“Because There Are 200 of Us, We’ll Teach Under the Tree Today.”

I went to Kenya with a simple purpose: to see first-hand the people and the work we support  through ZanaAfrica Foundation (ZAF). I thought I knew a lot already: our work is designed to give girls the tools they need to make it through adolescence safely; it’s human-rights based, focused on menstruation and other adolescent health information; we teach girls and boys together; and the governments of 17 of 46 counties (the equivalent of states in the US) have already approved ZanaAfrica entry to work in their schools, with more to come, a formal recognition of the work’s value for students. So frankly, I expected a lot. And yet every day, I was blown away. 

 “Because there are about 200 of us, we’ll teach under the tree today.” 

In Kilifi County, where ZanaAfrica has worked for over 10 years and where we saw the teaching in action, the heat and humidity are intense. I found myself wondering what kind of tree could possibly shelter us and offer comfort to so many students. The answer: a Kenyan tree. At the first school, two groups of adolescents sat beneath wide, generous canopies, shielded from the beaming sun.

Lesson one: nature in Kenya is a powerful force. It provides for us. (Yet it can also complicate life. (In Arid and Semi-Arid counties—where clean water is scarce—attractive options like reusable sanitary pads are hard to use consistently, and hygiene and sanitation can be compromised.)

“Ovaries! Fallopian tubes!” Real-time education in action.

We visited two schools, one which had been taught by teachers and mentors trained by our team in Kilifi County for the better part of a school year, and one which was new to our work. And while all the kids were extremely engaged, the difference between the two schools was palpable. 

The learners in the first school knew their stuff and trusted our team. As Sidi, ZanaAfrica’s long time program associate and our group’s teacher, raised her arms in a V to review the female reproductive system without a blackboard, the kids shouted out the answers rapidly. Fists? “Ovaries!” The length of an arm? “Fallopian tube!” They knew it all and weren’t shy about showing off their knowledge. And they just filled the cards we gave them for anonymous questions, so our educators had a great deal to discuss.

Trust is ours to earn.

The second school, where they barely knew us, was a different story. The children were polite and attentive. But they didn’t know the material yet. And their teachers started the lesson physically standing behind the students, leaning back as if to say, you’ve got something to prove. Photography was not allowed that day; another reminder that in Kenya, trust is to be earned. 

Same ZanaAfrica educators and staff. Same curriculum. Same giggles from the children, and same brilliant educators. By the end of the session, their teachers had moved towards the front, with open faces and the beginnings of a trust I just know will grow every time ZanaAfrica returns. 

Again, I knew logically that  the content we deliver works. After all, it was proven in a 2-year Randomized Controlled Trial sponsored by the The Gates Foundation. But seeing it in action over two days made me joyful and weepy and even more committed to supporting the work of ZanaAfrica.

Hello, Zana! 

We also had many meetings with government officials; their support is critical to the success of the ZanaAfrica. As we walked into one office at the Kilifi Department of Gender, Culture, Social Services and Sports, someone saw our local staffer and sang out, “Hello, Zana!” 

It was clear why we’re so welcome. Our mission and vision accord with their goals to empower youth, promote gender equality, and ensure social protection for vulnerable members of society. In fact, our Zana team has a literal seat at the table in many of their meetings. 

Brilliant, all in, and love to laugh.

It was also a joy to get off of Zoom, and get to see our brilliant founder, Megan Wa Mukuria (Kenya), our incredible co-executive directors—Beatrice Wanjiku Jane (Kenya) and Alison Nakamura Netter (US)—together in the same place with virtually all of the wonderful Kenya-based staff, and Kenya- and US-based board members. 

To a person, the people of ZanaAfrica are brilliant, joyful, and really love to laugh. It’s a shared-meal kind of culture; everyone partaking of the same dishes and deep sense of purpose, while bringing their own energy. These people are super talented, and not shy about it. Yet there isn’t an overblown ego in sight. They—we—know how much we have accomplished so far, and how much more important work there is to be done, together.