Kakenya’s Dream
Women for Change started supporting Dr Kakenya Ntaiya in 2017 when the Chair of the LBW Trust and a number of women who are passionate about education learned about the work of Kakenya’s Dream. This happened via an interview that journalist Eleanor Hall conducted, and Eleanor became one of the Women for Change.
Dr Ntaiya grew up in rural Kenya, in the Maasai Mara in a tiny village where child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) were the norm. Dr Ntaiya had a passion for being “something more” than a wife who labours with household chores (the villages in this area still have no running water or electricity). She could see that there was the possibility of a different life through education and managed to convince her father to let her attend high school. This was done through an awful trade-off – she had to submit to FGM.
Dr Kakenya Ntaiya quotes:
“Just because a practice is a cultural norm, does NOT make it OK”
“If you empower one girl, you are empowering one family, one village, one community and eventually the entire world”
Dr Ntaiya did finish high school and gained entry to University – she then managed to convince her father and the village elders to let her travel to America to study on a scholarship. She became the first Maasai woman to be educated at a University in the United States and, in doing so, she resolved to help other women in her village. Dr Ntaiya returned to her village and created a school for girls – that school has now grown to support thousands of students – either through direct education or outreach, a high school has been built and hundreds of these students are now attending tertiary studies. This is where Women for Change comes in. We are supporting hundreds of young women to gain a tertiary education either in Kenya, or for those with leadership aspirations, here in Australia.
To learn more about Kakenya’s Dream, please visit the Kakenya’s Dream website:
kakenya’s dream.org or read the following article features in the Good Weekend in the Sydney Morning Herald: Good Weekend
Linet’s Story
6 years ago, Linet Momposhi was graduating from high school in a regional school in Kenya having been supported by Kakenya’s Dream since she was 7 years old. She originally attended the Kakenya’s Dream school in Enoosan in the Masaai Mara and then went on to high school where she graduated with good marks. Linet was one of the first recipients of a Women for Change scholarship. She gained a scholarship to the University of Western Sydney to complete undergraduate studies in IT. Linet had never owned her own computer prior to coming to Australia. Linet finished her undergraduate studies in 2020 and achieved a Dean’s List commendation. She has then gone on to complete a Masters Degree and is intending to work in cyber security.
Linet continues to stay very connected with her village and is regularly consulted by her father and the village elders for advice on family and community leaders. Linet is already a leader and we are excited to see what the future holds for her.
