Sunday, February 8, 2009

Education in Nairobi


Everyday I keep saying that 'today was my favorite day in Nairobi' - and it's true - everyday seems to get better and everyday I learn something new about the Safe Spaces girls and their lives.
Today we went to K-South to meet at the Safe Spaces office. We started off the day by talking openly about a time in our lives that has been difficult. The girls were extremely candid and shared with us their stories of hardship and hope. It amazed me that most of their stories revolved around the role of education in their lives and the difficulties that they have had getting access to a higher education. Once you reach high school in Nairobi you must pay to attend school and for the girls living in the slums, this is a significant challenge. Many of them come from families where their parents (especially the fathers) do not see the need for education in a girl's life - traditionally it is believed that she is to be married and tend to the house. Also, there is very little extra money to go around so scraping together the funds to pay for school is often impossible.
Many of the girls were extremely emotional when they spoke about how difficult it has been to get access to education. I saw how important schooling was to them and I couldn't help but feel profoundly saddened by the fact that they had to work so hard just to receive a chance to get a high school or college education. They see education as a means to change the circumstances in their lives and yet it is often almost impossible to get the money together to go on to the next level of schooling.
Safe Spaces plays a pivotal role in the lives of these women when it comes to education. Often Nish will help a girl with the money needed to pay the tuition (either from her budget or with her own personal funds), or she will go and talk to the families about the need to try to support their daughters' academic efforts. Nish will often try to work out a long term plan with the families and help them see the ways in which a solid education will help the girls for years to come.
I couldn't help but think about how lucky I have been to have always had access to a public education, and hope that maybe someday these girls in Nairobi will have the same luxury.

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