A bit about the Maasai Girls Education Fund, from the daughter of MGEF Founder, Barbara Lee Shaw The Maasai Girls Education Fund works to raise the status of Maasai women in Kenya and end poverty by educating girls, women, and the Maasai community. Our Scholarship Program sponsors Maasai girls from primary school through university who otherwise would not be in school. Our Community Education Program holds workshops for Maasai girls, boys, women, and men to focus on the cultural practices and beliefs that keep girls out of school. We work in partnership with a Community Based Organization that we co-founded and fund. It is managed by Maasai women, and includes a network of 43 women and 14 chiefs who volunteer throughout the area where we work. Scholarships Program: Since 2000, our Scholarships Program has sponsored 179 girls from pre-school to university. Many were rescued from child marriages as young as nine years old, and one from child labor. Three key policies: NUMBER 1: Our scholarships are based on need, not merit. They go to girls like: Jane Tulasha who was discovered when she was 8 years old selling food to construction workers to earn money for her family. She had never enrolled in school. Her sisters were married off at ages 12 and 14. She is now in the eighth grade. And Emily Namunyene, whose mother died when she was ten years old. She had just completed the second grade. Her father was so old that he was unable to take care of her so she was left in the care of an older sister and her husband. Her uncle refused to send her to school and had planned to marry her off when one of the Kajiado volunteers asked MGEF to save her. She has now graduated from the University of Nairobi with a certificate in International Studies. And Reson Mpatinae who was actually married off at 9 years old. With the help of women activists, she was rescued and brought to the Kajiado Adventist School which has a shelter for girls. Reson cannot go home. She is supported by MGEF, safely enrolled in boarding school. These are just a few stories of many, many more MGEF-supported girls whose parents simply cannot afford school fees. NUMBER 2: We do not drop students for any reason. Since our scholarships are based on need, we don’t know how our students will perform in school. Many of our students struggle throughout primary and secondary school. When they are having trouble, we mentor them, we encourage them, we stay with them, and they graduate and go on to vocational schools. Some even go to colleges and universities. Without exception, every single poor-performing student has excelled in post-secondary school, and all who have graduated are employed and self-sustaining. MGEF's graduation rate from primary school is 95% (compared to 29% of Kenya's general Maasai population); MGEF's transition rate from primary to secondary school is 98% (compared to 18%); MGEF's graduation rate from secondary school is 87% (versus 8%); MGEF's transition rate from secondary to postsecondary education is 95% (versus 3%); and MGEF's graduation rate from postsecondary enrollment is 97% (compared with
I am so proud to support this excellent organization.
The girls are helped in so many ways to achieve their goals.
So many girls have graduated from school with the steady support of MGEF.
Previous Stories
One of the most amazing things about MGEF is how effectively they are achieving their goal of educating Maasai girls.
Students accepted by MGEF enter primary school at their age appropriate grade level, but because MGEF scholarships are awarded strictly on the bases of need, more than a few of these students find their classes challenging. Despite this, 81% of these students graduate from secondary school (high school)! Compare this to the secondary school graduation rate of Kenya's general Maasai population -- it is less than 1%.
Wow! How is that possible?
MGEF understands that more than just financial aid is needed to insure success. Both the student’s progress and their schools are monitored by the MGEF staff. In addition, the women on MGEF’s Kenyan Board of Directors, who identify the needy girls from their districts, keep in contact with their girls (more likely cajoling them to do well) until they complete their education. Perhaps more important, the mentoring by our current cohort of more than 60 college and university graduates inspires their “younger sisters” to achieve their goals.
Even more astounding is the fact that nearly 95% of the MGEF scholars who graduate from high school continue on to enter either college (2-year program) or university a (4-year program) and earn a degree in one of a variety of professions – education, administration, research, law and medicine, etc. This success rate assures MGEF’s donors and sponsors that their generous support is achieving their goal of educating Maasai girls, giving them both self-reliance and self-esteem.
This is a wonderful organization that provides highly personalized support and mentoring to Maasai girls who have received educational scholarships. It's local staff and dozens of Maasai alumnae, graduates of post-secondary programs and now in their own careers, work diligently to encourage and support all scholarship students and help them achieve their educational goals. The US office and the local staff work hand-in-hand to design and implement culturally-sensitive programs.
Previous Stories
The Maasai Girls Education Fund successfully continues to provide need-based educational scholarships to hundreds of Maasai girls who would otherwise be unable or not allowed to go to school. We currently sponsor scholarships for two of MGEF's students, Patience and Laura. We also help support its Life Skills Workshops and Women's Business Training Workshops. MGEF's programs have persevered and grown despite the negative impacts that COVID caused in the already economically challenged Maasai community. MGEF's alumni have created a powerhouse of strength, financial independence and mentorship for younger girls. We are honored to be able to help this organization.
The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) has earned our trust for : 1) for mission effectiveness in dramatically changing improving the lives of Maasai girls, 2) for creativity and resilience in adapting to the challenges of educating during the COVID pandemic, and 3) for local community involvement in the design and execution of education programs. This non-government organization brings satisfaction to donors like my wife and me by helping Maasai girls achieve the education they need for themselves, family and culture, while avoiding early forced marriage and children that would plunge them into lifelong poverty. The simple strategy is to support the education of Maasai girls and thereby promote sustainable development and equality, and reduce violence and poverty. Each sponsorship donation is earmarked for one student who donors can follow through school and career. Our experience is that The Maasai Girls Education Fund changes two lives for the better, the student and yourself. Stephen & Janet
Previous Stories
I am writing to praise Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) for mission effectiveness and for the satisfaction it brings to donors like me. MGEF is a lean organization with a passion for helping Maasai girls achieve the education they need for themselves, family and culture, while avoiding early forced marriage and children that would plunge them into lifelong poverty. The simple strategy is to support the education of Maasai girls and thereby promote sustainable development and equality, and reduce violence and poverty. The simple satisfaction is that each sponsorship donation is earmarked for one student who you can follow through school and career. My experience is that you change two lives for the better, the student and yourself.
The Maasai tribe is one of the poorest tribes in Kenya and the fate of Maasai women is dictated by the patriarchal culture of the tribe. MGEFs scholarship program works to identify at risk girls and provide them with the opportunity to attend boarding school. Educating Maasai girls enables them to face the challenges of their culture and empowers them to make a change.
I had the great opportunity to travel with Barbara Shaw to Kenya. When we would come to a Maasai Village the girls would gather around her, and hold onto her like she was their mother. At that moment the Maasai Girls Education Fund sprouted into one of the most important organizations to save the future of the Maasai Girls. Her vision has turned these young ladies into Doctors and leaders of a new generation of Maasai. Not for just the girls but for the whole culture.
MGEF is an extraordinary NGO achieving remarkable results by educating Maasai girls. MGEF's commitment is to provide scholarships for as long as a girl can stay in school, including through college and graduate school, or trade school should that be the desired career path. Over time, as more girls graduate and get jobs they are now helping other younger girls. This alumni network is an asset of MGEF that is growing bigger and stronger by the year.
Previous Stories
The Maasai Girls Education Fund is an inspiring non-profit that provides tangible changes to the lives of Maasai women. My late wife, Barbara Shaw, was the creator of this beautiful organization, which has now been passed down to Tracey, Cassidy, and Hannah, who are also exceptional women working to empower the young women of Maasai. This year, MGEF planned the Barbara Lee Shaw Memorial College Fund to celebrate their 20th anniversary and honor her legacy. I am grateful to be a part of this special organization and the amazing work they do, not only to provide scholarships to young women, but working to lift the Maasai community as a whole.
