Gender Equality

Creating Safer Learning Environments

We implement a holistic program designed to address the root causes of gender inequality while empowering adolescent girls to thrive. Our approach focuses on creating safer spaces and equipping girls with leadership and life skills. Through mentorship programs, digital outreach campaigns, and leadership development initiatives, we foster an environment where girls can confidently advocate for themselves and their futures. Engaging male allies and leveraging the SHOFCO Urban Network (SUN) allows us to challenge harmful gender norms and promote positive change within communities.

Our Unique Curriculum

We work closely with the community to identify the most vulnerable girls and provide them with access to a unique curriculum that equips students to excel academically, socially, and emotionally. Taught in our schools in Kibera and Mathare, the curriculum focuses on leadership development, socio-emotional growth, resilience, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), SGBV prevention, and goal setting. Students also participate in internships, and community service projects, gaining practical skills while strengthening their connection to their communities. Mentorship and leadership retreats provide ongoing support, ensuring students thrive both academically and personally. Students are paired with successful women in Nairobi who guide them through challenges and inspire confidence. 

Addressing Financial Barriers

We remove financial barriers to education by covering costs beyond tuition, including uniforms, transportation, and school supplies, and fully funding secondary education for high-achieving students without external scholarships. For students attending schools abroad, we provide cultural and academic preparation to ensure a smooth transition and success in new environments. Beyond high school, we partner with universities in Kenya, Africa, and the U.S. to secure higher education opportunities, with all of our U.S. high school graduates in 2022 earning scholarships to prestigious institutions like Columbia and Amherst.

Short-Term

• Expanded educational support for vulnerable girls, including teen mothers, through bursaries, school supplies, and transportation, resulting in higher retention rates and improved test scores.
• Enhanced access to sexual and reproductive health resources, menstrual materials, and clean, reliable water paired with hygiene education, supporting adolescent girls’ health and well-being.
• Strengthened community engagement to address harmful gender norms, with active male gender champions and SGBV leaders heading local advocacy efforts.

Medium-Term

• Higher academic achievement and completion rates among girls in primary and secondary education, with increased socio-emotional resilience and confidence.
• Reduction in teen pregnancies, child marriages, and SGBV, fostering safer and more equitable community environments for girls.
• Schools and local institutions implement inclusive gender-equity policies, improving sanitation, menstrual health management, and supportive practices.

Long-Term

• Improved human capital, with high employment rates, increased earnings, and safer schools with better learning environments.
• Empowered girls and protective communities, with increased agency and employment, better education and SRH outcomes, reduced SGBV and teen pregnancy, and stronger community protective actions.
• Improved dignity and fewer diseases, with better education and work attendance, reduced illnesses and deaths, and a self-reinforcing increase in the dignity of sanitation.