A path back to school for young mothers in Kakuma

One hundred and seventy girls and young mothers as of last month, reached with the available and limited resources. That is where M.I.L.E.S. stands, an initiative in Kakuma Refugee Camp founded by Abraham Leek Tor. He founded it with friends. The name stands for "Mothers In Learning, Empowerment, and Support".

He is a student at Vision Secondary School. M.I.L.E.S. addresses the effects of early pregnancy and early marriage among girls aged 12 to 19 in the camp. In his community, he says, "many girls lose their futures and academic potential to this challenge, one that is often reinforced by tradition and cultural norms." He started the initiative to give girls and young mothers "a real path back to school and to a sense of possibility for their lives."

“Together, We Can Change HER Story.”

Abraham Leek Tor

With a dedicated team, he has led the 170 through training sessions designed to inform and equip them to become ambassadors for other girls and young mothers in the community. It is the team that made M.I.L.E.S. possible, he says.

Through the support of community members, the team identified one young mother who had dropped out of school and connected her with the nearest secondary school, so she could resume her education from where she left off. They have since identified five more young mothers who wanted to go back, and helped them do it with assistance from the Jesuit Refugee Service and the cooperation of the school principal.

M.I.L.E.S. is now going through registration as a community based organisation.