MGEF have a strong mission to improve literacy levels through education of girls and their community, being one of the beneficiaries and employee, the organization have provided scholarship to over 200 girls from primary school through university, the majority of this girls have never enrolled in school, some have been forced to drop out of school for cultural or economic reason and through their economic empowerment, the majority of this new generation maasai women have ended early marriage and circumcision of girls and bring greater literacy,health and economic well being to future generation. the organization have endeavor in empowering the local community through the following program; Life skills workshops for girls and boys, men and women and business training for women, it has further enriched their beneficiaries through the yearly mentorship program that is equipping them with soft skills and giving them an edge over their peers.
MGEF also have an organized alumni team who are working from different organizations including teachers,nurses, business women accountants among many others, they have form a platform that has enabled them reach each other as they keep their sisterhood, their main aim for coming together is to give back to the community through several community services and also mentor their sisters from the organization.
MGEF maintains a thoughtful and personal relationship with each one of their students. They partner with the community, so that need can be identified directly by respected advocates for girls education within the Maasai tribe. This hands on approach ensures that each girl receives both the educational and social supports she needs to be successful.
Previous Stories
Empowering girls through education to change their lives, their families, their communities, and the world.
My wife and I are ardent supporters of the Maasai Girls Education Fund. The Fund has enabled the girls it supports to reimagine their lives, helping transform the communities in which these girls live and the educational systems that perpetuate their subjugation. The work of this nonprofit has real, powerful, and lasting results that change the daunting reality that 1 in 100 Maasai girls will complete secondary school, and less than 8 out of 100 enroll in primary school. We watched with awe as the founder, Barbara Shaw made this nonprofit a reality and a success for Maasai girls' education. We continue our support for the Maasai Girls Education Fund because we also know that Board President, Dr. Tracey Pyles, and others on the Fund team, ensure that a growing number of Maasai girls complete their education with the knowledge and skills to enter the workforce in Kenya.
I have been exposed to the incredible work of the Massai Girls Education Fund for more than 15 years, meeting in the Washington DC area with many remarkable women whom MGEF has helped find education, good careers and far happier lives. The stories of their struggles, bravery, and ultimate successes never fails to move me. MGEF it is uniquely good at helping Maasai women continue to engage with their society while gaining confidence, skills, greater independence and ultimately helping their society as well as themselves. I strongly recommend this remarkable nonprofit and it's unique and important work.
This is a great non profit of women helping girls. A small percentage of women in the world have access to education, Maasai Girls Education Fund empower girls by a simple and effective way paying for school, boarding and school supplies, follow with care and love to ensure this girls become educated women that will contribute with a better world. I am a so thankful I have the opportunity to contribute to this incredible organization.
The Maasai Girls Education Fund is a fantastic organization that truly meets the needs of girls the Maasai community. They did a fantastic job supporting girls and families through the pandemic, providing family stipends despite schools being closed for the girls. These funds proved vital for families to get food and necessities during the pandemic.
MGEF is back and accepting even more girls into the program, nearly doubling the amount of newly accepted applicants. They have done a great job of bringing things full circle as MGEF graduates come back to help current students through mentorship, life-skills workshops and board support.
A student we had been funding since primary school has just been accepted into Law School, and will the second lawyer in our program.
Previous Stories
The Maasai Girls Education Fund has done an incredible job of pivoting during the pandemic to meet the needs of their students. School was still the goal, but the basic health and safety of their students was in jeopardy due to increased poverty from the pandemic. MGEF quickly found a new to keep their students on the path towards health, independence and education through a family stipend. This allowed families to pay for food and see their assets instead of a liability to be married off! Kudos to MGEF and their hard working staff for moving quickly to address the changing situation in the Maasai community and continuing to prioritize the safety and education of Maasai girls.
The Maasai Girls Education Fund is an organization full of heart, clear in purpose and impacts the world in ways both personal and communal. MGEF sponsors girls raised in the Maasai to attend school, starting in primary all the way up to post graduate work. This opportunity changes the girls, their families and their community in so many ways. Beside the amazing fact that they gain an education and a brighter future, the girls and young women escape the very real possibility of being married off as teens as well as the dire reality of female genital mutilation. Their families are given the gift of having their daughters in a safe place with future earning potential. And their communities gain back so much in the return of these young women as teachers, entrepreneurs, nurses and even doctors.
MGEF is serving others in such a concrete way that positively impacts the world, I am an avid believer in the mission of MGEF and am honored to serve on their board.
I can’t think of a nicer group of committed and successful than Maasai Girls Education Fund. Keep up the good work and the wonderful spirit
I've been sponsoring four girls for several years now, and I love watching them progress through primary school and onto secondary (high) school. Their focus on their goals to do well, to graduate from high school and to pursue a college certificate or university degree is inspirational. I am very proud of all four of them. And I really like knowing that not only will they be able to take care of themselves financially but also will be empowered to make life decisions such as when and whom to marry, when to have children, etc.
Previous Stories
Our founder, Barbara Shaw, more than twenty years ago, articulated MGEF’s enduring philosophy:
“A woman needs two things to rise out of poverty—self-esteem and self-reliance. Education will give her both.”
This is what we do – support impoverished Massai girls from 1st grade through university by providing them tuition, room & board and needed personal & school supplies. Currently, we have over 100 students progressing toward their goal of earning a college or university degree. And when they do, as over 60 MGEF scholars already have, they find jobs in a variety of fields such as education, administration, science, medicine and law as well as many others. These good paying jobs not only permit these young women to support themselves but also provide them the opportunity to make their own life decisions such as where to live, when and who to marry, when to have children, etc. In addition to materially improving their own lives, these young women inevitably end up helping their families and contributing to their communities.
MGEF has done an incredible job providing educational opportunities and support for Maasai girls and young women in Kenya. MGEF’s vision has led to the empowerment and independence for so many girls. It is an honor to be a donor and supporter of MGEF.
An outstanding organization that transforms the lives of those it touches. Responsible leadership utilizes funds efficiently to support its mission.
MGEF really does help level the playing field for girls and young women. Small nonprofit with limited overhead. Every dollar provides an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.
MGEF is a fantastic organization lifting up young Kenyan women through providing critical education and support. An incredible organization!
My name is Beatrice Yiamoi Kasairo, I am 26 years and I come from polygamous family. My father is married to 2 wives and has 10 children though one is deceased, my elder sister died of pneumonia because there were no funds to take her to the hospital. My father is unemployed, and he used to burn charcoal and sell them for money, both my mother and step mother are house wives and we all depended on my father's little money for food and other family basic needs.
Life through my primary level was so tough because of lack of school fees and the school was too far that i walked kilometers to reach there .when i completed my grade 8 in 2009, I got good grades which enabled me join secondary school, i could not join due to lack of school fees .I stayed at home for two months waiting for my parents to look for school fees. Through the help of well-wishers from my community they were able to contribute little amount which enabled me to join Secondary school . At grade 10(form2) I was lucky to receive a scholarship from MGEF through a board member and since then my education life became smooth as i was able to learn without being send back home for school fees as the organization catered for everything including fees, school supplies and uniforms.
