Educating the Children

In 2014, through our UK charity arm, we built Sekenani Girls High School (SGHS) to serve as the first secondary school in the Masai Mara. Before ETC, the Mara region had 47 primary schools and no secondary schools. This was particularly problematic because formal employment in Kenya requires possession of a secondary school "leaving certificate". Without that certificate, children have no access to formal employment and are powerless to shape their own future. Sending children to distant secondary schools is expensive, so boys are prioritised for secondary school attendance, while girls are married off for cattle. Increasingly troubled about local girls forced to leave school and subjected to FGM and early marriage, we were inspired to build the first girls’ secondary school in the region, as a safe environment where pupils can learn valuable skills, gain independence and achieve their full potential. Although the school is up and running and we now have most of the structure in place, it is still in need of a kitchen and dining room.