NASHIPAE’S STORY: THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF DAY SECONDARY SCHOOLS 

Nashipae’s story illuminates why access to affordable, walkable day secondary schools can alter the trajectory of a life.

Dedicated to her studies and extremely bright, Nashipae, an orphan who lived with her grandmother, scored higher than any other girl in the entire Loita Hills region on Kenya’s high school entrance exam in 2021. Her scores gained her entrance into a National High School, the highest level in Kenya. But then, life threw her two more challenges: Her grandmother died, and she got pregnant. Nashipae and her baby moved in with an aunt, but after another family member also became pregnant, the burden became too great, and the uncle kicked Nashipae out. A brother finally welcomed her and her baby back into the original family compound, which happens to be within walking distance of Morijo, the village where we first opened a day secondary school in 2020.

Thanks to this new secondary day school, Nashipae was able to continue her education in 2022 once Sasha was old enough able to spend mornings and afternoons with her sister-in-law just half a mile away. Morijo Day Secondary School was walkable and affordable – allowing Nashipae to return. Equally important, the quality of education she’ll receive there was high, thanks in part to new programs we piloted last year. A new first year grant program is helping ensure that girls like Nashipae will have female teachers in the classroom serving as emotional support and role models. In November of 2025 Nashipae graduated from secondary school and is now applying to university; she hopes to study law so that she can help other Maasai girls who find themselves in similar situations.