I completed my secondary level and did well and i was able to joined college to pursue my dream course where I took a diploma in business management and completed in 2016.In 2017 I requested to volunteer at the Maasai Girls Education office as a way to give back my application was accepted. I got a chance to talk to the girls about the importance of education in their lives . After one year of volunteering in the organization i requested Maasai Girls Education Fund to allow me upgrade my studies to Bachelor degree in Business Management which they approved and they paid all my school fees until my completion in 2020.I graduated in October 2020 and currently working as an intern at MGEF office as it is hard to find a job with the current effects of Covid-19 . I am forever grateful to MGEF organization for changing my life and for their continuous support of empowering more girls in the Maasai community. Long live Maasai Girls Education Fund.
My husband and I have had the joy of sponsoring two wonderful young women through the MGEF. I love everything about this non-profit that empowers women to gain education and the opportunity to become successful business people upon gradation. We are planning a trip to Kenya next year with the goal of meeting our sponsee in person for the first time!
Maasai Girls Education Fund is a run by a group of tight-nit individuals that work incredibly hard to arrange education for Maasai girls.
Previous Stories
The Maasai Girls Education Fund(MGEF) is an impressive nonprofit organization. With a relatively small budget, they do a tremendous amount to improve the literacy, health, and economic wellbeing of Maasai girls in Kenya. For over 20 years, MGEF has been providing scholarships for girls to go to school until they enter the workforce, provided community education workshops, and business training for rural Maasai women. Going to school helps give the girls the self-esteem and self-reliance necessary to join the workforce; and they use their income to help support their families and parents. The testimonials I have heard over the past few years from girls who have gone through the program are heart-warming. As a public health education specialist, and member of the general public, I am impressed with the results of MGEF's work in breaking the cycle of poverty and subjugation of women through education and training. (submitted by Emily Glazer)
Previous Stories
I have been an MGEF donor for 20 years. I sponsored a girl from first grade through law school and am now sponsoring another elementary school girl. MGEF provides girls excellent support and everything they need to be successful in school. It has been very rewarding to watch these girls grow, thrive , and ultimately giving back to their community as well educated professionals.
We were delighted to sponsor a girl to attend high school for a year through this non-profit of hard-working, caring people with close connections to the community they serve. Immensely valuable organization, because we know the alternatives to high school would not have been great.
Tim Beardsley
Having met some of the girls and seeing what wonderful women they have been able to become, I am proud to support the charity
As longtime supporters of the Maasai Girls Education Fund, we have found the dedication of the non-profit to be as fierce and inspiring as their work has been life-changing and likely, life-saving, for the young women Maasai women.
I grew up with MGEF and it is incredible how the organization has remained laser-focused on creating real impact at the individual and community level. Their model enables real change in the Maasai community and should be a model for organizations seeking to promote women's education and empowerment in communities across the globe.
The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) continues to encourage and support girls who otherwise would not be able to afford an education. Girls are encouraged to continue their education leading to financial independence. MGEF provides guidance from kindergarten until they have skills leading to employment. It is a great organization that also works with the community to educate community leaders about the importance of educating women, eradicating female genital mutilation, as well as the problems relating to early marriage.
Previous Stories
I have been involved with the Maasai Girls Education Fund for 20 years. This organization takes a personal interest in every girl, supporting and encouraging them in their educational goal.
Each girl who receives an education through this program becomes part of the MGEF family.
Girls are encouraged to continue their education until they have skills to support themselves and become contributing members of their own communities. The Maasai community is involved in helping to select needy students to receive a scholarship, and students are encouraged to give back to their community, to encourage other girls from their community who will attend school, and provide information and encouragement to current students. Workshops are provided to the community on the importance of education for girls, health issues, and barriers to their education. Educating girls in areas where they would not have a chance at education, helps improve lives there and helps the whole world.
This is a wonderful nonprofit that changes the life of Maasai girls in Kenya, providing them with an education, mentoring support and the opportunity to become economically empowered. Getting an education and enabling a Maasai woman to get a job is life changing, not just for the empowered individual but also her family. I have sponsored the education of many girls through MGEF, and know that my contribution makes a huge difference in their lives. Even during the COVID pandemic, MGEF in both the US and Kajiado are working hard to support its students and working to ensure their safety and health.
Previous Stories
The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) is uniquely improving the lives of Maasai girls and their families, and changing perceptions of the value of women in the Maasai community. Their programs are targeted and effective, developed and administered in close coordination with MGEF, by a local, on-the-ground Community Based Organization staffed by Maasai women, who are role models themselves.
MGEF's Scholarship Program provides schooling to girls who would otherwise be unable to attend, either because of poverty or cultural beliefs that deny girls an education. Our family is currently supporting two Maasai girls - a 3rd grader and a university student. The 3rd grader's father does not believe in educating girls, and was going to marry her off and force her to undergo female genital cutting when she was 11 years old. MGEF's scholarship, awarded in 2016, has protected her from this fate. We have sponsored the university student since she was in 1st grade. Her father died when she was 10 years old, leaving behind two wives and 11 children, all of whom had to drop out of school. The scholarship has enabled her to not only graduate from secondary school (an amazing accomplishment for a Maasai girl) but also enroll in post-secondary school.
We are proud of the organization and look forward to more opportunities to help.
I have emailed the charity many times about a few Maasai girls in Shompole Kenya that need help with school fees. They have never returned my messages or the messages from the community who call for help.
This is a touching, personal, inspiring organization. I've been a sponsor for a short-time, and I know my donation goes straight to the source, and hearing from my sponsee is touching and fulfilling. I'm so thankful for this organization and the amazing life-changing work they do!
I have been involved as a volunteer and sponsor for MGEF for 5 years. It is a wonderful organization that cares deeply for the well-being and education of the Maasai girls and their community at-large. I admire their deep commitment to enrolling the girls in safe, high performing schools and staying in close contact with them throughout the school year. Holding informative workshops for males and female, young and old and helping woman start their own businesses, so that they can become independent, proves that MGEF cares about the entire Maasai community and their success. 5 Stars for an amazing, inspiring and caring organization!
Previous Stories
The philosophy behind the MGEF is unique and inspiring. Every person that participates in the programs that MGEF offers, benefits in so many ways. The workshops educate, boys, girls and adults in healthcare, healthy life styles and nutrition, which in turn helps educate whole communities and generations of people. Girls are given support and encouragement to go to school beyond primary grades, so that they can become independent, successful adults. In turn the girls return to their communities in one capacity or another to help make it stronger. The girls have gone on to become teachers, nurses, lawyers, even doctors. The partnership between MGEF, the communities it has touched and the students is lifelong. Most importantly, the graduated students become mentors to the younger girls and the positive cycle continues.
The Maasai Girls Education Fund is an organization built by women for girls with the heart of lioness. This amazing organization does so much with so little funds. By providing full access to education to girls that will not been able to go to school otherwise the MGEF empowers generations of women. MGEF is the kind of organization that changes a girl life. MGEF's approach is respectful and kind. Managed by local women with a local understanding of the culture and a vision of reaching for the stars, I have been honored and blessed to known some of these women I will not hesitate a moment to highly recommend the MGEF as one of the greatest non profits in Kenya.
Previous Stories
I have known Barbara the founder of Maasai Girls Education Fund for more than a decade and saw her love and commitment with the Maasai Girls. Her dedication and honesty transformed lives for good of many girls and their families. Then Tracey Barbara's daughter decided to continued her mother amazing legacy and honored her work. MGEF is the story of women helping women without borders and with no limits. I have contributed to MGEF not only because I know what the organization is capable of but also because the world is every day a better place due to their work.
