While living in Kenya, Teresa Wasonga sought to promote gender equity between students at all levels of education -- a difficult task in a tradition-bound society, which values boys above girls in most areas. And when her efforts to find why fewer girls than boys were graduating from the country's high schools were met with indifference, she and her husband decided that they would make a difference.
She and Andrew Otieno are professors at Northern Illinois University, and he is a member of the Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary; using land she owned in her home region, and after they took out a loan and sold one of their cars, construction began on a school which would be aimed at educating Kenyan girls...using the best available facilities and techniques. From its humble start in 2009, the Jane Adeny Memorial School for Girls -- named for her mother -- has grown to accept nearly 150 students, and has seen 70% of its students qualify for university education -- well above the norm in Kenya.
The school not only provides a background in traditional subjects, but it also gives students practical training in farming, raising animals and starting their own micro-businesses. The school is also putting up a new science building, after raising the money necessary to get a matching grant from a private donor. And one of their graduates has brought the program full-circle, becoming a nursing student at NIU.
With the help of Diana Swanson (left, in photo) and other volunteers, the Friends of JAMS helps raise the funds necessary to cover the cost of scholarships for students there. All high schools in Kenya require tuition, and many students can't afford both that and the basic necessities of daily life; but $800 provides a student with a full scholarship, as well as room and board, for a full year...and Friends of JAMS aims to provide as many students as possible with the financial backing they need to continue their education.