Story of MCESP
The Maasai Community Education and Support Program (MCESP) was formed by John ole Keshe two years ago in Kenya Rift Valley Province, Narok District, Ewaso-ngiro (village) as an attempt to educate parents so that they place equal social values on their children irrespective of their gender.
The goals of the MCESP are to provide equality and alternative options for Maasai women who seek an education and refuge from their traditional ways of life. Many children living in remote villages assume that the only livelihood available to them is the same as that of their parents. Local communities should be informed of alternative career options for their children and families. The MCESP stresses the value of education by holding outreach workshops in rural villages. Currently, only primary level education is free in Kenya. Many families cannot afford to send each of their children onto secondary school. Confronted with limited funds, families often choose to further the education of sons as opposed to daughters.
Traditionally, education for girls was not given the proper value amongst the Maasai community. As a result, girls were not encouraged to attend school. In addition, girls had greater domestic responsibilities than boys in the family, allowing less time for school work. As a culture, parents preferred sending their sons to school, as a need for educating boys instead of girls was more obvious to them.
Culturally, girls -particularly in the rural areas - often get married at a very early age and this puts a premature end to their educational opportunities. Most of traditional Maasai customs are preformed with or without the girls consent (e.g. female circumcision and early marriage).
MCESP strives to make young girls aware of their rights and alternatives to the practice of female circumcision through workshops and seminars in which circumcised women and non-circumcised women share their experiences. MCESP also promotes the education of young Maasai girls by sponsoring their tuitions for secondary school.
The general knowledge and skills that an individual acquires in school have greater influence on the kind of occupation, the potential level of earning and the future life style a person can attain.
Women's education especially has great influence in the progress of any society. As pointed out by Ibu Badir, " When you educate a boy you are educating an individual. When you educate a girl you are educating a nation."
The Education for the Future Foundation
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