What makes MGEF so incredible is the straight line from the donation to the dramatic impact on not only the life of a girl who would have been married off at 12-13 (with no future, other than having babies until she no longer can, and doing as she is told by her husband), but on her family, her immediate community and as the program continues to grow, all of the Maasai. There is no fundraising bureaucracy. Only a few pennies of every dollar donated goes to overhead. And MGEF does so much more than putting girls the through school - girls who would have about a 1% chance of going to school otherwise; things like attacking FGM head on. I have not come across a more effective nonprofit- ever!
MGEF does an amazing job in changing the lives of maasai girls.
I'm an alumna of maasai girls education fund so I'm a testimony of what MGEF does.
MGEF sponsored me through to the University and now I'm a teacher. During holidays, I lead the alumni team in mentoring the young girls in primary and secondary school.
Education does not only change the life of an individual but also that of his/her family and community.
What MGEF does is incredible!
Every donor/ sponsor should support this organization .
It is the best!
The Maasai Girls Education Fund does very important work and I feel honored to help support "our" student. The program is about so much more than education--it is about changing the life course for each student, her family, and their Maasai community. I trust that the program is well run and treasure student updates. I am continually grateful for the opportunity to be a small part of this wonderful effort!
The MGEF is a wonderful and tightly run non-profit! Doing business in Africa is very challenging and I love their hands-on approach to making sure that my modest donation goes directly to underwriting the education and care of the little girl that I help sponsor. The MGEF has thoughtfully planned how they seek to help the Maasai make change in their own culture by empowering women through education from grade school through college. It brings me no small amount of joy to know that one day the child I help put through school might one day become a teacher, nurse or doctor and bring these professions back into her own community to continue to support a positive and sustainable culture.
Previous Stories
We have helped sponsor a little girl for several years now and what has so impressed us about the MGEF is that they never turn a child away. They always find a way to place every little girl that shows up on their doorstep and there are always more that are in need than expected. They are also dedicated to onsite visits to the many schools where the girls are placed to ensure that high educational standards are being consistently met and that the students are safe, happy and doing well in school. We regularly correspond with the little girl that we sponsor and are really honored to help support her. We trust that she has a promising future ahead of her and are confident that the MGEF will provide consistent ongoing support for her and her family. Thanks to MGEF for giving us this wonderful opportunity!
The Maasai Girls Education Fund is a phenomenal non-profit. I was involved as a supporter and volunteer, then I joined the Board of Directors and recently started sponsoring a girl. Throughout each phase of my involvement I have been impressed with their dedication to their students. MGEF helps young Maasai girls get the education they deserve and serve the community in the long run by coming back with degrees and skills to provide for their family. MGEF has proven their ability to problem solve - involving the local community and the international community to create the best possible outcome for their students. I am proud to be a part of such a top notch charity.
Previous Stories
I was previously a friend of the charity and have since joined the Board of Directors. From the beginning I have been impressed by the impact this charity is making. As a non-profit professional, I can say honestly that the Maasai Girls Education Fund does it right. Lives are completely changed for the girls that we help, not only of the lives of the girls who are able to go to school, but their families and those in their community who benefit from their education.
Maasai Girls Education Fund has been changing the lives of Maasai girls for over 18 years. They have worked with tribal men and women through lifestyle workshops to assure them of the value of educating their daughters. Many young girls and women have received full room and board to attend primary school near their villages and some have gone on to college and graduate education. In most cases, the girls return to their villages after graduation to better their communities. By attending school, these girls avoid early arranged marriages and are empowered to may decisions regarding their own futures. The small MGEF staff is committed to their cause and follows in the steps of MGEF's founder, Barbara Shaw, who knew that an education was the only way the Maasai women would gain independence.
Previous Stories
MGEF has transformed the lives of hundreds of Maasai girls, providing them opportunities for education, better health, deeper happiness and self-sufficiency. Each of these girls has then helped her family in innumerable ways, financially, materially, spiritually. But the thing I love most about MGEF is how happy everyone who touches it is -- there is a tremendous spirit of enthusiasm, good will, comeraderie, and nuturing, from the leadership of the brilliant founder, the late Barbara Shaw, to current leader Dr. Tracey Pyles, to all the staff and especially the girls themselves. I can wait to travel to Kenya next year to meet more of them!!
I am a young woman and had the opportunity to visit a Maasai village in Kenya. The work that Maasai Girls Education Fund it is so important to give opportunities to girls to access to education it is a basic human right and in the case of girl it is crucial to empower them and their communities . We need more MGEF !! congratulations and keep going!
The Maasai Girls Education Fund is a brilliant oraganization. They have educated many young girls; a couple have gone on to become Doctors, and Nurses. I am proud to be a Doner for the MGEF.
Respectfully,
Michael Frizzell
The maasai girl education fund are doing an amaizing work.I am a maasai girl myself i know and understand the struggles we go through...it has taken me alot to be in the universty now...mybe luck.i thank God for them and the hope they are giving to the maasai women in empowering them through education.Giving a maasai girl education is giving her the power to fight for herself and defence against the oppressing power...Many more years to the maasai girl education fund
MGEF is the only organization of its kind which pledges to stay with our students no matter what --- that means no GPA quotas or performance baselines, no limits on the number of degrees earned, no invasive or unrealistic standards of progression: just real support for dedicated students who are working hard to learn and improve their lives. That's material impact in a community. The business training workshops for women that MGEF organizes (in addition to its fantastic scholarship program) are an excellent example of our commitment to facilitating valuable women's education in any way we can, for every member of our communities who wants to pursue it. You will not find another organization of this kind that fulfills this commitment as effectively, or that serves its communities with greater impact.
I am a donor and I sponsored a student through MGEF; it is an amazing organization! Every dollar has a direct impact on improving lives. The young women who MGEF supports are inspiring both in the obstacles they have faced and the way they have persevered. MGEF connects directly with communities in need in a respectful, productive, and empathetic way to create real change. I can think of no other organization with a worthier goal, more committed staff, or more impressive impact.
I have been involved with MGEF since its inception. The girl I sponsored now has a 2-year degree in early childhood education. She plans to continue to receive her 4-year degree. MGEF also does community development/education programs for the Maasai Tribe. They are a top notch nonprofit.
Maasai Girls Education Fund is an organisation filled with people of great dedication. Every time I meet one of them it amazes me what they do. Especially their founder, Barbara Lee Shaw was an incredible, inspiring woman that I would have loved to talk even more to.
I am proud to have worked with Maasai Girls Education Fund for more than ten years and to be a sponsor of a Maasai student. What this small, effective organization has been able to do for Maasai girls and young women in Kenya is close to miraculous. Not only does the organization find and stick by girls in need of an education, often helping them escape early marriage and a life of poverty, it also works to educate all members of the Maasai community about why it is important to educate girls. Young women go on to higher education and eventually jobs, which, more often than not, involve giving back to their own communities. I could not recommend this organization more.
The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) is a successful nonprofit that is helping women and girls achieve their dreams by funding education scholarships. One example is Gloria Mumeita Kotente who almost had to drop out of primary school because her family couldn't afford the school fees. Now she is studying to be a doctor! And, when she completes her medical training, she will be one of a handful of Maasai women physicians. You can support a student like Gloria or give to the general fund. Chris Jahnke
Over the years, I have sponsored three girls' educations through Maasai Girls Education Fund. I love the work MGEF does to empower girls and young women which in turn builds more successful communities. This is an excellent organization run by people who genuinely care about those they serve. Highly recommend!
They do great work promoting and providing education to girls of all ages. Really helps their communities
I am writing this as a relative of one of the beneficiary. Through them many girls from our community get to have the chance to go to school which is not usually a priority for most parents in our community. Having being orphaned at a young age, MGEF came through with my sister's education till she graduated with a university degree.
