Kakenya Ntaiya: A girl who demanded school
Kakenya Ntaiya : Une fille qui exigeait l'école
Kakenya Ntaiya refused to accept the continued oppression of women in her Maasai village -- so she built a school that's shifting gender expectations in her community. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
"Je n'accepterai cette cérémonie que
les gens aurait dit de lui
et on est sorti de la maison
Oui, on a dansé encore et encore.
de gens qui attendait.
je me suis évanouie.
une fois que tout le monde était parti,
C'était assez séduisant.
sans le soutien du village,
qui était lié au matin,
par laquelle je suis passée
trois million de filles
j'ai travaillé aux Nations Unies,
m'arrivaient en plein visage.
à parler aux hommes,
De quoi avez-vous besoin ?"
une école pour filles
nos filles dans un lieu sûr."
une école pour garçons,
sur lequel on a construit
aucune stabilité dans sa vie.
de ce que je voyais en Angeline.
pour être en quatrième section.
de venir en classe.
pouvoir voler autour du monde
quand on l'a accueillie.
à l'âge de 12 ans.
la fin de la pauvreté.
d'être les premiers à le faire
sur une fille, une famille,
un futur meilleur pour nos enfants,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kakenya Ntaiya - Educator and activistKakenya Ntaiya refused to accept the continued oppression of women in her Maasai village -- so she built a school that's shifting gender expectations in her community.
Why you should listen
Kakenya Ntaiya was set to follow the traditional path of girls born in the small village of Enoosaen, Kenya. Engaged at the age of 5, she was to participate in a female circumcision ceremony as a young teenager and then be married. But she had a different plan. First, she negotiated with her father and willingly agree to be circumcised -- only if he would allow her to finish high school. Later, when she was accepted to Randolph-Macon Women's College in Viriginia, she negotiated with her village elders to do what no girl had ever done before: leave her village to go to college in the United States.
She didn’t leave forever, though. Deeply proud of her heritage and of her community, Ntaiya returned to the village after school and worked with her elders to establish a school for girls there. The Kakenya Center for Excellence was established in 2009 with 32 students. A primary grade boarding school just for girls, the curriculum focuses on academics, leadership and female empowerment, along with cultural preservation and life skills. While families that can afford tuition do, Ntaiya also works with donors to provide scholarships for others.
In addition to her work with the school, Ntaiya is also a National Geographic emerging explorer.
Kakenya Ntaiya | Speaker | TED.com