#FamiliesThatRise – A day in the life of Debbie

Programme Specialist, RISE, Project Naserian, Narok, Kenya

“Most people think keeping girls in school is only about school fees,” says Debbie, as she prepares for another day in Narok. “But sometimes, what a girl needs most is for someone to believe she deserves to stay there.”

In Narok County, Kenya, many girls are still at risk of dropping out due to poverty, early marriage, harmful gender norms, and lack of support both at home and in school.

Project Naserian…Naserian, meaning “peaceful one” in Maasai, was created to change that reality.

The first program bringing together the strengths of Girl Rising and She's the First, following the merger of the two organisations, Naserian is a two-year pilot grounded in a simple belief: girls already have strength, ambition, and ideas. What they need are families and communities that stand beside them.

The project works with adolescent girls, parents, teachers, heads of institutions and communities to strengthen school retention and create environments where girls can continue learning with dignity and support. Through school partnerships, mentorship, teacher engagement, parent dialogue sessions, and community mobilisation, the project focuses not only on getting girls into classrooms but helping them stay there.

Project Naserian aims to reach 1000 girls and families across Narok County, building stronger relationships between schools and caregivers so girls are supported at every level of their lives.

At the centre of this work are community mobilizers and leaders like Debbie, who excel at building long-term relationships with community-based organisations, parents, and students. With over a decade of experience as an educator in the region, she brings trusted connections and deep expertise that amplify the effectiveness and reach of this work. 

“My work is really about relationships. When parents trust us, teachers open up to us, and girls feel heard, that’s when change starts happening,” she says. 

This is one day in Debbie’s life.

Morning - The girls behind the attendance sheets

Debbie begins her mornings reviewing attendance records and updates from partner schools.

“When a girl suddenly stops participating or starts missing school, there’s always a reason,” We try to understand the story before it becomes a crisis,” she says. 

A key part of this project focuses specifically on girls already enrolled in school, ensuring they remain there.

“Naserian is really about making sure girls aren’t left behind,” Debbie explains. “How do we stop girls from slowly disappearing from classrooms?”

At School - Catching the signs early

At Olenkuluo school, Debbie meets the children and joins the teachers to discuss students who may be vulnerable to dropping out.

“Teachers notice things first. A girl is becoming quiet. Missing classes. Losing confidence.” 

Some conversations are practical…attendance, participation, mentorship support. Others are deeply emotional. Teachers speak about girls arriving hungry, overwhelmed, or under pressure to leave school altogether.

“These teachers care deeply,” Debbie says softly. “But they also need tools and support.”

The project strengthens teachers’ ability to create inclusive classrooms, address gender bias, and identify girls who may need additional support before they disengage completely.

“We don’t want teachers carrying this responsibility alone,” Debbie explains. “When schools, families, and communities work together, girls are much less likely to disappear from the system.”

For Debbie, the smallest moments often matter most.

“A girl stays in school when she feels seen. Sometimes one encouraging teacher changes everything.”

Parent session - Building trust slowly

By afternoon, parents begin arriving for a community engagement session facilitated by Debbie and a facilitator from Murua Girl Child Education program.

Some parents sit quietly at first. Others immediately begin speaking about the pressures of raising children amid poverty, drought, and uncertainty.

“Parents are carrying so much,” Debbie says. “If we don’t understand their realities, we cannot expect real change.”

Through six parent engagement sessions, mothers and fathers come together to discuss girls’ education, gender equality, resilience, aspirations, and the role families play in shaping girls’ futures. Held on different days of the week at timings chosen with parents, the sessions are designed as spaces for reflection and conversation…very different from traditional school meetings focused only on fees or discipline.

Parents watch Girl Rising films, share personal stories, and openly discuss challenges facing girls in their communities, from early marriage and FGM to poverty and school drop-out.

As conversations deepen, many parents begin reflecting on their own childhoods, regrets, and hopes for their daughters.

“When parents start seeing education as something the whole family protects,” Debbie says, “girls begin believing in themselves differently.”

One father shared something Debbie says she still thinks about today. “He told us, ‘I did not realise my wife also had such a big role in supporting our daughter’s education,’” she recalls. The father explained that he had always believed school responsibilities belonged mainly to fathers. But after attending the sessions together, something shifted.

The sessions also encourage parents to value creativity, sports, play, and talent alongside academics. “We want parents to understand education is not only about exams,” Debbie says with a smile. “It’s also about confidence, courage, and helping children believe in themselves.”

For Debbie, moments like these reveal why parent engagement matters so deeply.

Evening - Walking home with possibility

As the sun sets over Narok, Debbie begins the journey home…already thinking about tomorrow’s school visits, parent sessions, and the girls still at risk of slipping through the cracks.

“Sometimes progress feels small,” she says. “A parent attending one session. A teacher checking in more closely. A girl returning to class after missing weeks.”

Then she pauses.

“But when those small things happen consistently, girls stay in school. And that changes entire communities.”

Implemented with the Murua GirlChild Education Program over the next two years, the project aims to work across 20 government schools, reaching 2,000 adolescent girls and engaging 1,500 parents, caregivers, and community leaders through parent engagement sessions.

“We want to work across classrooms, homes, and communities together,” Debbie says. “Because girls do not experience these challenges separately. Everything is connected.”

Project Naserian is not only building support systems for girls.

It is building communities that rise with them.