HELGA works to eliminate disparities in education, social and economic status for prosperity within the local community in Kajiado County...
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To empower vulnerable members of the community through sensitisation and education for meaningful participation in building a just and equitable society.
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In living our vision, we implement the following programs
The Maasai culture is strongly patriarchal, with a man’s wealth measured in terms of cattle and children.
Girls are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. In childhood girls as young as 7 or 8 are matched with much older men, with multiple wives, in exchange for livestock. Many girls are forced to undergo the traditional rite of female genital mutilation (FGM) to be considered marriageable, despite the practice being outlawed by the governments of Kenya. These child brides – who suffer lifetimes of health issues and trauma – become little more than breeders for their husbands.
Fewer than 40% of Maasai girls enroll in school. Even fewer complete primary school and go on to secondary school or university. But those who become educated are respected by their tribe, which is struggling with how to integrate its centuries-old, semi-nomadic lifestyle into the modern world.
DonateThe Maasai girls who come to Grace Nanana Rescue Centre are the most at-risk – orphans, runaways or abandoned. They are brought to us by social welfare government officials or relatives trying to save them from cruel cultural practices.
We meet their basic needs with shelter, food, clothing and nurturing adult care. We enroll them in our school. Then we help them develop personal confidence and occupational skills to reach their full potential.
In turn, these girls grow into self-supporting, independent women who will help lift their communities out of poverty to a sustainable future.
Your support provides the girls the opportunities to attend school (a first for most), immediate and ongoing medical care, counseling, vocational and life skills training in a safe, family environment. With your help, we can give the most vulnerable, at-risk Maasai girls a better and brighter future