”Girl Friendly Global Initiative”-
was born from an overwhelming desire to protect and support those who have little or no voice in educational systems around the globe.
This year the Kimberly Moore Foundation is pleased to announce its implementation of its first ”Girl Friendly Global Initiative” into their 1,000 student school in Liberia, West Africa constructed with NGO partner for education at: A New Dimension of Hope. This is the first exciting step in changing the lives of 1,000 students and their entire families.
In 2019, Kimberly Moore, adopted a letter from Liberia to help bring education to 1,000 children. After spending time in the village and addressing all the women’s issues and concerns about sending their girls to school due to sexual safety, discrimination and health concerns. KMF has decided to work with the local women and create a program tailored to their specific needs, resulting in all women saying YES to girls education!
In combination with the UN Sustainable Development Goals #5 to achieve a gender equality and empower all women and girls, the Kimberly Moore Foundation- Girl Friendly Global Initiative - Aims to protect and provide a nondiscriminatory and educationally safe environment for boys and girls with little or no voice where child safety is an issue due to sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in development countries around the world. Inspiring countries to #GoGirlFriendly
PROBLEM WORTH SOLVING:
In the past, building a school in Africa created as many problems as it did solutions. The schools were created, but the government, the community and the schools itself did not have the structure or support to create safe educational centers.
Starting with Liberia:
Approximately 87% of children in Liberia do not have access to education. One of the biggest issues is the cost for education, as the majority of schools charge monthly fees. Many of the girls are not allowed to go to school as many see it as a hindrance to a young woman's development. According to African tradition, many of the girls are taught to stay home, take care of siblings, learn to cook, collect water and prepare for marriage as early as 10 years old. According to the UN Woman, these harmful practices such as childhood marriage steal the childhood of 15 million girls under the age of 18 every year!
We found out that the majority of girls that were actually allowed to go to school usually quit due to sexual harassment on the way to school or by their male teachers and up to 70% have quit due to menstruation, the most taboo topic in Africa. Because of menstruation, zero sanitary supplies and lack of undergarments, many girls result to using unsanitary rags, old cloths, cotton wool, newspaper, tree leaves and even dirt. Many of the girls are ashamed to go to school, some find it difficult to sit through classes, and very often girls are humiliated and ridiculed by their male classmates. As a result many girls skip school or even quit all together. Some girls have admitted to having transactional sex just to afford supplies putting them at risk of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. Lack of clean water, sanitary facilities and supplies makes it very difficult for girls to keep clean resulting in serious health consequences, infections and in some cases even death.
In most schools, girls often have to share restrooms with males and also fear being sexually harassed and rape.
The Kimberly Moore Foundation is taking its commitment to student health and safety very seriously. In many countries, the basic right of consent and sexual safety is completely ignored in schools. A KMF Girl Friendly school offers that right to ALL of its young men and women, creating supervision and checks and balances to ensure to continued personal and sexual safety of young women and of all students.
All KMF and partnered schools are created by design, to support the Physical, Emotional, and Developmental safety of all young women and children through our combination of Core Values and Safety Principles.
Every year the KMF with work with experienced trained professionals in sexual health, wellness, hygiene and rape prevention to help review and assess our current core safety principles to ensure all KMF Girl Friendly schools meet and exceeds best practices to help create a safe, non-violent and effective learning environment for all children.
By building a GIrl Friendly school, we are using a more transformative approach to education by tackling discrimination.
Every girl should have
Sanitary supplies and instruction, mentoring
Health, Hygiene and Self Care
Sexual education, and mentoring
Safe Path to and from education
Trained security, staff and proper supervision in schools
Encouraged parent and family participation in education
Support system for counseling, and reporting, anonymous and otherwise.
Parent training and support options for good parenting
Gender inclusive textbooks
Two is one sexual safety program
Female teachers and role models who have skilled knowledge and training to help keep students safe
Inclusion in athletics, gender or group specific
Gender based restroom facilities, protocols