EMPOWERING CHANGE

A VISIT TO NAMELOK GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL

INTRODUCTION

In the heart of Kiserian, Kajiado County, lies an all-girls boarding school full of brilliant girls. It is a new public school that was started in 2020, just before the coronavirus crisis hit. It only had 5 students at the time, but by God’s grace, the community’s empowerment, and its teachers’ hard work, the school has grown tremendously to host 620 students within just 4 years. 

Its location is also strategic, owing to the cultures and traditions of the Maasai community around them. Most of the girls are Maasais from several sub-counties far and beyond, but others are from Pokot and other communities. Subsequently, they all face similar problems, i.e. Female genital mutilation, teenage pregnancies and early marriages, among others. 

The visit was an invitation from Ms. Milanoi, the founder of Naretu-Maa, a partner organisation to ours. She is a champion against FGM, teenage pregnancies, and early marriages, among other archaic and unhealthy cultural practices in the Maa community. She united several organisations to grace the event, and this is how it went down.

THE JOURNEY

We started the journey around 8 am on Wednesday, 27th March 2024. We picked up a new colleague, Knight,  to help us with the mentorship programme we had planned for. The drive up to Kisamis was scenic, and the fresh air kept on revitalising the more we left the city and headed towards Kiserian. We stopped at a place known as Corner Baridi, which is located high up in a mountainous region and is really cold. The view of the valley and the adjacent hills was magnificent. There were also strategic houses built on hilltops to have a better view than what we could see from the viewpoint. We envied the owners of those houses because they were living in paradise. After an hour-long drive, we spotted Milanoi and stopped at the roadside to wait for the other guests, who arrived later on and we got to familiarise ourselves with them before going to the school. The organisations included:

THE ARRIVAL

After almost all the guests had convened by the road, we got into our vehicles and drove for a few minutes into the school. We were welcomed with great hospitality. The students were seated under a tree and seemed ready for the event. The headteacher, Madam Beatrice, was outside their administration block with the Board of Management Chair and teachers with smiles and hands wide, receiving each and every guest. We walked into the office and signed the visitors’ book while introducing ourselves.

The Planting

A few organisations had brought trees for the tree-planting session. There were really strong winds in that area, so strong that even a tent was blown away, hence the urgent need to start planting trees immediately. We had assistance from Dr. Wanyoike and students from the school. Dr. Wanyoike taught us how to replant a tree seedling, and in no time, almost all the holes that had been dug were filled with trees.

Mentorship

Maasai folk songs together with some worship songs and dances. Their performances were so lively and confident. They invited the guests to join in once they had the final performance. We flexed some neck muscles as we boped to the Maasai chants together.

Speeches

The school principal introduced us and welcomed us officially in front of the whole school. She told us a few facts about the school, some of the challenges they faced and assured us that they would take care of the trees we had just planted.

Next was the board chair, who addressed us very swiftly. She represents the office of Kajiado women representative. She expressed her desire for girl child education, especially those from Maasai land since those are her roots. She also advised the girls against teenage pregnancies since they were closing school the day after for the April holidays. Thereafter, Nancy Milanoi from Naretu-Maa took over as the MC of the event. She introduced the many present organisations, and we briefly discussed what each organisation dealt with. Additionally, she gave our intern, Effie, the opportunity to speak as a champion to the girls about her law career, her educational journey and most importantly, mental health. Effie was assisted by Knight, our guest for the day, who encouraged the girls to be more open to speaking about menstruation and sexual health since they are an integral part of adulthood and should not be approached with fear and shyness.

We also heard the experiences of the first Maasai girl pilot, Glain Kimer Naneu, encourage the girls to believe in themselves. She explained that she was born and raised in their locality and that she possibly faced the challenges they face, too. Her story definitely touched some students, especially those who were afraid or discouraged of STEM subjects. She explained how she got financial aid from her community through harambees and fundraisers. 

Furthermore, we heard from a Maasai grandmother who helped girls to escape FGM and forced marriages and brought them to Namelok Girls Secondary school. She spoke plainly to the girls and cautioned them against leaving school before completing secondary education.

Thereafter, the sergeant from Kenya Wildlife Service addressed the school. He encouraged the girls to not only look at careers in the white-collar sector but also to open their eyes to the service. He introduced his deputy, a lady, which sparked some interest in the girls. He also welcomed the guest of honour for the day, our co-founder, Holger Grossmann. He spoke to the girls and kept his speech brief. What stood out was how he embraced learning to understand instead of cramming to pass and forget all the information. It enables our brains to adapt to applying the knowledge we get in school in practical situations.

Pad Drive

Afterwards we did the pads donation and distributed them to the girls. We had other organisations also who had come with the reusable pads too. We taught them how to use them well and hygiene practices they should employ while using reusable pads.

Lunch Break

We finished the event successfully and went to eat. We had ugali, nyama choma, some greens and soda. After lunch, Edyta and Holger introduced the new-tech wifi, Starlink. Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by Starlink Services, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American aerospace company SpaceX, providing coverage to over 70 countries. It is fast with speeds of upto 150 mbps and has wide coverage. It fascinated most of the teachers and guests who connected to it. As Edyta likes to say, we should adopt the new technology if Kenya is to catch up with the modern world. It’s about time we abolish the old and expensive technology, which makes our online experience not as good as new technology.Finally, at around 4pm we left the school having connected with many influential people, and having a sense of achievement for the day’s work.