Give a Little Education to Kenyan Girls

It was hard work: pushing wheelbarrows of mortar, carrying heavy stones, and mixing rocks, clay and cement. But it was a labour of love for all of us who were there, out on the Mara in Kenya, bound by a common purpose, to help build the first high school for girls in the region - Kisaruni Girls High School. The setting was spectacular with the classrooms, each their own little building, nestled on a rolling hill, with a panoramic vista of mountains in the distance and a mosaic of lush grazing grounds and the red clay of Kenya. As my friends and I carefully stacked the stones that would become the walls of the school, I couldn't help but think how inspirational the setting would be for the girls who would come to learn in this place of peace and safety. I made my heart full to see the results of the work that Free the Children does in developing nations.

It's been almost a year since our little group from all over Canada and the U.S. met as strangers in Kenya and departed as fast friends. Many have continued to work to find solutions to help our Kenyan friends in their efforts to maintain a robust, self sustainable, healthy community. And that brings me to my Thursday Give a Little Challenge. My friend Megz from our trip went home to Arizona and rustled up some educational software to be used in the computer lab - and some staff from Intel to travel to Kenya to install it and educate the staff on how to use it. Now she is working to raise the remaining 4,000 to populate the lab with computers. So  this week, in the spirit of being the change, I made a double donation (to make up for the fact that I missed last week) to the Power of a Girl PC Lab campaign.

The school opend its doors in January to 41 young women. Marc Kielburger (co founder of Free the Children) gives a really cool virtual tour, with our Maasai Warrior friends Jackson and Wilson.

Read about my Thursday's Give a Little Challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.