Mira Zike, Reporter and Designer
On an average day, our alarms go off and we press snooze. Then we finally drag ourselves out of bed, heading for another mundane day spent at school.
As we get ready for school, we often don’t consider this routine a privilege. But what seems to be just another required day at school for us would be a dream come true for girls across the globe in Kenya.
A group founded by VHS alumnus Aubrey Kraabel, Audrey Benner, and Kate Atwell called Girls to Girls is working to provide opportunity for more girls to get the high school education that many of us take for granted.
“It really puts my ‘problems’ into perspective when I see how much they struggle to get what we think of as a basic education,” said sophomore Girls to Girls member Lucy Boyle.
The group was formed in 2011 and began as a small group of friends seeking to make a difference in the lives of girls their age.
“We were taught by our parents since we were young that a girl could be anything she wanted,” co-president Clara Atwell said. It “really upset us… learning that girls in Kenya and all over the world are still being held back and can’t reach their full potential just because of where they were born,” said Atwell. It “made us want to give them the same opportunity as us.”
Today, the group has grown, but they are still working to accomplish their primary mission: to use education, support, and friendship, to empower youth, especially girls, in Kenya.
Girls to Girls holds many fundraisers in our community throughout the year. Last year at Strawberry Festival, they could be found selling raffle tickets. On Halloween, they traveled door to door in Seattle collecting money. Annually, they host a dinner where members present about the group’s mission and progress, while accepting donations.
They raised a total of $11,000 in 2016.
To a student in the U.S., this amount might seem small, covering only a part of a year’s college tuition. However, for 53 girls and 10 boys in Kenya, this means the opportunity to have access to an education and a more prosperous future. With full scholarships running from $300 for school to $900 for a boarding school, the group is able to make a great impact.
School tuition is not the only barrier for girls in Kenya in completing their education. Sometimes it’s as simple as the lack of basic needs, such as feminine hygiene products.
While on their periods, most women in the US can carry on with their work or school day as usual with feminine supplies located in their nearest restroom. However, many girls in Kenya can’t attend school due to the scarcity of these essential products.
The goal of Girls to Girls is to reduce these barriers. After a day outside of our local Thriftway, members were able to fill two large trash bags with sanitary pads. These were shipped to scholarship recipients to ensure their success in school.
Not only do the scholarship recipients feel the impact of Girls to Girls’ generosity, the members themselves speak of the positive impact it has had on them.
“Working with Girls to Girls is rewarding because we often hear back from the students and they tell us how they’re doing,” said sophomore Marisa McTighe. “It’s amazing to read about how we have helped them and changed their lives for the better.”
The group frequently receives letters and emails from scholarship recipients describing how they are doing and what they are accomplishing with their new education.
“I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the continuous scholarship assistance from the Girls to Girls club,” reads an email from Father Lagho, the co-president of SeaVuria, the group’s parent organization.
In past years, group members have had the opportunity to travel to Kenya to meet the girls they are helping, and are hoping to take the group back soon.
Linus Senya is a scholarship recipient who lives in Kenya. His letter overflowed with his gratitude.
“The main reason for writing to you is to show my appreciation for what you have done for me, and I promise that I will show you [I] am worth your sponsorship,” she said.