Kenyan NGO feted for making a difference in girls’ education

A Kenyan Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is among the two countries awarded for making a difference in girls’ education by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco)

Girl Child Network from Kenya and Shilpa Sayura Foundation of Sri Lanka won Unesco’s Prize for Girls and Women’s Education 2020.

The prize is normally awarded to those making a difference for girls’ education. Girl Child Network has been feted for advancing access to quality primary school education for vulnerable children including girls, in Kenya’s hardest to reach areas, while Shilpa Sayura has been recognized for making a difference for girls’ projects that help increase young women’s participation in the emerging technology sector in Sri Lanka.

Girl Child Network was recognized for its project, Our Right to Learn-Reaching the Unreached, which provided access to quality primary school education for vulnerable children including girls prevented from accessing or completing primary education.

Education programs

Since 2012, the project has reached 51,936 children in 240 primary schools including 25,937 girls, through education programs, gender and disability friendly school facilities and community-based social mobilization, transforming negative attitudes standing in the way of girls’ education.

Shilpa Sayura Foundation of Sri Lanka has been rewarded for its project, NextGen Girls in Technology, an extracurricular program helping young women in high school and university to improve their analytical, logical and creative thinking through technology.

In the past two years, NextGen project reached all parts of Sri Lanka in situ and online, training 1,051 young women and 506 school teachers with sought after technological skills such as machine learning, cyber security and design giving many of these girls their first technology experience and advancing their career development.

Global good

An international jury selected the laureates from nominations submitted by Unesco member states and partner non-government organizations.

Each of the laureates has been awarded $50,000(Sh5.2 million) to further their work in advancing girls’ and women’s education. Unesco Director General Audrey Azoulay commended the winners for their commitment to finding solutions for equality during these challenging times.

“The laureates are a reminder that we can work together to ensure education becomes common global good whether locally, nationally or globally, all members of the education community have a role to play,” she said.

She thanked the Chinese government for its support in the prize. The prize was meant to coincide with the International Day of the Girl Child which was marked on October 11.

In a post on their Facebook page, Girl Child Network said they are humbled for the recognition for the work they are doing.

Established in 2015, by the Executive Board of Unesco and funded by the Government of People’s Republic of China, the Unesco Prize for Girls and Women’s Education has so far, been awarded to ten laureates from all the world’s regions, raising awareness of good practices in girls and women’s education’, and strengthening commitment at the global level.

The prize contributes directly to the achievement of universal quality education, which is part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Unesco celebrated the 2020 laureates through an online campaign.