Help vulnerable girls return to school.
This pandemic has forced vulnerable girls out of school and into child marriage and pregnancy. Now, urgent help is needed to protect girls and help them return to school.
When schools in Kenya reopened, parents had to choose between affording food or sending their daughters to school. Girls as young as 11 are forced to marry for the dowry their families need to survive.
Right now, almost 50% of girls in Kenya do not finish secondary education and miss out on their chance of a brighter future.
It's not right. It's not fair. It has to change. And it can. VSO learning centres are a safe space where vulnerable girls learn basic maths and literacy - vital knowledge that could transform their future. They are supported by their VSO-trained teacher to overcome challenges and stay in school.
You can be a changemaker. Donate today to help provide more girls with a safe space to learn and become more independent with the support of a VSO-trained teacher.
Donate today to give a vulnerable girl in need the opportunity to change her future.
Why girls need you
If girls were to finish secondary education, child marriage would reduce by at least 50%.
In some regions where poverty and gender equality are particularly high, only 19% of girls attend school.
VSO has so far reached a total of 2555 girls in Kenya.
In Kenya, over half of the girls are forced to leave secondary school after the age of 14.
As they become adults, girls are deprived of the vital education they need to build a brighter future for themselves and their families. Forced into early marriages and childhood pregnancies, girls lack confidence, knowledge, and awareness of their right to an education. It's not right. It's not fair.
It can change. VSO's Education for Life (EfL) project aims to reach 2000 girls aged 10-19 years old. The project's objective is to improve girls' lives through learning, confidence building and relationship development.
The girls attend classes in catch-up centres and receive literacy, numeracy, and life skill training. Upon completing the learning process in the catch-up centre, the girls are supported in their transition to the next stage. This could be either back to formal schooling, apprenticeships, entrepreneurship or enrolling at vocational training centres.
But every day, more girls are denied their education. Will you help give them a brighter future?
Jane's story
Today I am a student at Moheto catch-up centre. On my first day there I felt good because I knew I would get an education and then I could get my own sewing machine or open my own small business.Jane19-year-old student at Moheto catch-up centre, Kenya.
Jane had to drop out of school when she was just 14 years old. She enjoyed studying, but she was forced to enter an arranged marriage with a woman four times older than her, in the outdated tradition of 'nyumba mboke'. Jane’s marriage refers to the practice of older, childless women ‘marrying’ girls to continue their family name. Since Jane got 'married', she has had three children with men in the village, as requested by her ‘wife.’ Jane could not continue her education and lost her independence.
But, thanks to people like you, Jane is now a student at Moheto catch-up centre where she is supported by VSO teachers and mentors. She enjoys Maths and English and loves her teachers, Alphonsina and Christine, who support her every step of the way. Jane now has a chance for a better life for herself and her family.
Please, donate today and help support more girls to return to education.
Education for Life is run in partnership with ActionAid and Leonard Cheshire.
Here is how every £1 is spent
We value every gift that you give, and will always put it straight to work as quickly as we can. In 2020-21, 89p of every £1 you gave went directly towards tackling poverty worldwide. 11p was spent on the day-to-day running of the charity and raising the next £1 so that we can help even more people this year.
Our promise to you
It's important to us that you feel completely confident and comfortable in supporting VSO. As part of our promise to you:
- We will always treat your personal information with the strictest confidence.
- We will be transparent with how your donations are spent.
- We will always be in control of your support