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Iloshion is a community in the Rift Valley – in the middle of the savannah and around 30 km from Olpirikata. There has been a state-recognized elementary school there since 2011. However, not a single girl has finished school there in the last 6 years, as they are confronted with a number of “challenges” on their up to 9 km long journey to school, according to the former principal Mary.
These “challenges” very often lead to pregnancies that make further school attendance impossible.
According to UNICEF, 15 million girls are married off early every year – with dramatic consequences: These girls lose their fundamental rights to protection, health, education, play and recreation.
As soon as girls become wives, their childhood is over. Sex, motherhood and responsibility for the household now dominate their lives.
In addition, complications during pregnancy and childbirth pose a major risk for this age group, as their bodies are not yet sufficiently developed to cope with the stresses of pregnancy and childbirth. The risk of dying in childbirth is twice as high for girls aged between 15 and 19 as for women in their 20s. For girls between the ages of 10 and 14, the risk is even five times higher. Every year, 50,000 girls worldwide die in childbirth or pregnancy. In addition, the risk of a child being stillborn or dying in the first week of life is 50% higher for mothers aged between 15 and 19 than for mothers aged between 20 and 29.
Child marriage is a human rights violation!
The organization girlsnotbrides.org estimates that in Kenya 4% of all girls are married before their 15th birthday and 23% of all girls are married before their 18th birthday.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2022, 12.5% of girls in Kenya are married before the age of 18, and 2.2% have married before the age of 15. This represents a decrease compared to previous years and indicates progress in the fight against this practice.
The prevalence of child marriage varies considerably from region to region: in rural areas, the prevalence is 15.8%, while in urban areas it is 9.0%. Poor households are more affected, with a rate of 28.7% compared to 6.2% in the richest households. The level of education also plays a role: girls with no school education have a significantly higher prevalence (45.5%) than those with a secondary school qualification or higher (5.5%).
Further details can be found in the full KDHS 2022 report: knbs.or.ke.
In March 2014, the Kenyan parliament introduced a minimum age of 18 years for marriage for both men and women in the Marriage Act 2014. This law applies to all forms of marriage, including Islamic weddings and civil ceremonies.
Construction of a learning center for 72 Maasai girls aged 14 – 18. The request for this project came from the former principal Mary. During our visit in July 2017, we were able to see for ourselves the need for this project. We received an up-to-date report from the current principal Paul and the teachers, who emphasized the need for the construction of a learning center.
The project aims to benefit both the girls and the community as a whole.
This project is not only intended to enable the schoolgirls to graduate from school and possibly go on to higher education, but also to teach the girls practical skills during their stay at the learning center.
These skills are to be taught in the following courses:
These are the girls who would be the first to benefit from this project and who would immediately have the prospect of a self-determined and autonomous future:
The construction project has been completed and the center was officially opened in 2018. However, we urgently need donations to maintain the building. Donate now!