Connecting to Kenya: a Canadian mother and daughter travel to Africa

Rosemary: The school proclaims its mission in black letters over the main entrance: "To establish a centre of excellence for the girl child, incorporating high standards of academic achievements, discipline, responsibility, integrity and gender responsiveness."

In the kitchen, charcoal fire pits cook huge pots of cabbage and rice; the washroom is a long cement counter with old jugs and basins for washing (no indoor plumbing). Although malaria is a problem, especially during the rainy season, only two of the beds boast mosquito nets.

FAWE supports several schools like this one, which was built to accommodate 400 students but in fact houses 650. Three girls squeeze into each desk; in the dorms there are two girls for every bed. However, most of the girls come from villages where they are at risk of early child marriage and child pregnancy, and the staff will not turn anyone away.

Some of these girls are so young! I think of my own girls at that age — the stories at bedtime, the cuddles, the tales about family and what it was like when I was their age. Like all mothers, I was passing down history through family stories that I'd taken for granted.

But this transfer of knowledge, of history, is being lost in communities such as the ones we visited. When families are broken so early in life, continuity is lost. But schools such as this one offer a chance for a better future. Besides schooling, the girls are taught to respect themselves, their bodies and their heritage. That kind of education is invaluable, something every mother wishes for her daughters.

Stephanie: Although the physical structure of this school is deteriorating (FAWE is raising funds for a new dorm), it is giving 650 girls a chance for a better life. Maureen's courage and optimism were a beacon for the dramatic change that can be achieved through education — between cultures and generations.

What was inspiring was Maureen's determination — to go as far as the United Nations, if necessary, to make her voice heard. The young girls at the school regarded her with wonder.

Rosemary: As our plane taxied down the runway of Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for takeoff, I looked out the window at the lights of the city and felt a rush of emotions that was unsettling. After an overwhelming two weeks, I suddenly realized that I was not ready to leave — as if I was abandoning unfinished business.

How many women were there in the world like Irene Kamau and Rita Thapa — women devoted to helping other women — who simply did not have the resources to achieve their goals? On this journey we met women in slums, on the streets, in the markets, running organizations and participating in governments.

Our goal had been to learn as many of their stories as possible. We had begun to achieve it — and yet, how many stories remained to be heard? I thought of the girls at the school in Kajiado. I hoped that they, and many, many more, would gain the confidence and the voices to tell their stories, too.

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Stephanie Garrett is executive director of the Women's Resource Centre at the University of Calgary, which has established an international initiative promoting women's and girls' education. Rosemary Garrett, an ophthalmic assistant in Calgary, is her mother and mentor.

 

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