Naserian
Girls Rising in Narok
What happens when girls, families, teachers, and communities move together to remove the barriers that hold girls back? In Narok County, we're finding out.
Naserian is a two-year pilot built on the simple belief that girls already have strength, ideas, and ambition. They need communities that stand with them, opening the path to staying in school, shaping their future, and leading.
10,000+ Stakeholders Reached · 2,000 In-School Adolescents · 6,500 Out-of-School Girls · 15 Community-Based Organisation Partners
20 Government schools where the RISE education program will be delivered
A Whole-Community Approach
Naserian is the first programme to bring together Girl Rising’s RISE and the Girls First Institute, following our recent merger with She's the First.
This two-year pilot tests what's possible when we work with families, schools and communities to address the barriers to girls’ education and opportunities. In Narok, girls don't live in silos — and neither does Naserian. We work across classrooms, homes, and community spaces at the same time, with the same shared goal: creating the conditions for every girl to learn, lead, and define her own future.
Girls in Narok— Strength Amidst Barriers
Narok County sits in Kenya's Rift Valley, home to predominantly Maasai pastoralist communities. Girls here face some of the steepest challenges to education and wellbeing in the country — not because of who they are, but because of systems that haven't yet caught up with their potential.
These challenges intersect: social norms that prioritise forced marriage over schooling, under-resourced schools, limited health services, and community organisations working in isolation without coordination or funding. Naserian responds to all of it — at once.
43.3% Teenage pregnancy rate in Narok — one of the highest in Kenya, and a primary driver of school dropout
87.8% FGM prevalence in some parts of the region — a practice rooted in systems that have long constrained girls' choices and futures
Narok is also a place full of committed people. Community leaders who want better for their daughters. Teachers who stay after hours. Mothers who've been waiting for a program like this. Local organisations are doing extraordinary work with almost nothing.
Girls thrive when the people around them are part of the change. That's what Naserian is designed to support — the ecosystem that already exists, strengthened and connected.
Four Program Areas. One Shared Direction
No single lever is enough. Naserian works in classrooms, in communities, in homes, and in the training room — because girls' lives don't happen in just one place.
01 — RISE: Building Skills and Shifting Attitudes in the Classroom A 24-week, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD)-endorsed curriculum delivered weekly in grades six and seven. Girls and boys watch real stories from the "Girl Rising" film, take part in group activities, and reflect on their own goals and aspirations. The curriculum helps students challenge gender stereotypes, build confidence, and strengthen their sense of who they want to become. Teachers are trained before delivery, and two rounds run per year. ↳ 2,000 in-school adolescents across 20 government schools
02 — Mentorship for Out-of-School Girls Using She's the First's community-based organisation mentorship model, 15 community organisations run sessions twice a month for two years — 48 sessions total. Mentors are women from the same communities who have navigated similar barriers. Sessions use practical tools: the What Would You Do? card game for decision-making and the Period Diary to build body literacy and reduce stigma. For adolescents who social and economic barriers have kept out of school, this is often the first space built entirely around their growth and leadership. ↳ 6,500 out-of-school girls, including teenage mothers
03 — Training Champions for Gender Equity: Teachers and community organisation mentors shape how young people see themselves and the world. We invest in them through three-day in-person workshops on social-emotional learning, recognising gender bias, and student-centred teaching. The learning doesn't stop there — monthly virtual learning circles and WhatsApp peer groups keep teachers and mentors connected, supported, and growing throughout the year. ↳ 15 teachers trained per year · 95%+ report improved gender understanding
04 — Engaging Families for Girls' Futures Girls thrive when the people around them are part of the journey. Parents and caregivers are among the most powerful forces for a girl's future — and Naserian builds that partnership deliberately. A six-session parent engagement module mirrors what students learn in class: gender, social-emotional learning, and the value of education. Sessions are held on Sundays for accessibility and include film screenings of "Girl Rising" to build empathy through real stories. Where possible, parents of in-school and out-of-school girls come together. ↳ 1,500 parents, caregivers and local leaders
Four Goals. Two Years. One Community Moving Together.
Stronger Girls' Agency — Adolescents build social-emotional skills, confidence in decision-making, and gender-equitable attitudes — the foundation for everything that follows.
Girls Back in School — Improve educational retention and re-enrollment, especially for teenage mothers who structural barriers have kept from school, and who deserve a clear path to re-enrollment.
Teachers and Mentors Who Champion Girls — Strengthen the capacity of educators and community organisation leaders to deliver inclusive, rights-based programming with consistency and care.
Families and Communities Showing Up — Engage parents, caregivers and local leaders as informed, active partners in girls' education and wellbeing.
Proof It Works
Both programs bring a decade of third-party evaluation behind them. These aren't projections — they're what we've already seen happen.
95%+ of teachers said Girl Rising training improved their understanding of gender and their ability to address bias in the classroom (2021–2023 evaluations)
82% of community-based organisations using She's the First's mentorship model reported positive shifts in girls' knowledge and behaviour over five years of implementation
53% of community organisation partners saw increased school retention or re-enrollment among teenage mothers, one of the hardest outcomes to move in girls' education
February 2025 Kickoff, Narok
Built With Community, Not Just For It
Implementation is led by Murua Girl Child Education Program — our anchor local partner — coordinating with 15 vetted community-based organisations across Narok County. Each organisation receives a mini-grant and ongoing technical support. This isn't a program delivered to a community. It's built with the people who already know it best.
Girl Rising · She's the First · Murua Girl Child Education Program · 15 Local Community-Based Organisations · Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development · The Stone Family Foundation
Every Girl Deserves a Community Behind Her. Be Part of This One.
Naserian is just getting started. The more people who know about this work, the stronger the movement around it becomes. Here's how you can show up right now.
Spread the Word. The most powerful thing you can do today is share this story. When more people understand what's possible when whole communities move together for girls, it creates the conditions for this work to grow. Share this page with someone who needs to see it.
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Naserian: Girls Rising in Narok is a two-year pilot by Girl Rising, and She's the First in Narok County, Kenya. 2026–2027.
"From the Girl Rising program, I learned that we girls can do anything boys can do. We can do work equal to them."
Kaveri, 17
With the RISE curriculum, we are reaching 2 million students through in-person and on-line programming to try to change that.
43.3% Teenage pregnancy rate in Narok
87.8% FGM prevalence
Program Implementing Partners
