Huawei Technologies in partnership with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Safaricom & Women in Technology hosted a mentorship session for 15 students from the Samburu Girls’ Foundation in Samburu County.
Members of staff from the three organisations held a session with the girls where they shared advice with the girls on pursuing their career goals and their dreams along with practical professional skills. The staff from Safaricom & Women in Technology group highlighted the need for more girls to pursue more Science and Mathematics subjects.
Samburu Girls’ Foundation was founded by Dr. Josephine Kulea whose passion was drawn from being from a pastoralist community and observing practices such as FGM, beading (to mark them for sexual engagement from an early age) and child marriage. Through the foundation, the girls are given a safe place to stay and receive psychological support through counselling.
During an awareness raising event on Friday at the Norfolk Hotel, themed ‘Celebrating the past, planning for the future’ the girls shared their stories about the journey and how they suffered FGM and early marriages before being rescued by the Samburu Girls Foundation.
This was the first ever trip to Nairobi for most of the girls and was sponsored by Huawei to help prepare them for college. They also met with lecturers from Zetech University and visited Nairobi National Museum.
Samburu Girls Foundation was started in 2011, and has over the years succeeded in to rescuing over 1,000 girls from Samburu, Isiolo, Laikipia and Marsabit counties. Samburu Girls Foundation has not only rescued thousands of girls, but has also created an environment for them to receive education from the primary to the tertiary level.