the distractions and pressures of home.
  • Each girl needs a uniform, including: two dresses ($16), two sweaters ($12), a school bag ($6), socks & shoes ($9), and books & pencils ($8). 
  • Each girl also needs menstrual supplies and only $7 covers the cost of a Days for Girls menstrual hygiene kit. Each kit includes 8 washable and reusable pads, 3 underwear liners, a bar of soap, and 2 plastic bags to safely store unwashed materials. This brings the average cost of basic school materials to ~$60 per year. 
    • Girls in Kenya frequently miss school when they are menstruating due to lack of sanitary pads or supplies. We want each of our SAWA girls to have a Days for Girls menstrual hygiene pack providing them with the necessary materials so they don't have to miss school. Plus, this supports an incredible organization based in Chumvi, one of the villages we work in, that sews these reusable kits!
  • The girls attending boarding school programs will also be provided a mattress, a pillow, a set of sheets, a blanket, a towel, and a trunk for their items -- coming out to an additional ~$40 per girl. Personal items such as soaps, toothbrush and toothpaste, and toilet tissue will also be provided at the start of each term (~$10 per year). This comes out to approximately an additional $50 per year for each of our girls attending boarding programs. 

  Perks: 

  • If you purchase one of our $400 perks to sponsor a girl for a year of schooling, we will pair you with a specific girl and, if you wish, pass along updates from her teachers on how she is doing throughout the year.
  • If you purchase our $100 "Sponsorship Pool" perk, your donation will be set aside for the girls that are on our list for the 2020 school year. 

    We hope you'll donate to our cause (even $1 makes a difference!) but if not there are many other ways you can help:

    • Share this campaign link with your community, family, friend - anyone and everyone you think might be interested!
    • Thanks for your help!