Educate a Maasai Girl - Help End FGM /Forced Childhood Marriage

Today, there are 6 Tasaru Girls in post-secondary education programs in Kenya

2011-09-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

Today, four years after starting this effort with little more than the best wishes of many friends and family along with financial support from a handful of philanthropic & trusting women from my local community in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, there are now 7 young women from Tasaru who have completed or are pursuing college and university programs in Kenya with the assistance of our program. 3 others have found assistance through personal networks they established thru this project. In addition, over 20 girls from Tasaru have received other types of assistance including computer training, transportation and living assistance, medical assistance, and start-up money for small businesses from this project.

Young women confront unique and significant challenges when they leave Tasaru after high school. Most dream of going to college so that they can gain marketable job skills & training and succeed in achieving economic independence. This economic independence is one of the most significant factors in battling the economic forces in the Maasai community in Kenya that perpetuate female genital mutilation and child marriage. I am very very proud of the girls from Tasaru in college and university as they struggle with the bureaucratic hurdles of the education system in Kenya, lifestyle changes of living in large cities rather than their familiar rural home areas, and perhaps the continued resistance & resentment of their fathers. With the recent death of Kenya's Wangari Maathai, I am reminded of her motto, "Do the best that you can." That is exactly what these girls are doing!

Janet Semerian Pere - completed Kericho Teachers College in 2010, is teaching under government contract in Nkoilale Primary School in her home area near Maasai Mara, and continuing her education for a Diploma in Early Childhood Development at Limuru Teachers College during holidays.
Purity Rinka - completed Dicece PreSchool Teachers Training School in 2011, is teaching in a preschool in her home area, and continuing her education for a Diploma in Early Childhood Development at Limuru Teachers College during holidays.
Susan Karbolo - completed her Accounts Certificate Training at Kenya Polytechnic College and is now moving into the CPA program at Vision Technical School in Nairobi.
Carolyne Lato Gilisho - starting her second year at University of Nairobi in the B.Sc. Biology degree program.
Florence Taki - has just enrolled at Asumbi Teachers College.
Nailois Kamwaro - has just enrolled in the Information Technology program at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology/Nakuru CBD Campus.
Mary LeMakije - completed Mosoriot Teachers College in 2010 and is now teaching in a primary school in Kajiado.

To learn more about this project and to invest in a girl from the Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Narok, Kenya in her quest for post-secondary education, job training & an economic livelihood please contact me at mewalker99@yahoo.com.

On behalf of these girls, Asanteni Sana!

Why Educating Girls Matters!

2011-08-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

BECAUSE...
An educated girl, with an income, in a developing country reinvests 90% of her earnings in her family; a boy... 35%.

In developing countries, an extra year of primary school will boost a girl's income 10%; an extra year of secondary... 25%.

An educated girl will marry later and have fewer children. Her country's HIV/Aids rate will decline, malnutrition will decline, her country's economy will improve.

In spite of the importance of educating girls around the world, 99.4% of international aid money is NOT directed to girls.

In fact, for every aid dollar spent, only 2 cents goes toward helping girls.

BUT if you INVEST IN A GIRL, SHE WILL DO THE REST.

Pregnancy is the leading cause of death world-wide for girls age 15-19.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?...

Contact me to invest in a girl from the Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Narok, Kenya in her quest for post-secondary education and job training & an economic livelihood. mewalker99@yahoo.com.

And please, keep reading...

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/FORCED MARRIAGE and THE MAASAI:

The United Nations estimates that 90% of Maasai girls in Kenya are at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced childhood marriage. Among the Maasais, FGM is the complete removal of the clitoris and labia under unsterile conditions with a razor blade, no anesthesia, no protection from infections (tetanus, HIV/AIDs), and high risk of immediate death due to blood loss and shock. If a Maasai girl survives the initial cut, ...

Girls that have undergone female genital mutilation are prone to chronic urinary tract infections throughout their lifetime often leading to kidney failure.

Because of scarring and keloids, childbirth can be life threatening to a woman that has undergone female genital mutilation.

The marriageable age for Maasai girls has fallen to 8 to 9 years old because of the economic challenges facing her family.

A Maasai girl, "circumcised" as a young girl, and then rescued by The Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre is one of 140,000,000 (yes, 140 million!) girls/women living around the world who have been subjected to FGM.

Three million girls around the world are at risk of female genital mutilation EVERY YEAR.

