How 'Nation' story spotlighted a teen mothers’ school
A 14-year -old, primary school pupil in Ng’enyilel, Turbo of Uasin Gishu County, with her two-day-old baby at their home, at their home in September, 2021. A Kajiado school has come to the limelight for giving teenage mothers a second chance at education.
What you need to know:
- A Nation.Africa article has spotlighted a Kajiado school initiative of giving teenage mothers a second chance at education.
- Since 2021, Greenland Girls School has made tremendous progress in new enrolments and support from friends.
- A delegation of Ugandan women parliamentarians visited the school for benchmarking.
On July 23, 2021, Nation.Africa published a story on Greenland Girls School in Kajiado County. The article illuminated the institution’s initiative of giving teenage mothers a second chance at education. The management was happy to share its replicable practice in re-enrolment of girls who have become parents at an early age.
What they didn't foresee is the article raising its publicity. Many more girls would thereafter call in for admission while stakeholders from neighbouring countries visited the school for benchmarking.
New enrolment
"Since 2021, Greenland Girls School has made tremendous progress especially in new enrolments, and support from friends," says Purity Gikunda, the institution's co-director.
At that time, the school had 90 young mothers, a number that has since increased to 150, thanks to more financial and material support from well-wishers enabling it to expand and sustain additional students.
Courtesy of the Nation.Africa's story, a Canadian journalist Lisa LaFlamme, visited the school last February to document its work, further raising its global profile.
Last Thursday, a delegation of Ugandan women parliamentarians visited the school for benchmarking.
"It's a great honour to us," Purity said, following the visit.
Benchmarking
"It shows how our programme of enrolling teenage mothers back in school has been impactful not only here in Kenya, but also in the neighbouring countries. Having seen our story in the media and deciding to come to Kenya to benchmark, shows how unique and important the programme is," she added.
She says their greatest challenge now is to how to accommodate more teenage mothers in desperate need for admission.
“We currently have 700 girls in the waiting list," she says.
"We take in the girls and their babies, making it a double challenge for us," Purity says.
