I created E-SIDAI because Indigenous Maasai girls continue to face extreme barriers to accessing secondary education, including early marriage, FGM, poverty, long walking distances to school and limited support from the community. Many girls in my village dropped out before finishing primary school and others were forced into marriage at a very young age. I personally escaped an arranged marriage at age 12 and became the first girl from my village to graduate from university. My journey showed me that education has the power to break generational cycles of poverty, violence and inequality.
E-SIDAI was founded to give Maasai girls the opportunities I struggled to find. I saw that there was no safe space for girls fleeing early marriage, no mentorship and very little engagement with families on the importance of girls’ education. Teachers also lacked training to support vulnerable pastoralist learners.
I created this innovation to provide a culturally rooted, community-driven solution that protects girls, strengthens families, equips teachers and builds girls’ confidence and leadership. I wanted a model that does more than keep girls in school—it transforms harmful norms and empowers girls to become agents of social change in their communities.
In practice, E-SIDAI is a community-based model that supports Maasai girls throughout their entire educational journey. The program operates through four main components:
1. Safe House: We provide temporary shelter for girls escaping early marriage or other forms of abuse. Here they receive safety, counseling and uninterrupted access to schooling.
2. Mentorship: Girls are paired with trained female mentors from the community who support them academically, emotionally and socially. Mentors meet with girls weekly, follow their progress, and help them navigate challenges inside and outside school.
3. Community Dialogues: We hold regular discussions with parents, elders and traditional leaders to shift harmful norms, promote girls’ rights and build community support for continued schooling.
4. School Partnerships: We train teachers on gender-responsive pedagogy, improve learning environments, and support schools in identifying at-risk girls early.
This holistic approach ensures that girls not only attend school, but feel safe, confident, and empowered to lead. In our daily work, you see girls studying at the safe house, mothers participating in workshops, mentors guiding students and elders joining conversations about ending child marriage.
E-SIDAI has spread quickly because communities can see real transformation in the girls—girls who, like me, once faced early marriage or discouragement are now thriving in secondary school. I began this work in 2021 while still at university, supporting only three children in my own village. As families saw the impact and trusted my story, the program grew rapidly.
Today, we operate in 21 villages and have supported over 3,000 children, with a small percentage being boys who show strong potential but lack support. Mothers, teachers and elders witnessed girls overcoming the same challenges I once faced and they began requesting the program in neighboring villages.
Schools invited us to train their teachers and local leaders asked us to facilitate community dialogues and mentorship circles. My personal journey has built deep trust, inspiring parents and learners to believe that change is possible and that education can break cycles of poverty, child marriage and harmful norms.
Since starting E-SIDAI, we have adapted the program based on the girls’ needs and community feedback. Initially, we focused on identifying high-performing girls, transferring them to better schools, and providing safe houses. Over time, we added mentorship and leadership training to help girls build confidence, life skills, and resilience.
We also introduced teacher training workshops to improve gender-sensitive and inclusive classrooms, ensuring that schools can better support girls from pastoralist communities. While the program primarily supports girls, we now also include a small number of boys with strong potential who face barriers to continuing school.
These modifications have made E-SIDAI more holistic, sustainable and effective at keeping children in school and helping them thrive socially and academically.
1. Identify high-performing girls who finished primary school, passed well, but cannot continue to secondary school due to poverty, long distance, or early marriage risks.
2. Partner with strong secondary schools—preferably boarding schools—where girls can continue safely.
3. Provide safe housing near the school so girls have protection, meals, and a stable study environment.
Supply all school essentials, including uniforms, books, hygiene items, transport, and exam materials.
4. Offer mentorship and leadership training through weekly sessions that build confidence, resilience, and life skills.
5. Engage families and community leaders to maintain support and prevent early marriage or dropout.