PLEASE SHARE THESE STATISTICS WITH A FRIEND, A FAMILY MEMBER, AND A CO-WORKER... I dare you!

Some Thoughts about the Last Year

2010-10-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I have been home in Colorado only 2 months of the last 12. My commitment to girls from Tasaru, when they complete high school and must face the difficult transition of leaving Tasaru's care to reconcile with their families, is very strong. I've learned alot over the last three years and many of my responsibilities now come much easier. But with each girl, there are undoubtedly different challenges and hurdles. Whether it is assisting her to apply for her national I.D. (a must for applying for a job, opening a bank account, applying to college, or getting a birth certificate) or wading through the many hurdles and steps of applying for & enrolling in a post-secondary program, I know that I am gaining expertise and a certain comfort level with the way things work in Kenya. And having this expertise will help me help each subsequent girl from Tasaru more efficiently.

A perfect example of this is having just completed the long and stressful process of enrolling the first girl from Tasaru to qualify for public university in the Biology Department of the University of Nairobi. In Kenya, the 7 government-funded, public universities provide the better education and have the higher standards for admission than the hundreds of private institutions. While several girls have qualified for certificate level programs in teachers' colleges and private colleges, she is the first to qualify for a four-year degree program at public university. Since the day in early March when we received her high school exam results indicating that she qualified to apply for admission until Monday, October 18 when she was finally sitting in her first class as a full-time "fresher" student, we have been tirelessly navigating the hurdles, inefficiencies, roadblocks, and bureaucracy that is the university education system of Kenya.

Having gone through the process now for the first time, I can easily say that the next girl from Tasaru that qualifies for public university will benefit from her experience! Even now, as several girls from Tasaru begin the three-week exam period that concludes their high school education, I am hopeful that one of them will qualify to study Engineering at University of Nairobi.

First Two Girls from Tasaru to Receive GRR funding are Now Employed as Primary School Teachers

2010-10-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

Janet Pere and Mary Makije, who were the first girls from Tasaru to receive funding from GLOBAL RELIEF RESOURCES to attend Teachers College in Kenya, are now working as primary school teachers in their home areas.

They both completed college in late July and by early September both of them had jobs! The demand for teachers in Kenya is very high but there were still many challenges to actually finding placement in a school. Now that they are both employed, we will be able to see the benefits of rescued Maasai girls working rather than being married off as children.

The First Two Girls from Tasaru to Receive GLOBAL RELIEF RESOURCES Funding to Graduate from Teachers College in Kenya This Week

2010-07-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 30, Mary Makije and Janet Pere will complete their two years of study at Mosoriot Teachers College and Kericho Teachers College. As certificate holders in primary education, they now qualify for government employment in public primary schools in Kenya.

This is a remarkable achievement! Mary and Janet are the first two girls from Tasaru to complete a post secondary program with the financial support of GLOBAL RELIEF RESOURCES.

Congratulations to Mary & Janet!

AND THANK YOU to Snowmass Chapel in Snowmass, Colorado, Women of Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, New York and Suzanne Munn of Steamboat Springs, Colorado for their sponsorship donations to GLOBAL RELIEF RESOURCES that made it possible for these two young women from Tasaru to have economic livelihoods. Employed as teachers in Kenya, these two remarkable young women will be role models for other Maasai girls at risk of FGM and forced childhood marriage. And they will help bring about an end to the economic need for these practices.

For information about sponsoring a rescued girl to pursue a post secondary education and job training after she completes high school and leaves Tasaru:

Email me at mewalker99@yahoo.com

2010-05-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday June 5
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO

Open House Luncheon
Kenyan Buffet
Music
Informational Program
Maasai Craft Market

All proceeds will assist a girl from Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Kenya to
attend college or start a small business.

For information: gardenluncheon@gmail.com

Secondary School Final Exams Results Due Out Soon!

2010-02-19T22:45:00.000-08:00

I am in Kenya right now awaiting the national release of the KCSE exams for three of the girls from the rescue centre. Results on these exams is the sole criteria used in the application process for all post-secondary programs here. The girls' performance, thus, is very much in my thoughts these days as we wait.
I look forward to updating things on the website, and for now simply ask for everyone who has shown so much interest and support for the girls at Tasaru to keep them in your thoughts and best wishes. Thanks, Mary

Christmas is coming

2009-11-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

During this Christmas season, there are several ways to assist the girls at Tasaru.
1. Instead of gifts to you, ask your friends and family to make tax deductible donations to the nonprofit fund to assist girls who have transitioned out of the rescue centre after completing secondary school.
2. As a family, donate rather than give gifts to each other.
3. Host a "party with a purpose" during the holidays and ask people to contribute something for Tasaru.
4. Tell your friends and family that you are making tax deductible donations in their names to the fund.
5. In your holiday correspondence, tell people about this blog and include my email address so that people can contact me directly. mewalker99@yahoo.com

At this time of year, to say that "every little bit helps" is NOT a cliche. Thanks to everyone who has done so much, and continues to do so, for the girls at Tasaru!!

