Girl Child Network helps girls in Kenya to go back to school

27 / 04 / 2021

By Marwa Nassar - -

Girl Child Network – a laureate of the UNESCO Prize – managed to help girls in Kenya return to school.

“Becoming a laureate of the UNESCO Prize has been instrumental to the work of Girl Child Network, and in particular to support community facilitators and village tracking committees in their work”, says Mercy Musomi, Executive Director of Girl Child Network. These groups challenge harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and early marriages known to prevent girls’ education. They also identify out of school girls, and facilitate their enrollment and retention in school.

Poverty is one of many factors preventing girls’ re-enrollment in school and continuity of education. With the added financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, families are forced to consider alternative means to make ends meet, most often at the expense of education.

According to a report compiled by head teachers from schools in the area through the Ministry of Education, 25% of learners are yet to report back to school. This is especially the case for the majority of girls and young women, many of whom have dropped out of school due to adolescent pregnancy and early marriage.

“With the resources received from the Prize, we were able to visit families weekly instead of monthly, and move from one village to another with ease to reach more girls”, said Mary Tanny, a community facilitator.

The work of Girl Child Network is also transforming perceptions on girls’ education within communities and families.

Since becoming a laureate of the UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education in 2020, Girl Child Network has strengthened its work to increase girls’ access to education in Kenya’s hardest-to-reach areas. Nearly 100 cases of early marriage were prevented, enabling girls to continue their education.