Climate, Lack of School Fees and Economic Empowerment in Kenya
Location:
Marsabit, Kenya
Art Medium:
Mural and Skit
Partner:
Northern Kenya Fund
Artist:
Eileen Tamining (Tami Leen)
The Challenge
Marsabit is an arid region in northern Kenya. Families rely on pastoralism (raising livestock) for livelihoods, which is highly impacted by climate change which comes in the form of both droughts and extreme rain. When households have a bad year due to drought or floods, it is challenging to pay for basics, including school fees.
Entrenched negative gender norms shape the choices families make and directly impacts girls’ education. Gender inequality in this region frequently results in preferential treatment of boys, with parents often choosing not to send girls to school, particularly if parents do not have enough to pay for school fees or if parents expect to marry their daughter off. Girls are then charged with finding work to contribute to the household income.
Alternatively, child marriage is frequently seen as a solution for families: by marrying off their daughter they will have less mouths to feed and to make income on dowry. Once girls are married, they rarely attend school.
The Action
The SYD girls decided to use theater and a mural to illustrate the impact of investing in girls’ education and spark conversation about alternatives to income generating activities that parents might consider to cover school fees.
Most of the parents in this region are illiterate, so skits are an accessible and entertaining way to demonstrate the impact of girls not completing their education. The girls developed a skit showing the impact of a girl dropping out of school and looking for work as house help, where she was mistreated, ended up getting pregnant, and being disowned by her family. While dramatic, this storyline is not uncommon.
The mural is on the side of the school and shows the mountains of Marsabit and the profile of a girl. Symbolically, child marriage, teen pregnancy, and lack of schools fees are trying to hold her back. It also shows the possible bright future when she stays in school. Words like bright, intelligent, responsible, and kind serve as affirmations for girls. At the community event, 102 members of the community - parents, teachers, community leaders, and other girls - gained a greater understanding of how critical girls’ education is and were moved by the skit and mural, which allowed them to reflect on the issue in their lives and within their community.
Parents committed to supporting girls’ education through specific actions such as continuing to educate and engage other parents. The head teacher also committed to creating more awareness on prioritizing girls’ education.
The Impact
• Among parents, there is increased awareness of the negative effects of early marriage and child labor and an increased willingness to discuss it. For example, girls report that there are more open conversations within families regarding the importance of education, particularly for girls.
• There is greater support from some parents and community leaders for ensuring children, especially girls, remain in school.
• There is increased motivation among students to stay in school and continue with their education, and they are empowered by the knowledge of their rights and that they can advocate for them.
• Students have developed stronger peer to peer support networks through shared messages from the skit and mural.
Photo Gallery