The congregation of METHODIST CHURCH OF STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO donated towels as Christmas gifts for every girl at Tasaru.

The SILVER SPOON BOOKCLUB is paying for Christmas dinner for Tasaru - a goat, potatos, peas, rice, vegetables, SODAS.

RACHAEL'S GROUP BOOKCLUB donated funds to assist Rachael Seneyian as she transitions out of the rescue centre this year - a cell phone and personal needs.

And the MANY, MANY other individuals and groups who provided financial support, goodwishes, and gifts for the girls at Tasaru this season!!! Thank You... and with deep gratitude, Mary

Mountain HardWear Benefit in Steamboat Springs, CO raises $3000 for Tasaru

2009-10-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, October 24 a wholesale of Mountain HardWear gear and clothing raised over $3000 for Tasaru. To put this into perspective, this is enough to send a girl from Tasaru to a two year teachers' college program in Kenya with plenty of funds remaining to put towards other needs of the girls that have completed high school and left the care of Tasaru.

Thanks to Laurie Edwards and everyone in the Steamboat Springs, CO community who helped organize this event and who contributed!

Event at Madison Square Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, TX raises $1800

2009-10-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, October 10, a rousing competition of Bunco raised over $1800 for the Global Relief Resources Scholarship Fund. That is enough funding to pay the tuition and costs for one girl from Tasaru to attend her first year of teachers college in Kenya!

On behalf of the girls at Tasaru as they complete high school, leave the rescue centre, and need assistance developing job skills and finding employment in Kenya...

THANKS to Susan Scales and EVERYONE IN SAN ANTONIO who organized and participated in this great event!!!

Census workers in Kenya not being paid - including Jennifer from Tasaru

2009-09-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

A national census was conducted in Kenya at the end of August. Hundreds of thousands of enumerators and supervisors were hired by the government to do this.

Jennifer, a young woman who lived at Tasaru for several years after running away from her family to avoid a forced marriage, was one of those hired for the census. If you look at the slide show just to the right here on the website, you will see a photo of Jennifer with her grandmother on a visit home. I call Jennifer "Kubwa" (Swahili for "big") because there are several Jennifers at the rescue center. Many of the girls at Tasaru have picked up on these nicknames and use them themselves for the two Jennifers. There is a third Jennifer at the center - I often call her "kati kati" which means "middle" in Swahili. At the very least, all of the girls at Tasaru know who I mean when I say "wapi Mdogo?" but everybody gets a good laugh too. Its nice.

Kubwa is currently living in a small house in Narok (along with Sila, another Tasaru "graduate") and working as a secretary for 5000ksh (about $75)/month. She applied for the job of census taker, passed an exam, and took two and a half weeks off from work for the training required of all enumerators for the census as well as the census itself. She was told that she would be paid 24,000ksh -what she makes in almost 5 months as a secretary. What great news, right?!

According to Kenyan newspapers, the government has not paid the census workers yet, and there seems to be quite a bit of confusion about where the money to do so actually is. I feel so bad for Jennifer because she entered into the endeavor with good intentions, pride in her country and desire to be part of something civic, and now has nothing to show for it. She could be using that money to add to her savings (she opened a small bank account a few months ago), buy a new dress, or even a few more dishes for her home. Unfortunately she may also be learning an important lesson about life in her country.

GLOBAL RELIEF RESOURCES SCHOLARSHIP FUND and The Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Narok, Kenya

2009-09-23T14:34:00.001-07:00

Many of you are familiar with the tax deductible college fund that I established 18 months ago to assist girls from The Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Narok, Kenya with post secondary education and job training when they finish high school in Kenya and leave the rescue center. The Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre provides a safehouse and education through secondary school for girls of the Maasai tribe rescued from female genital mutilation and forced childhood marriage. Although these practices are illegal in Kenya, they are still prevalent among the Maasai people who number approximately 800,000 in Kenya today.

