Kenya

Education & Economic Outlook for Girls in Kenya

Kenya has made progress in gender parity in education, showing a slight majority of girls over boys in secondary school enrollment as of 2022 (KIPPRA). However, issues such as early pregnancies and societal pressures contribute to a high dropout rate for girls before completing secondary education (KIPPRA). These challenges, in addition to socio-economic barriers and cultural expectations also hinder girls’ ability to transition to higher education (FAWCO). For girls in rural areas, these challenges are particularly acute.

Economically, women participate in the workforce but are far more likely to participate through vulnerable employment (69% of women vs 52% of men), through jobs that do not involve formal work arrangements or social protections. Women are less likely to hold a bank account (77.7% vs 85.8%) and are underrepresented in government (23% of parliament seats are held by women). (World Bank)

Daring Girls currently supports one partner in Kenya through the Binti Shupavu International Pilot.

Centre for Women Empowerment in Technology (CWE-TECH) was selected in 2023 as the first Daring Girls and GLAMI partner to localize and implement the Binti Shupavu mentoring program outside of Tanzania.

CWE-TECH has partnered with two schools in rural Murang’a County: Kaganda Secondary School and Mirichu Secondary School. Both are day schools that require many girls to walk long distances to and from school each day. Many are taken advantage of by motorbike drivers who persuade girls to exchange their bodies for basic needs like rides to school, meals, or sanitary pads. Dropout rates at both schools have been consistently high, prior to the arrival of Binti Shupavu.

About CWE-TECH

CWE-TECH was founded in the year 2017 by two tech enthusiasts who were carrying out their Ph.D dissertations on social-economic impact of technology in relation to development. This created a very deep desire in these two ladies who formed an organization that would mirror their dream. Both had a bias on gender equality and women empowerment programmes thus CWE-TECH was born to frontier nexus of women and technology.

CWE-TECH endeavors to close the gender gap in technology and build a more equal world through provision and access to technological tools that generates a positive chain reaction with extensive outcomes on women, girls and the youth socio-economic programs.

Download the CWE-TECH One Pager

I love to think that once a girl is mentored, once a girl is empowered, an entire generation is saved because girls grow on to be women who build the society, who build their homes, and they bring up children. …You get to encourage these girls to do well in school and show them that there’s, there’s more to life than this, that you can do better, you can actually excel regardless of the situation that you are in right now.

Harriet Richman, CWE-TECH Mentor

Our Partnership in Kenya

Why did CWE-TECH wish to bring Binti Shupavu to Kenya?

In Murang’a County, where CWE-TECH works, girls face myriad challenges. Alcohol and drug use is so prevalent in this community that the Kenyan government ordered a crisis intervention. Poverty levels are high and family breakups – often due to substance abuse – have left many girls either under the care of aging grandmothers or without any woman role model in their lives.

How did CWE-TECH select partner schools for Binti Shupavu implementation?

CWE-TECH has partnered with two schools in Murang’a County: Mirichu Secondary School and Kaganda Secondary School. Both are day schools and girls walk long distances to and from school each day. Many are taken advantage of by motorbike drivers who persuade girls to exchange their bodies for basic needs like rides to school, meals, or sanitary pads. Dropout rates at both schools have also consistently been high.

Is Daring Girls looking for more partners in Kenya?

We are currently seeking funding partnerships in order to support more partners in Kenya who can deliver girls’ mentorship programming. While we are not currently adding new partners, we do want to know what organizations are interested in working with us. Complete this form to let us know you’re interested in exploring partnership in the future.