Our Stories

Meet Charity

Charity is a brave and resilient 13-year-old girl at St. Clare’s Girls Boarding School in Nakuru, Kenya. Currently in Grade 5, Charity is the youngest of five children.

She is a natural leader. She often mobilises her peers and confidently speaks on behalf of those who are shy or struggle to express themselves. Charity communicates fluently in both English and Swahili, excelling particularly in language studies. She is deeply connected to her community and speaks passionately about improving it.

But Charity has also had to overcome significant obstacles. Not long ago, Charity was at significant risk of child marriage. Due to ongoing patriarchal and cultural norms in the area where Charity grew up, many young girls are at risk of child marriage or Female Genital Cutting (FGC). In fact, when So They Can first started operating in Baringo, it was estimated that 85% of girls were at risk of FGC and child marriage.

And this is why So They Can launched our Ambassadors of Hope initiative in 2025.

So They Can’s Ambassadors of Hope is a flagship initiative that sits under our “Keeping Girls In School” project. Our Keeping Girls in School project aims to meaningfully engage the whole community about the importance of girls’ education, including their human rights, health and wellbeing, and their contribution to society. It is underpinned by our belief that unless we recognise that girls face additional gendered barriers to accessing education – our impact will not be sustainable or long-term. And so our model continues to evolve.

‘The Ambassadors of Hope initiative is our most transformative approach to girls’ empowerment yet. It supports 21 girls in Baringo County, Kenya who are at risk of FGC and child marriage with a scholarship to stay in primary school and continue onto secondary education. The scholarship covers the costs of school fees, boarding, uniforms and educational materials. The Ambassadors of Hope initiative also provides medical and culturally appropriate psychosocial care’.

Boni Mouti, So They Can’s Kenya Country Manager.

Importantly, it also provides a tailored mentorship program that covers topics including:

• The importance of education
• Social awareness and relationships
• Self-advocacy, self-awareness & self-management
• Responsible decision-making
• Accessing support – networks and peer groups
• The Power of Girls
• The importance of storytelling – sharing my story to become a role model
• Entrepreneurship
• Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

21 girls will be supported as an Ambassador of Hope in 2026.

Through our Ambassadors of Hope initiative, we hope that the girls we have the privilege of working with in Kenya will have the opportunity to become girls’ rights champions themselves. They will have the confidence to advocate, protect and advance girls’ rights in their villages. They will be tomorrow’s change makers.

Thank you to our Kenya team for their ongoing work and commitment to girls’ education. To date, 28,000 girls have accessed quality education, across 55 partner government schools, through So They Can’s Education Program since 2009.

Note: the images in this post do not depict the Ambassadors of Hope to protect their privacy. Featured images are used with consent from girls supported through So They Can’s Education Program in Kenya.