Keep up with the good work of empowering the Masai girl child.
A remarkable charity, founded by a remarkable woman who saw an unmet need, the education of Maasai girls and young women, and resolved to do what she could to provide them with schooling and the life opportunities that education would open to them. The work is continued now by her daughter and granddaughter. This is a non-profit that has zero to do with the financial benefit or the personal fame and prestige of those who run it. This is all about helping girls and young women.
I spent a lot of time in Kenya witnessing the deeply impactful work that MGEF is doing for girls, women and their communities. I got to see the incredibly committed and passionate teams at work both at the office in Kajiado, Kenya and in Washington,D.C. They are tireless in their pursuit of continuing MGEF's vital mission. I saw young girls go from afraid, timid and out of school to strong, empowered and making top grades because of the scholarships they received from this organization. Their empowerment led to the empowerment of their communities as a whole. Amazing organization!
Barbara, Tracey, and Cassidy -- three generations of strong women making a difference in the lives of so many Maasai girls. I am proud to be associated with this group (as a sponsor). It is inspiring to see the passion and dedication of all involved in helping these girls find their voices! The smiles on the faces in Barbara's beautiful photos say it all.
This extraordinary organization was founded through the love and dedication of Barbara Shaw working with equally extraordinary Maasai leaders. I feel privileged to have met one of the 'girls' who is now training in medicine. MGEF changes lives, and through those lives improves the living conditions for all.
Back in college, I learned about the harsh realities many young women in developing countries have to face. I ultimately wrote a term paper about how education could change these young lives if the privilege could be granted to them. Fast forward a few years later to when I was introduced to this incredible organization. I was in awe of the lives they had already transformed through their sponsorship program and the overall positive ripple effect they have had on the Maasai community. MGEF has truly made a difference in the lives of these young ladies, and I am confident it will continue to do so for many others. I truly believe a pencil can change the world, and I am proud to support MGEF and its amazing mission.
Caroline is a direct beneficiary who was taken through a college and university from 2006-2013.
A graduate nurse now working with an inter national christian organization among women and children under five years.
MGEF has helped me live my dream and realize my life purpose.
The commitment of Dr. Piles and the vision of this non-profit is admirable. To see the impact and to meet the young women who have been helped by the hard work of everyone involved in this organization is very touching. I hope they get recognized, they have certainly earned it.
I volunteered for MGEF in the past and fell in love with its mission, and with the passion exuded by the women and men that carry out its mission. The impact that this organization directly has on girls and women in Kenya, and indirectly on their families and greater communities, is real and truly inspiring. I am now proudly serving as a member of the Board, and am excited to do what I can to further its mission.
Fantastic organization. I've traveled to Kenya with MGEF on many occasions, and I'm always amazed by the great work we do.
MGEF is a fantastic organization. I have had the unique and rewarding opportunity to be one of the sponsors of a wonderful young woman who will shortly be the first Maasai female physician. The organization is very well run and Barbara would be proud of her daughter and the others who are continuing the legacy of improving the lives of the Maasai girls and their families. Can't recommend them enough!
I attended a fundraiser for this wonderful organization and was very impressed at their mission and effectiveness. Educating these young women not only creates opportunity for each individual girl, it also brings economic resources back to their families and community. But on some level I was most impressed by the accounts of how the success of these girls have been able to change deeply embedded cultural gender biases that limit the role of women. We hear a lot of talk from governments and big organizations about the need to empower women in places where cultural and religious practices relegate women to subservient roles. This grassroots organization appears to be doing not talking; effecting change on the level that really works, one person, one family, one village at a time.
I also like how my modest donation goes such a long way. I feel like I'm having a direct impact on real people. I can follow these girls progress and see tangible results. I find this so much more satisfying than the more anonymous experience of donating to a huge organization where I never am sure how my contribution is used.
I traveled to Kenya to help out MGEF and see their impact on the women of the Maasai community. I met so many amazing girls and young women who have been able to go to school because of this organization, as well as young schoolchildren who greatly benefit from their workshops. MGEF is truly an excellent organization.
The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) has always been a source of inspiration. It's mission is clear and elegantly simple: to equip Maasai girls with knowledge and awareness so they can take control of their lives and reach for opportunities not otherwise available to them. By empowering others, MGEF can lay claim to the many benefits that follow, with the girls whose lives it enriches finding so many ingenious ways to give back to their families, their communities, their country, and, indeed, the world. But in keeping with the spirit of its founder, the late Barbara Shaw, the MGEF is quick to let the girls it educates get all the credit; throughout Barbara's inspired life, it was reward enough to see the intelligent spark in the eyes of those whose education the MGEF had provided. Yet the time has come to grant the MGEF the recognition it has long deserved -- as one of the most thoughtful and truly extraordinary non-profit organizations one can find.
The many years we spent sponsoring a little girl from 3rd grade through high school was a very satisfying experience. The work of MGEF is so valuable in this world where education is the answer to so many problems. Kudos to MGEF and thank you for the opportunity to enrich our lives.
We have enjoyed sponsoring a student from 2nd grade through high school.
It was a satisfying experience for our family and what we have learned through this experience has changed our lives.
Education is a great gift. Education of those who could otherwise not afford it is the greatest gift. The spirit of my dear friend Barbara lives on with the work of Tracey and the MGEF in its generous giving of the greatest gifts.
As perhaps the biggest individual donor, I support MGEF both because its mission to empower Maasai girls and women is so important, but also because the organizations executes this mission with such integrity and professionalism. Of the many organizations I have supported over the past decades, none if more efficient and cost effective, nor has more heart, than the Maasai Girls Education Fund. Barbara Shaw's DNA continues to guide this gem of an organization.
When Tracey returned from her most recent trip to Maasai, I was fortunate enough to see her photos and hear the amazing stories of many of the girls that have been helped because of MGEF. She was able to vividly bring to life their struggles and triumphs. She even visited a former student and showed the caring that the foundation continues to have for these girls in their communities as they become RESPECTED professionals, wives, and mothers. Truly a worthwhile nonprofit that changes the trajectory of the girls' lives it touches.
From the scholarships to the Life Skills and Women Business Training workshops, Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) is unwavering in their mission to improve the literacy, health and economic well-being of Maasai women in Kenya and their families through education of girls and their communities. The dedication of the board and staff in both the United States and Kenya is unsurpassable as they continue the legacy of MGEF founder Barbara Lee Shaw. This summer I traveled to Kenya and had the pleasure to meet many of these young women and girls. It was so inspiring to witness their heart and determination to reach their dreams despite the many obstacles they have to endure.
I'm proud to serve on the board of an organization committed to helping Maasai girls and their families achieve financial security. Building on a 15-year track record of success, we now have many students who are ready to further their education beyond high school pursuing degrees in medicine, teaching, and law. I hope you will consider sponsoring a young Maasai woman who would like to continue her studies. With your help we can make dreams come true.
There are not many ways that one can truly make a difference in a young girl's life and by extension change the course of a community and the world. Sponsoring a student through MGEF is one of those ways and I am so grateful to them for proving me with the opportunity to sponsor a student and helping educate Maasai girls. The program is second to none and deserves our utmost trust and support. Well done MGEF - keep up the great work!
Maasai Girls education fund is a great organization that changes lives in all different perspectives. Mgef is run by heart and a fire that will never burn out.
MGEF provides education girls and keeps them from having to marry early and they have a chance to earn their own living. It is a great charity helping many girls.
