Momentum Media’s philanthropic partner So They Can will speak at this year’s forum about how it is championing girls’ empowerment through education in East Africa, including achieving gender parity in school enrolments.
Momentum Media’s philanthropic partner So They Can will be leading a session at the Women in Law Forum 2023.
Not-for-profit organisation So They Can partnerships manager Emily Whitehouse believes that educating girls is not just the right thing to do, but it is also the smart thing to do.
However, girls continue to face multiple barriers that prevent them from attending school, she lamented, with 130 million girls globally denied their right to education.
In her welcome address at the Women in Law Forum 2023 in November – which is hosted by Momentum Media and law brand Lawyers Weekly – Ms Whitehouse will share insights about the progress So They Can is making in Kenya and Tanzania through its Keeping Girls in School Project.
Since partnering with Momentum Media in 2020, So They Can has been involved in events like the Women in Law Forum to raise awareness of its causes and projects. This has enabled the non-profit organisation to expand its network and form other philanthropic partnerships, Ms Whitehouse said.
So They Can’s programs are aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all United Nation Member States in 2015. It includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals and is an urgent call for action by all countries.
The non-profit organisation’s agenda is aligned with many of the goals, including education, health, gender equality, and partnerships.
Kicking goals for girls
Speaking to Momentum Media ahead of the forum, Ms Whitehouse said the educational programs in conjunction with the community development programs have resulted in several positive outcomes.
Most notably, the organisation has achieved gender parity in school enrolments. In 2023, its education program reached 32,000 students and 750 teachers in 51 government and primary schools.
“This is quite an amazing achievement for the areas we work in because the girls face many cultural barriers to accessing schools,” Ms Whitehouse said.
“Last year, the first batch of students that began studying in our first school over 12 years ago graduated high school. Out of 120 students, 106 pursued further education, including vocational training, university, or college.”
In Tanzania, 88 per cent of schools have improved academic performance in the Primary School Leaving Exam since 2018, while 50 per cent of the schools have improved their average results by more than 20 points.
Meanwhile, in Kenya, 54 per cent of schools have improved academic performance in the Kenyan Certificate in Primary Education in the past 12 months. More than 70 per cent increased the school’s average result by more than 15 points.
Success is locally born and bred
Ms Whitehouse credited the success to employing staff from the local areas in Kenya and Tanzania and collaborating with local stakeholders to ensure there is consensus around the objectives and strategies.
“For example, one of the communities we work in is in Baringo County, Kenya, which has a very high rate of child marriage and child labour because of the circumstances and cultural norms,” Ms Whitehouse said.
“Our team members are from there. They speak the local tribal languages, have cultural knowledge, and are known and trusted within the community. I think this has had a major influence on the success.”
The program also includes local champions within every partner school (including local parents) who are trained to become advocates for girls’ education.
“They talk to their neighbours, friends, and other parents at the school about the importance of letting their girls go to school,” Ms Whitehouse said.
“They link key stakeholders together to make things happen. If girls aren't attending school, they'll work with our social workers to help with that. They're also a safe port of call for any girls trying to escape child marriage.”
Medical support
So They Can also collaborates with governments at different levels through a memorandum of understanding, and works with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.
For example, the Ministry of Health enables local doctors and nurses to visit the local areas and deliver medicines and medical workshops.
So They Can holds camps where local practitioners provide the community with vaccinations, maternal support, and medical check-ups for children.
“If they’ve got medical issues, they can get them addressed at these camps,” Ms Whitehouse said.
Empowering girls to curb climate crisis
Ms Whitehouse is also passionate about addressing climate change by educating girls, she said, because educated girls have fewer children, which can reduce carbon emissions by lowering the population over the long term.
She said her address at the Women in Law Forum is a call to action for the legal profession to help educate and empower girls.
“There are vulnerable people around the world who are facing daily challenges just to get food on the table for their children,” Ms Whitehouse said.
“My key message is that we can all try and do our bit to help.”
To hear more from Emily Whitehouse about how So They Can is empowering girls through education, come along to the Women in Law Forum 2023.
It will be held on Thursday, 23 November at Grand Hyatt, Melbourne.
Click here to book tickets and don’t miss out!
For more information, including agenda and speakers, click here.
For further details on So They Can, click here.