Building a Continuum of Support for Girls in Narok County, Kenya

By Virginia Terry, VP External Relations, Girl Rising

As Girl Rising and She’s the First come together as one organization, we’re asking an important question: What does it really take for girls to rise and thrive? One clear lesson from the last decade across the sector is this: programs that work in isolation don’t lead to lasting change. Girls don’t live their lives in silos, and support for them can’t either. That’s why Naserian: Girls Rising in Narok is so important. It’s our first intentionally integrated program, bringing together school-based learning, community mentorship, and family engagement into a single, connected model of support.

Naserian is launching in Narok County, Kenya, where girls face some of the highest rates of early marriage and pregnancy, school dropout, and female genital mutilation (FGM). These challenges are shaped not just by poverty, but by deeply rooted expectations about girls’ roles - and by systems that often fail to support them once they leave school. With Naserian, we’re working directly with girls and with the people and institutions around them: teachers, parents, mentors, and local organizations that know their communities best.

Through this two-year pilot, girls in school will participate in RISE, our life-skills curriculum that builds confidence, reflection, and gender-equitable attitudes through discussion and storytelling. At the same time, out-of-school girls - including teen mothers - will take part in regular mentorship groups led by women from their own communities. These safe spaces focus on health, bodily autonomy, decision-making, and hope for the future. Parents and caregivers are part of the picture too, joining conversations that help them better support their daughters’ education and aspirations.

Naserian is also a learning project. We’re testing what happens when schools, community-based organizations, and families work together instead of separately. We’re asking: Does this kind of connected support help girls stay in school, or return to it? Does it strengthen girls’ confidence and belief in their own futures? How do tools like storytelling, mentorship, and dialogue help girls speak up for themselves and make informed choices? And what does it take to make this model work well enough to grow beyond Narok?

The name Naserian means “peace” in Maa, the language spoken by many families in Narok. It reflects our hope for this work: that when girls are supported not just individually, but by a whole community that believes in them, they can move through adolescence with greater safety, strength, and possibility. As we begin this new chapter as a unified organization, Naserian is helping us learn how to build that kind of future.