I am Gloria Kotente Mumeita, a beneficiary of MGEF and a medical student at The University of Nairobi,Kenya. MGEF started sponsoring me in 2007 when I was in my second year in high school because my parents could not afford to pay my fee. I graduated high school with an A- and MGEF continued paying my university fee. I have finished my fourth year of medical school and am doing my medical rotation at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland where Tracey Pyles, the MGEF president works, and the National Institute of Health. I am getting the best experience and getting to interact and learn from the best doctors in the world thanks to MGEF. MGEF not only pays our school fees but help in instilling good values in us through their mentoring workshops. MGEF for us is not just an organization but a family. Thank you MGEF for helping me realize my dream.
My mother, Barbara Lee Shaw, founded the Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) in 2000. She died of cancer in 2013, and I, an Emergency Physician in the Washington, DC area, am proud to inherit the honor of her legacy.
MGEF primarily puts Maasai girls and young women through school who would otherwise not have a chance at education. Most would instead be forced into early marriage (we have rescued girls as young as nine years old from marriage). Our mission is to improve the literacy, health, and economic well-being of Maasai women in Kenya and their families through the education of girls and their communities. To this end, we also conduct Maasai Community and Women's Business Training Workshops (which include start-up loans), but our first commitment is to sponsoring Maasai girls in school. We support our students in all ways, and we see them through to the highest level of achievement their abilities and ambition allow.
All MGEF scholarships are purely need based, and we currently have more than 100 girls in school. Since 2000, we have graduated nearly 50 more--strong, young Maasai women now, and role models for others as they return to their communities to work as teachers, nurses, and business owners, to name a few of their chosen professions. Many more scholarship students are on the verge of their own graduations and success. One MGEF scholarship recipient for the last 9 years, for example, is about to enter her final year of medical school at the University of Nairobi School of Medicine. Another young Maasai woman, supported by MGEF since 2002, has just started law school, also in Nairobi, Kenya.
I am proud of my mother, her life's work, and all she created in MGEF that inspires and helps others become all they can be and that they deserve the chance to become. Barbara Shaw loved her Maasai sisters, her daughters, her friends--and, in making her vision my own, I am committed to keeping MGEF the personal, just, efficient, culturally respectful, and incredibly effective organization she created it to be. MaasaiGirlsEducation.org
Previous Stories
I have been involved with MGEF as a donor since it started more than a decade ago, and never has money been better spent. I have met the girls who benefit from MGEF sponsorship, and seen them change from shy, deferential girls into strong, confident, self-empowered young women who believe in themselves. Thanks to MGEF's efforts, Maasai mothers are seeing their daughters respected and admired for their abilities, their independence, their education--for qualities they themselves never believed possible for a woman in their society. Younger sisters and neighbors have role models in the young women MGEF has supported. Even fathers who once refused to speak to daughters who ran away and were sheltered in schools paid for by MGEF are now seeing the benefits of educating their daughters, as their daughters return to their Maasai communities and provide for their families financially in amounts never previously equaled. These same fathers who once were ashamed of their daughters for seeking an education are now commanding their sons to educate their daughters! Because of the Maasai Girls Education Fund's vision and commitment, many, many lives are changing for the better. I will continue to support the MGEF's mission without question, and recommend it to anyone wanting to help make a real difference in the world.
I am very impressed with the organization, which does a great deal with very limited resources and a small but exceptionally dedicated staff in Kenya and at the home office in DC.
The MGEF is a great example of directly empowering "the change (we) wish to see in the world." The young women educated through MGEF will be catalysts for change in their families, communities, and country. It is a privilege to have participated in this work, and I look forward to hearing of the continued efforts and growth of MGEF, and the success of its scholars.
I came across MGEF by chance, looking for a sanitary pad charity to support in Africa. Having found their website, and started reading about the girls who needed sponsorship, I immediately knew that I had found a charity which could truly turn my donation into life-changing support for girls. I started off by supporting Nashipae in her final year of university to become a teacher, and also this year have started supporting Janet through school. This charity is run on a very small shoestring. There are no gimmicks. You don't get fancy mailings asking you to send a Christmas card to your chosen student. There are no offices full of marketeers and HR people. It's about as close as you can get to 100% of your money going to the people and the community you are looking to help. Do check out their Facebook page, and the wonderful photos of the MGEF girls. You will, I am sure, have your heart strings tugged by the joy they show at the opportunity they now have to learn. An amazing charity, please support it in whatever way you can.
MGEF is quite simply a model non-profit. It is small, efficient and has a sustainable model involving local people. We have been delighted to be supporters of the organization and to introduce it to others. Supporting students is a life changing, not only for the students, but for their families and villages. This organization is truly a tribute to the vision and drive of their founder, Barbara Shaw.
MGEF is so amazing. I first learned of them in 2011 when I was asked if my foundation, Reverse The Course, could provide immediate help for a young girl who had been married at age 12. Two years have passed, and we now have funded 5 Maasai girls. I think one of the things that makes Maasai Girls' Education Fund stand out is that they work on several fronts to help the girls in need, and just as importantly, they also do a lot of work building relationships with the village elders. They do not come in and try to impose their values, but they work to help village elders see the community benefit of educating girls. The village elders then play a role in helping families understand the value of sending their daughters' to school. That joint approach helps MGEF to be really successful and gives the girls not just much-needed financial commitment but also community support. - Thanks for all you do! MG, Reverse The Course
The MGEF is doing an outstanding job providing an education for girls in the Maasai tribe. We have funded a student for years and it has been an honor to do so. The staff is small, organized and devoted to their task. If you are looking to make a difference, think about funding a MGEF student.
Previous Stories
This non-profit is awesome for what they do with a minute staff and a limited budget. The work they do truly benefits on an immediate and long term basis the lives of girls and young women of the Maasai people of Kenya. Helping these girls and young women, many of whom are orphans, to gain an education and escape child marriage are the goals of MGEF and one that they pursue with dedication and grace.
MFEG is an amazing organization. I truly believe that the answer to many of the world's greatest challenges is to educate women. When you educate a girl, you give her the opportunity to make a better life for herself, her family, and her community. As a donor, I know that giving to MGEF is a excellent investment and one that will make a difference in lives of their students.
The work of Maasai Girls Education Fund is most impressive. I am grateful for their efforts to educate girls and to keep them from getting married until they are adults. The stories I've heard about the accomplishments of these girls is so inspiring. The work MGEF is doing to eradicate female genital mutilation is extremely important. I can't say enough about Maasai Girls Education Fund and I plan to continue to support this exemplary organization.
Maasai Girls Education Fund does great things for both the individual girls of the Maasai and their surrounding communities. By giving young women the option to learn rather than get married, they are bringing more knowledge to the community, which leads to improvements in their economy, family planning, educational values and civil rights. This is one of the best non-profits out there.
Maasai Girls Education Fund is, without a doubt, the most effective small nonprofit I support. As a donor, I know that my contribution is positively impacting young Kenyan girls and their communities. What a gift to know that as little as $10 can send several children to a Life Skills workshop. When the President, Barbara Lee Shaw, sends updates, I learn exactly how MGEF is changing lives, and how I am a part of that change. I wholeheartedly encourage others to join the cause.
I learned of the Maasai Girls Education fun through my church. I realized that while it only takes $250 to fund one year of schooling for one child, I was wearing a pair of $100 shoes and had at least two more pairs at home that cost that much. I was ashamed that I was not doing more for people like the Maasai girls. I further looked at the organization and realized how committed the leaders were and knew I could make a difference - a small difference but yet a difference. People ask me why I choose to fund this organization when there are many need within the United States. I answer, "Yes, there are many needy in the United States and many outstretched hands to help them. The Maasai girls deserve this chance also so I have extended what I can to them. Not only my parents but community members helped me to get a bachelor's and master's degree - it's now my turn to pay it forward."
