Gender Equality
“I raise my voice not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot succeed when half of us are held back.”
Malala Yousafzai, Noble Peace Prize winner and education advocate
For almost 15 years, The Kilgoris Project’s Executive Director David Lemiso and I worked together with local communities to grow our impactful schools and educational programs. Though equal gender access in education and employment was always a given at TKP, it hasn’t been the norm in other schools and in the community. Last month, I had the chance to catch up with David about our progress in empowering girls and women in connection with the United Nations SDG #5. – Caren McNelly McCormack, Co-founder and board member, The Kilgoris Project
CMM: We both like the phrasing in Malala’s quote. How have you seen TKP act as a voice for the voiceless?
DL: Our holistic educational approach fully reaches both boys and girls. There’s no difference in who gets fed, who is allowed into the student leadership program, or who has sports teams. Our teachers model equal treatment in the classroom. This is known throughout the community; we are raising voices through education. TKP is a light.
CMM: How is that different from the past and even some current situations?
DL: In our culture, women and girls were looked down upon as being inferior to men and boys. They weren’t allowed to speak before men. They were led to believe they could not perform as well as men and boys, which led to low self-esteem. And they lacked any agency to object to female genital mutilation or early marriage, both things that would end their education.
There was an assumption a girl from a rural village would grow up to be nothing. So, some parents preferred to send boys to school and not spend the money on girls.
CMM: I remember seeing that. What’s changed? And how has TKP been a part of that?
I’ve seen huge changes in the last ten-to-15 years. Our society at large is better recognizing the rights of women and girls and their place in the community. And local authorities have improved their responsiveness when they know of plans for FGM or early marriage.
Because girls at TKP schools see equality from the day they start preschool, they grow up with an expectation that it will continue. They can speak freely and say “no”. They are even more assertive at home. They will ask their parents not to send them to school in a dirty, torn dress or without shoes. They know they are not second to their brothers and are worth the best the family can provide.
Our schools have achieved a good name in the area and communities recognize the success of TKP students in high school and beyond. This is encouraging parents of non-TKP students to keep their daughters in school. They now know it’s possible for girls to succeed fully at school. Meet one of our hardworking students, here.
CMM: What’s our continued work?
DL: We’ve laid a foundation that will push forward into the professional lives of all our students. They will continue to expect full equality in their world. But there are still prejudices in our society against the Maasai tribe, rural people, and women and girls. We’re certainly not at the end; we believe our schools will keep raising those around us.
YOUR generous gifts to TKP do the globe-changing work of bringing gender equality to girls and women across many communities. It’s YOUR investments that continue to build a better, more sustainable world.
