Young Elite Education

It is widely known that education is the most effective way to increase literacy, reduce poverty, increase knowledge of living a healthy lifestyle and leadership skills. Currently in Maasai communities on average only 40% of girls are enrolled in school and only 15% manage to continue onto secondary level. The main reasons for this is poverty and the outdated cultural belief that females should not attend school. 

However NWM org believe  that educating is the basic right of every human so for young girls whose parents deny them an education as well those who like school need support so as they can achieve their dreams. Hence when a woman is educated she will know her rights and she will have more confidence to stand up for them. An education also gives the girls more power to choose who and when she marries and we hope this will aid in generational change regarding girls and access to study. Education of females ultimately helps to see the end of poverty.

“Girls with a dream become women with vision “

There is great pressure in the community to marry early and this is one of the defining factors when it comes to girls dropping out of school. Tradition is that a girl will be exchanged with livestock from the husband which is chosen by her father.

The circumcision of young girls is still common practice, when maasai girls are young they pass into a traditional ceremony in which when a girl is circumcised  she won’t attend school any more and instead will be given an informal education from Maasai Elders.