We are delighted with the excellent manner in which this NGO is run and the terrific results in helping young Maasai women get and education that helps them, their families, and their community. We know our contributions are making a difference and our confidence in the organization sustains our own contributions and is the reason we recommend Massai Girls Education Fund to others. Overall, we rate it at the top of organizations we support.
I am a literacy educator interested in social justice and equity issues. The Maasai Girls Education Fund represents an exceptional model of education reform for any number of reasons: (a) It is a "system" level project that enjoys enthusiastic support from the Ministry of Education, the learners, the school system and educators, the business and local communities, and the families themselves. (b) MGEF is uniquely positioned to provide positive, non-ideological solutions to deep cultural, economic and political challenges faced by a people that embrace the need for change and trust the MGEF and Barbara Shaw. (c) MGEF is a strong organization run by extraordinarily capable, committed and tireless leader, Barbara Shaw. On a personal level, my family has provided tuition support for a MGEF student for the past eight years. We have watched her blossom from a shy, struggling student to a confident, academicaly focused young woman. This transformation has not only radically enhanced the life of this person, but her entire family as well. I cannot overstate the profound contribution of MGEF--for the families and communities of Kenya, and for the future teachers who learn about MGEF in their teacher preparation program at VCU. Bill Muth VCU
After a visit to Kenya a couple of years ago to learn about the role of women in the Maasai culture, I came to understand just how important education is for women in a male dominated culture. These women are struggling daily just to feed and educate their children -most without any help from the men of their communities. The women take care of everything including building the houses, caring for animals, toting the water and firewood daily, caring for the children, cooking, etc. - on the side they find ways to bring in enough money to pay for the education of their children through the sale of beadwork, charcoal, milk, etc. It is a hard life and their faces show it but they are still the kindest people you will ever meet and they still have hope. When I returned home, I found the Massai Girl's Education Fund and immediately began to fund the education of a Maasai girl through them after talking to Barbara Shaw (yes, you can actually talk with the director of this organization)- all of the money I send goes directly to the girl I fund - it is not filtered out along the way - Barbara has worked hard to insure this both here and in Kenya. And the money is not spent on fancy brochures or websites - it is used for real purpose! Thanks Barbara for a job well done and I will continue to help support your girls.
When was about to clear my primary education in A.I.C Kajiado that was in 2004, i never even had a dream that i will ever step in a secondary school class due to financial problems.I had even started relaxing on my studies, because they were of no help for me since after all won't join a secondary school.Sometimes i had a second thought and i just study for the sake.Infact iwas never poor in my studies i realy liked mathematics and science which boost me on my grade. Come the day when the results of the final exam that i did were announced, iwas position nine in our class.However i was not even happy about it since, it was not of benefit to me Since my mother had no money to take me to a secondary school. Thanks God came the saviour MGEF which took me and told me that they will pay my school fees and also provide me with other facilities such as uniform ,shoes and other requirement. It was like a dream to me,But all in all ithank God for the existance of such a wonderful and blessed organisation the MGEF.This organisation was is bright light to many maasai girls and alsothe whole commuity in general to eradicate the illiteracy and poverty in the maasai community. It also Leads to the improvement of the living stardards in the community.The founder of the organisation is Barbara Lee shaw a from US.the staff are mostly from the maasai community,and are very friendly to us student .It provides all the school requirement to all students when schools open,i.e thrice in a year.With this organisation no student have any reason as to not working hard in her academic work.
I have been fortunate to donate on a small scale to this 'mission' of Barbara Lee Shaw from its earliest beginnings. I have seen her steadfast dedication to improving the lives of many girls of Kenya...and happy to see the success of both parties. It is through the single-mindedness of single individuals like Barbara and Greg Mortenson that the larger public can meaningfully engage the worthy task of changing for the better not only the girls involved but their families and villages for generations to come. I believe the work of the MGEF will be the foundation of future advances in economic, social and polical equality for these girls in particular, but for women in general --everywhere it is lacking now.
Education, education, education. This is the ultimate answer to improving any life situation. Through the efforts of MSEF an affordable outreach has been made possible. An outreach that not only changes one life without a doubt, but definitely potentially a village. We are sponsoring a young woman to receive her Bachelors Degree in Education. She will return to her village and benefit many many people. Her return brings more than education - it brings a role model and hope. This affordable reach out is only possible because others dream. We are hoping to see this work only grow and grow through sponsorships and support. We are a small part of the dream.
I have had the honor to newly sponsor a girl who is in college and will graduate in 2011. Her plans are to use her college education to teach young girls in her village. She is an excellent student and will be a wonderful role model to the younger girls. Thank you MGEF for all your excellent work.
Tell your story here and help others understand this charity I love this group, and look forward to having enough money to give more. They are a 0% OH org that delivers real results in an accountable way that is very easy to participate in. I would love to see them grow!
I were in Africa 2005 and experienced the need in the schools there. I knew I wanted to contribute something towards education, the need was so great. Looking online, I found the Maasai Girls Education Fund. I was inspired by how the founder, Barbara Lee Shaw, responded to the need she saw while there as a photographer. I choose one of the students to sponsor, and if I have any question about her needs or progress, Ms Shaw answers me immediately and fully. She knows her students and has such fondness for all their welfare.
For the past five years we have had the pleasure of sponsoring the education of a young Maasai girl. She is now in high school. MGEF has done an exceptional job of changing the lives of many young Maasai girls through education. These girls, when educated, are worth far more than the five cows they bring to their families when they are married off at a young age. With their education, they bring help to their villages, their families and their country. We are proud to be a part of this stellar effort by MGEF to help so many girls and their families.
About 7 years ago I went Kenya on Safari and upon my return I wanted to give something back to that wonderful country and it's woman. I contacted Maasai Girls Education Fund and they found Miriam for me. She was about 8 years old at the time. Her mother had just died from Aids and her family was about to have her circumcised and married off to receive the bride price of cows. Miriam is now a happy young woman going to school with a much brighter future ahead of her. Barbara Shaw is tireless in her work to help these young woman have a better life. I can't imagine a better use of my money than to improve the life of a child.
I first became familar with the Maasai Girls Education Fund through my work in women's international development. I remember working with Barbara Lee Shaw, MGEF's President, to communicate the story of Simantoi Kilama, an MGEF graduate who is now earning a living as a nurse due to MGEF's support. Hearing Simantoi explain how she was using her income to buy shoes, supplies, and school uniforms for her family and children in her community made me realize just how impactful MGEF's work is: by investing in girls' education, MGEF is having a ripple effect on Maasai communities. It is improving the lives of far more than those of the graduates themselves. In addition to being such an impactful organization, MGEF enjoys the leadership of Barbara Lee Shaw, a dynamic and effective organizer and manager. Throughout my time volunteering, I've been continually amazed by Barbara's drive and creativity.
It is indeed a pleasure to write a review for Maasai Girls Education Fund. With over 35 years of professional and volunteer work with international organizations, I rank MGEF at the very top. The leadership is passionately committed to improving the lives of young women in the Maasai community which has a more limited access to education than the Kenyan national average. The program approach to educating students from primary through post secondary education to obtain a job is unique. Not only are the lives of the women affected, families and their community benefit. MGEF also conducts life skills workshops for the upper grades at primary schools. This program reflects the sincere commitment to educating an individual which in turn educates a community. Melanie Williams
We found MGEF on the web, while looking for help in supporting a girl we knew in Kenya. Barbara Shaw and the MGEF is without a doubt one of the most effective organizations for the empowerment of women and girls I have ever encountered. The positive social changes that have come about and will continue as these young women are educated and return to their communities cannot be overestimated. The MGEF website tells the story well, but there is so much more to it.
