KE 10 – BROADEN HORIZONS: PROTECTING YOUNG GIRLS FROM EARLY MARRIAGE AND PREGNANCY
Project Location
This project will take place in Amakuriat, a small village situated on the north west part of Kenya; where population is composed of Pokot tribe. Their livelihoods and the position in the society depend mainly on the number of goats and cows they have. To obtain them, very often they offer their daughters to other men as wives, as soon as the girl’s body is ready to welcome a new life in their womb, that’s mean when they are around 12 years old. As a payment for the girls, the father receives cows or goats from the one who wants to marry the young girl. As a result of that, many girls become pregnant being still children and not being prepared for taking care of the baby. Moreover the drop the school and remain at home without a possibility for further education.
The Comboni Missionary Sisters are present in Amakuriat since forty years and were always working in the pastoral field, since it is a place of first evangelization. Now we would like to put more emphasis on developing the potentialities of the youth, especially girls, making them aware of their rights.
Project description
This project has arisen as a response to the problem of young girls who are affected by the problem of early marriage and pregnancy. In collaboration with the Comboni Father, who are also present here, we have offered the girls a boarding, where they can stay during the week without a need of going back home. Unfortunately our boarding does not have a Kenya Power and the solar batteries we were using before were exhausted.
This project aims at providing girls a place where they can strengthen their natural passion for education, studying as well in the evenings and preparing themselves well for their lessons. At the same time we wish to develop the necessary awareness that will help the cope with the reality of life avoiding early marriage and pregnancy. The finality of the project is to awaken the girls creative learning, using digital tools.
Developing better communication among them, sharing their experience, will eventually help them to be innovative adolescents and adults in their society, protecting them from the risk of early marriage and pregnancy. This program will involve around 80 young girls from Amakuriat boarding and will be conducted throughout the year as follows: depending on the grade level, groups will be divided from Monday to Friday.
Objectives
- To empower young girls to cope with reality of life
- Making them aware their rights and with that, protecting from the early marriage and pregnancy
Beneficiaries
Direct: 80 girls
Indirect: families and society
Local Contribution
Collaboration of the Comboni Sisters and Comboni Fathers in carrying out the program, taking care of the girls during the process of learning Active participation of some girls in charge, through cooperation in the proposed activities.
Referent sister of the project: Sr. Fabiola Kavugho Lulengo
Project's costs