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| Maasai women learning to write |
Margaret (29) started attending the KELC Adult Education Program in 2009 after motivation from one of her educated brothers. “I used to admire him a lot when he came home for holidays…he would encourage me to learn,” she narrated. Many Maasai women her age were forced into early marriage. She got married off at 11 years old. Educating girls among the Maasai community is not given as much emphasis as that of boys, a trend quickly changing thanks to the literacy program initiated by KELC.
Started in 1998 by support from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), KELC Women’s Literacy Program reached out to more than 300 women and girls in marginalized areas mainly occupied by the Maasai community. Further boost of the program came in 2004 with funds from the division of ELCA World Hunger, which helped train more teachers and additional classes in other areas.
Currently 37 adult educators have been trained and run the program as volunteers. “I want to see my community change,” stressed Beatrice Rimanto, one of the adult education volunteers at the Kajiado centre. The Kenya National Literacy Survey indicates that 7.8 million people in Kenya are illiterate (mostly women), and the national literacy level stands at 61.5%.
Despite commitment and interest to learn, many women are faced with gender roles that challenge their frequent class attendance. “Absenteeism is rampant, their concentration in class gets interrupted …some come with young children,” lamented Beatrice. Many walk up to 20 kilometers to attend class, which at times is called off, because they share the same facilities with other students in the school. Some are overwhelmed and discontinue their learning. “I share examples of people who have made it and encourage them to attend school daily,” said Beatrice.
Besides basic education, women are educated on their rights to challenge negative cultural traditions, such as early marriages and female genital mutilation both common practice among the Maasai community.