I have had the privilege of seeing Barbara create the MGEF according to the vision that came to her that first time she went back to Kenya. I have known her since our school days and knew immediately how uniquely qualified she is to make a non-profit like this work and how completely scrupulously she would see to the administration of it for the benefit of the girls, the culture and the future. I chose to support the general fund to give Barbara as much leeway as possible to take care of needs as they arose.
I found out about MGEF and was thrilled to have the opportunity to support girls trying to get an education. Barbara has provided a safe and direct way to help young women in Kenya go to school instead of being married off at ages 10 or 11. I was honored to meet the first girl I supported at an International Girls conference in Minnesota two years ago. Then I met her again in NYC when she participated in the UN Commission on the Status of Women. I know she will go far in life in part due to having the chance to go to school.
When I travelled with Barbara about ten years ago to see the schools where the Maasai girls are educated and to visit some of the villages that the girls come from, I was struck by the daunting task that Barbara had before her. Barbara was in this for the long haul. I was also struck by the enthusiasm the Maasai girls in the schools had for this project, they knew exactly what they wanted. They and their stories speak for themselves. Barbara has given every ounce of her energy to this project since then. She is unwavering in her determination to not only help individual girls but to enable Maasai women to run the organisation and continue the work. She guides this relatively small organisation with all the professionalism and integrity of a major operator, whilst retaining 'hands on' interest in all its workings and each and every girl. Barbara regularly visits the schools and lives amongst the Maasai in their villages. She trains and mentors the women who administer the organisation in Kenya. No money is wasted and she tolerates no corruption or mis-dealings. Many involved are volunteers inspired by Barbara and the work of the MGEF. This work is not only of significance to the girls she is helping to educate and the communities they will be returning to, but to the world in general. The Maasai live in an important eco-system, where so much depends on future management and interaction with land, resources and wild life. Sustainability and true progress are at the heart of what Barbara is doing. Progress means that we are able to understand, revere and retain all that is useful and important from our past whilst leaving behind ideas and practices that have lost their relevance. Alongside this, progress implies that we embrace innovative ideas and practices that help us preserve ourselves, our cultures and the world systems we share with all living things. 'Progress' also implies that the rate at which we both learn from the past and prepare for the future increases, keeping pace with the changes we experience, The medium through which this is enabled is 'education' and the role of women in the community is especially significant. The girls that are being educated with the help of the MGEF represent their culture and are the future of that culture. A flourishing future culture depends on a balance in the power, influence and knowledge of both men and women. I believe that Barbara has established a blueprint that can provide a model for others. The work she is doing is superb. One can only imagine what more can be done with greater resources and support. I hope in the future to encourage schools in the uK to become involved in the MGEF as I believe that young people here can learn from what the fund is accomplishing and from the Maasai girls who are now being educated. The girls can now speak for themselves and communicate their rich experiences and hopes for the future.
I have been associated with this charity for more than 10 years. I have listened and watched as Barbara Shaw, the driving force for this organization, dealt with governmental obstacles, cultural differences, prejudice against girls and women to ensure an organization that would support girls to obtain education and/or training that would provide the skills needed to earn money, return to their community to provided needed services, thereby increasing the economic, health, and education opportunities in their own community. The girls receive scholarships with the expectation that they will help other girls to realize they do not have to marry at age 13, but have other options. I have seen one girl return to her community as a nurse, providing needed health care, and raising the standard of living for her parents and other relatives. This organization works hard to keep the girls in school and find the best educational or vocational training that will lead to economic independence.
MGEF is a fantastic organization that provides young Maasai girls with the opportunity to attend school in Kenya. MGEF is blessed with a core of very dedicated, hard-working individuals, and with relatively low overhead costs, they are able to achieve impressive results. We receive regular updates from the young Maasai girl that we sponsor, and have watched her grow over the years. She often tells us about how meaningful the sponsorship of MGEF has been in her life, and we look forward to sponsoring more students in the future. This is a truly unique organization, and I highly encourage others to get involved!
The Maasai Girls Education Fund run by Barbara Shaw is empowering young women in Kenya with scholarships so that they can lift themselves and their families out of poverty. The MGEF graduates are working in fields like teaching, nursing, and hospitality. They are grateful for their educations and committed to ensuring their own children, especially their daughters receive an education. MGEF is well-run and well-organized. Every single penny raised is used to supply what the students need to attend school - pencils, paper, shoes, etc. Having personally met many of the students I can tell you they are wonderful young women who are the future of their country and our world!
I recently returned from a two week trip to Kenya visiting various non-profits working there to empower women. The group I traveled with had the opportunity to meet with Barbara Shaw, the founder of Maasai Girls Education Fund,a member of her staff, and an amazing young woman the organization is educating named Caroline. I was so impressed with their presentation and the organization. What makes them different as a sponsorship program is that once they begin to educate a Maasai girl, they commit to support her year after year from primary school through university. Caroline, the young women rescued by MGEF, who will begin her university education in the next term, ended her talk by saying, "You cannot sell me for cows, you cannot touch my body, I am entitled to an education and my life is mine to determine!". That is an empowered young woman!
On my first trip to Nairobi, I met these two young girls at a well dedication in the upcountry. When I returned to the US, my heart was burdened for these two young girls and I did not know why. I had a friend returning a few months later and I begged him to find "my girls" and see what they needed. I gave him a photo and told him the general area of where I saw them. And he found them--my friend met with the chief and the parents of the girls and the mother and the chief agreed that if I send the girls to boarding school, that the father would not be permitted to give the oldest in marriage when she turned 12--she was 11 at the time and the younger one who was 10, alomst 11. I agreed. On my next visit to Nairobi, I visited the girls in the school and became VERY concerned because the amount of money that I was sending for school was more than I paid for my nephews private school fees and tuition, but the school my girls were in was very "unkept" and had very few books/supplies. Discouraged, I returned to the US and was searching online and found Barbara and the Maasai Girls Education Fund. I called Barbara and spoke with her at lengths about my situation and she investigated the matter on her next trip to Nairobi and informed me that the school that my girls were attending was "known" to take advantage of American donors. She recommended some schools in Kajiado District that she deals with on a regular basis. I spoke the the mother of my girls and Barbara's liaison in Kenya (Lucy) and we picked a school that was more suitable for my girls. On my next trip to Nairobi, I visited with my girls in their new school and met with the headmaster and Lucy. I was very pleased with the progress that my girls were making in school and the appearance of the facility. I was VERY BLESSED to have found Barbara and Maasai Girls Education Fund. I know that every dollar that I send for the education and welfare of my two girls is spent directly for their education and welfare. And, when I have overpaid due to favorable currency exchange rates, Barbara notifies me and modifies the next year's fees to account for the overpayment. The Maasai Girls Education Fund works on the principles of INTEGRITY and ACCOUNTABILITY. Not to mention that they are very knowledgable of the issues directly affecting the Maasai girls: lack of education, early marriage, and female genital mutilation--it is this knowledge that creates a GENUINE concern to help the young girls--AND THAT ATTRACTED ME TO THIS ORGANIZATION. Thank you for helping me help educate and empower my girls. You are truly and God-send.