Girl Power

I read a really good essay written by Nancy Gibbs in Time Magazine in the February 14, 2011 issue. It is titled, "The Best Investment." It fits so well with what I have seen in the developing world here in Kenya with the kids that I work with. And it speaks to what we are trying to do at Christ's Gift Academy and with the Suba Lakers Girls Football Club. Here is a little clip from it.

“This is the tantalizing idea for activists concerned with poverty, with disease, with the rise of violent extremism, if you want to change the world, invest in girls. Across most of the developing world, by the time she is 12, a girl is tending house, cooking, cleaning. She eats what’s left after the men and boys have eaten; she is less likely to be vaccinated, to see a doctor, to attend school.

Why educate a daughter who will end up working for her in-laws rather than a son who will support you? In sub-saharan Africa, fewer than 1 in 5 girls make it to secondary school. Nearly half are married by the time they are 18; 1 in 7 across the developing world marries before she is 15. Then she gets pregnant. The leading cause of death for girls 15 to 19 worldwide is not accident or violence or disease; it is complications from pregnancy. Girls under 15 are up to 5 times as likely to die while having children than are women in their 20s, and their babies are more likely to die as well.

There are countless reasons rescuing girls is the right thing to do. It’s also the smart thing to do. Consider the virtuous circle: An extra year of primary school boosts girls eventual wages by 10% to 20%. An extra year of secondary school adds 15% to 25%. Girls who stay in school for seven or more years typically marry four years later and have two fewer children than girls who drop out. Fewer dependents per worker allows for greater economic growth. And the World Food Programme has found that when girls and women earn income, they reinvest 90% of it in their families. They buy books, medicine, bed nets. For men that figure is more like 30% to 40%.

‘Investment in girls education may well be the highest return in investment available in the developing world.’ Larry Summers wrote when he was chief economist at the World Bank.

Of such cycles are real revolutions born. The benefits are so obvious you have to wonder why we haven’t paid attention. Less than 2 cents of every development dollar goes to girls- and that is a victory compared with a few years ago, when it was more like half a cent. Roughly 9 of 10 youth programs are aimed at boys.

To find success in helping girls requires enlisting whole communities- mothers, fathers, teachers, religious leaders- in helping girls realize their potential instead of seeing them as dispensable or, worse, as prey."

24 More Lives to Impact

On Saturday, twenty-four 11 to 13 year olds joined the Suba Lakers Football Club. Most of these young girls are in 4th-6th grade at different local primary schools. We had seen them play when we hosted our tournament last October and they had all come in January for a tryout. They came early on Saturday and trained for a few hours, learning some of them basic skills and playing some 4 v. 4 games before we sat with them to encourage them about their character, academic performance and to go through the club rules. Then we had them fill out a questionairre so that we could find out more about them. We were able to give each girl a daily devotional book that they will be able to use for 180 days. After going through the first daily bible study together, the session finished with lunch before they went home.

I love seeing the enthusiasm and playfullness in the young girls. They are so excited to be chosen. They feel special. Unfortunately, that is not a feeling they got very often in this culture. It is so much better to start working with them at a young age, before they reach adolescence. We hope the club will play a part in helping them grow physicially, athletically, socially, academically and spiritually during this critical stage in their life.

Competing Against High Schools

This past weekend we brought some of our primary school football players to Kisumu to participate in the Kisumu Boys High School open. There were twelve girls teams participating in the tournament including a couple of other clubs (with much older women) and the rest were secondary schools. All of the girls in our club that have finished primary school are in their various boarding secondary schools so during the school term, we are only able to compete with the primary school girls. It was a good opportunity to give them a chance to show us how much they have improved.

Our young girls showed great potential and impressed many by playing so well against much older and more mature girls. We started with a hard fought draw and then blew away our next opponent 6-0. We won the last preliminary and then qualified for semifinals. We played an excellent club from Kisumu that usually defeats our senior team, sometimes rather easily. This time, our young girls played very strong and even created more scoring opportunities than their opponents, though the game ended in a draw and went to post-match penalties, which we lost. We proceeded to win the 3rd place match fairly easily.

All in all, it was a great showing for the youngest team in the tournament!

Continuing Education

Saturday, 29th January

On Saturday morning we piled ten of us in my Landcruiser and set out for Kisii. The group included four of us Suba Laker Officials, three of our players and their mothers. All three of the players sat their National 8th Grade exams this past year. Unfortunately, all three of them failed pretty badly. Their widowed mothers didn't know what to do with them. The girs are 17 years old so repeating 8th grade wasn't a very good choice, but their academic performance in primary school didn't qualify them for secondary school. The mothers had approached the club about what could be done to help the girls. We also didn't know what to do and were not ready to invest money in the academics of 17 year olds that are so low because of bad schools and a poor academic foundation.

We didn't have any answers, but we prayed... and God had an answer. The coach of Kisii United (the 2nd best women's club team in the country) invited all three to join his club in Kisii. They were welcomed to stay in the hostel with other teammates and the club would get them a chance in a local secondary school and pay for their fees, including uniform and other necessary materials. When we shared with the parents, they were so relieved. You could almost visibly see the burden being lifted off their shoulders.

As we set off early on Saturday there was a lot of joy and happiness with the three girls. They could now see how their football talents were helping them and that they would be able to continue their education, which they weren't sure of before this opportunity arose.

When we arrived in Kisii we were greeted by the captain of the team and several of the teammates. They showed us the hostel and explained their daily routine and program. They also cooked us a nice lunch before we departed, leaving behind their three new members.

It was a door that could only be opened by God. It was a big relief to me also. Now all seven of the girls that finished 8th grade from the club have started in their new secondary schools. That is a big accomplishment in this region where most girls never even finish primary school.

Linet and Adah who are sponsored by CGA will join Asumbi Girls High School (the 2nd best girls school in the province). Pheny, sponsored by the club, will join Bishop Okullu Magare Girls Secondary near Homa Bay. Sharon Bismark will be sponsored by a missionary friend and his Sunday School Class back in Arizona; she will join other club members like Irine Achieng at Moi Girls Sindo. Eliva, Belinda and Judith will all go to school in Kisii and be sponsored by the Kisii United Club. Somehow God worked it all out for these seven girls. Praise God!