5 reasons why girls become at-risk
Elizabeth, Sharon, and Dinah (First-year students)
Vulnerability is a common trait that all of our students in rural Kenya share. But what leads to this vulnerability? Here are five reasons why young women in rural Kenya so easily become at-risk.
1. Material poverty:
Many families in rural Kenya make less than $2/day, which is barely enough to feed a family of eight once a day. Living in rural areas of Kenya puts young women at a greater disadvantage because of fewer job opportunities. Many women resort to selling vegetables on the street or other forms of casual labor, but none of this will sufficiently provide for a family. This is why the cycle of poverty is so difficult to break. 100% of our students grow up in extreme material poverty.
2. Inability to continue education:
While public schooling is technically free, students are required to pay for uniforms and other supplies, which is often too much for families with many children. Also, education for boys is prioritized. So girls become unable to develop advanced literacy skills or other skills that could lift them out of poverty. While most girls complete primary school in rural Kenya, very few are able to transition to secondary school. Among many of the families we work with, “93% of secondary school-age children are still in primary school" (BFA Global). Most of Neema's students dropped out of school after eighth grade.
3. Teenage pregnancy:
Little girl at a hair salon shop
Because of the extreme poverty and school dropout rates after eighth grade, girls are at-risk, greatly increasing their chances of getting pregnant as a teenager. And after becoming a teenage mom, these young women face a societal stigma that threatens their chances of further education or career opportunities, making them even more vulnerable. About 50% of the Neema students have a child by the time they join Neema.
4. Gender inequality:
Brenda, second-year student, with her son
Despite recent measures that have advanced gender equality such as new laws on domestic violence and sexual offenses, and increasing representation of women in public offices, only 29% of women in Kenya are considered "empowered" as of 2020 (UN Women and KNBS). To be empowered, a woman has to have viable options to choose, giving her the ability to decide how she will live her life. Kenya, especially rural Kenya, remains a patriarchal society where cultural attitudes and beliefs around gender roles and norms exacerbate gender inequalities. In addition, it’s twice as likely for women in urban areas to be empowered in comparison to those in rural Kenya, where Neema is located (KNBS).
5. Violence against women and girls:
41% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 in Trans-Nzoia county — where Neema is based — have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 (KNBS). “Kenya continues to witness social tolerance for violence against women, with 42 percent of women and 36 percent of men believing a man can be justified for beating his wife under certain circumstances” (2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey).
For more information, please visit our webpage with more statistics about life for young women in rural Kenya. To make a difference in the lives of these vulnerable young women in rural Kenya, make your donation today.
“From the day I came to Neema I feel happy and different because God gave me a place to belong ... Finally I have a place and people who love me and have accepted me. I did not know how to interact or stay with others because I was used to living a lonely life. I do not feel like a burden anymore because I am not reminded of the food I eat or the help I am given. I do not have to worry about where to work to look for money for food and soap.”
- First-year student