While the name of this fund has recently changed (from the Tasaru Scholarship Fund to the GLOBAL RELIEF RESOURCES SCHOLARSHIP FUND), nothing else about the fund, or how it operates, has changed. Global Relief Resources, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Santa Fe, NM. Global Relief Resources created this fund to be devoted entirely to assisting girls from The Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Narok, Kenya with post-secondary education. It is the only source of funding devoted to these girls when they leave Tasaru and pursue the further education and job training they need to find sustainable employment in Kenya.

Since establishing this fund, I now spend my time here in the United States raising money to pay college tuition fees and all of the other expenses related to a college education in Kenya for these girls as they transition out of Tasaru. Right now, the fund is paying the expenses for THE FIRST TWO GIRLS FROM TASARU TO ATTEND COLLEGE: Semerian is attending Kericho Teachers College and Makige is attending Mosoriot Teachers College. A third girl, Susan, has just begun studying Accounting at Kenya Polytechnic in Nairobi. 10 girls from Tasaru have received computer training because of the fund's assistance, and one girl, Sila, has gone to driving school. I hope very much to soon be able to assist Sila in buying a vehicle so that she can start a small taxi operation in Narok - the first woman taxi driver there!

Donations to this fund are tax deductible and used SOLELY to pay the tuition and associated costs of sending girls from Tasaru to college or other post-secondary programs for job training. Donations are not used for any administrative or operational costs of the fund and I pay for my own travel to Kenya. When you make a donation to the fund, every dollar of what you donate is used for a girl from Tasaru with her post-secondary education.

For more information, to make a donation to this fund, or request a brochure about the fund, email me at mewalker99@yahoo.com.

Something about Agnes Pareyio, the founder and director of the Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Narok, Kenya

2009-09-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Agnes is a force of nature, an enigmatic Maasai woman who drives the anti-FGM movement around Narok. Here she is being interviewed by a Danish documentary crew doing a film on female genital mutilation around the world. Agnes is my dear friend & I stay and volunteer at the rescue centre at her pleasure. She jokingly described the two of us as "quarrel wives" once - a reference to how the multiple wives of a traditional Maasai man often relate to each other.

Agnes has withstood alot in her long battle to end FGM/forced childhood marriage among her people.

Steamboat Pilot Update - Sept 12, 2009

2009-09-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

The Steamboat Pilot/Today, my local newspaper, publishes articles that I write about my experiences in Kenya and my volunteer work at the rescue centre. I am deeply appreciative of this opportunity to share with my local community what life is like in a very different part of the world. If you are interested in seeing all of the articles that I've written, go to www.steamboatpilot.com and do a search of my name.

One of the girls at Tasaru getting a blood test for malaria, typhoid, and brucellosis.

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2009/sep/12/walker_kenyan_girls_face_real_threats_malaria_typh/

Steamboat Pilot Update - June 01, 2009

2009-09-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2009/jun/01/mary_walker_where_snakes_smell_potatoes/

Steamboat Pilot Update - May 14, 2009

2009-09-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

New water storage tank at Tasaru thanks to Steamboat Springs Rotary Club

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2009/may/14/mary_walker_local_rotary_club_helps_kenyan_girls_f/

Steamboat Pilot Update - July 31, 2008

2009-09-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2008/jul/31/mary_walker_giving_maasai_girls_chance/

Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Christian Science Monitor

2009-09-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here a link to an article about Tasaru appearing in the Christian Science Monitor in March 2008.http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0313/p07s04-woaf.html

Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Marie Claire magazine

2009-09-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to an article appearing in the January 2008 edition of Marie Claire magazine about the Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Narok, Kenya. The rescue centre provides a safe house and education through secondary school for Maasai girls rescued from female genital mutilation and forced childhood marriage.
http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/news/international/female-genital-mutilation-2

2009-09-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

Here's the first article about my experiences in Kenya, published in February 2008 after the flawed national election in Kenya resulted in horrible ethnic violence throughout Kenya.

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2008/feb/03/volunteer_talks_about_political_unrest_kenya/

Mary's First Post!

2009-09-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

Today, September 20, 2009 I started my blog. At the urging of many people interested in the work that I have been doing in Kenya over the last two years... I will use this blog to provide the information that people need to participate in the effort to provide post-secondary education opportunities to girls from the Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre in Narok, Kenya. I will also use this venue to update friends and supporters of progress, ongoing efforts, and events related to my travels to Kenya.