The Maasai Girls Education Fund is structured to build long-lasting institutional and cultural independence. By committing to the complete education of its students, and focusing support to one child per family, the Fund is providing an opportunity for economic independence to one generation, which will in turn be in a position to educate the next generation themselves. By involving the community in every aspect of the organization's development and management, the Fund is building community values that include education for all. Through this community effort, the Maasai will be able to take responsibility for their future, rather than depend on the actions of their national government or the charity of foreign governments and international institutions.

Long-term commitment. MGEF is committed to the complete education of its students, from nursery school to post-secondary education, because our mission is to provide opportunities for economic independence, which requires that each student has the skills to get a job, whether through vocational training or college.
Partnering with the community. MGEF is structured to maximize community participation. MGEF works in cooperation with a community-based organization and members of the community throughout the Kajiado District of Kenya to accomplish its goals. By involving the community, MGEF is able to incorporate the Maasai cultural perspective and local concerns into our strategies, and by doing so, gain greater acceptance of our mission, among men as well as women.
Increasing enrollment. MGEF, through a volunteer network of community advocates for girls' education, identifies young Maasai girls who will never have an opportunity to go to school and, after obtaining permission from parents, enrolls them in a boarding school with proven high standards of performance. Equally important is sustaining the number of girls who are already enrolled in school that would be forced to drop out against their wishes because of cultural reasons, such as early marriage. Community advocates and educators are vigilant in their effort to identify these girls in time to keep them in school.
Enrolling in boarding schools. Physical barriers are removed and cultural barriers weakened by placing girls only in boarding schools. Physical barriers include the long, walks to local schools, which may be as far as 15 kilometers from a girl's village, and disruptions of education caused by droughts and related tribal migrations of this pastoral culture. Boarding schools also mitigate the cultural barriers by giving girls a place to escape the relentless pressure for early marriage and motherhood to an environment supportive of girls' education. In addition, boarding schools provide regular, nutritious meals, health care, structured time for study, and a housing option for girls who have reached puberty and, by Maasai tradition, can no longer live in the homes of their fathers.

Maximizing the impact. MGEF selects students based on family and geographic diversity by limiting sponsorship to one child per family, except under special hardship circumstances, and following a formula that ensures equitable selection among all seven Divisions in the Kajiado District. This strategy increases the reach of the benefits of educating our students and, therefore, the impact on the next generation will be greater.
Paving the way for economic independence. MGEF is committed to increasing opportunities for the economic independence of Maasai women in Kenya. Our strategy is to ensure that MGEF-sponsored students remain in school as long as their desire and ability allow, including a college education in their chosen fields, provided there is a viable job market in the field in Kenya.
Empowering rural women. MGEF is developing a series of seminars for rural Maasai women who have no formal education, which focus on practical skills in areas such as health care, nutrition, agriculture, and business. Through this effort, the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters of our students will be gaining knowledge that will improve their lives and the lives of their families and communities. At the same time, the benefits of educating girls will be demonstrated directly and immediately, thus accelerating an increase in community support for education of girls.
Geographic focus. MGEF is concentrating its effort in the Kajiado District of Kenya, where approximately two-thirds of Kenya's Maasai population live. The Kajiado District, which is about the size of the state of Connecticut, has one of the lowest school enrollment levels and highest poverty rates in Kenya.