HER Commitment to Change!

8 Empowered Beneficiaries Uplift Their Community Through Their Give Back Commitment

Shirleen Kasmeri and seven colleagues have grown up in the midst of cholera epidemics, hunger, and harmful cultural practices; such as FGM and early marriage. Rather than becoming discouraged, they are motivated and determined to change things for the better.

Morpus, a remote, dry village, located in West Pokot County, Kenya, is the home of the Global Give Back Circle’s ‘HER Lab’.  The community of Morpus is comprised mainly of farmers. The environment, apart from being semi-arid, is highly littered due to improper disposal of waste. Over the past several years, the West Pokot region has been threatened with epidemics of cholera infections due to poor sanitation. The county government of West Pokot has been actively implementing policies to improve the sanitation of the region, and girls from the Global Give Back Circle are helping advance the government’s mission.

On recognizing the desperate need for proper waste methods, this team of eight rain-makers, under Shirleen’s leadership, has dedicated themselves to changing the environmental sustainability of waste management in Morpus

They have made it their mission to educate the community – holding frequent community meetings to discuss waste disposal strategies. The community now emphasizes reusing and recycling as common practice to minimize excess waste: recycling household water to irrigate their farms and using readily available sacks to plant kale in small scale gardens. Through constant litter collection, to rid the center of plastics and inorganic waste, they have influenced the community to dispose of their waste correctly.

Apart from having a visibly cleaner Morpus center, the team has seen incredible results from educating the community on efficient farming practices too.  The team uses online technologies via smartphone applications to teach the community pest-control, irrigation, and other sustainable farming methods. Innovative farming techniques have increased food production and decreased deficits caused by the dry seasons. The community recently took on the initiative to install a pit latrine, for communal use. With access to the communal pit latrine, local women feel more comfortable traveling from their homes, into town, to sell their vegetables.

Shirleen and her team are making big changes in their community. For the past four months, they have witnessed the successful implementation of their Give Back Commitment and cannot wait to share their results at the next Annual Renewal Ceremony. The Global Give Back Circle empowers adolescent girls to effect positive change in their communities. Join us in our efforts to shift power to empowered young women who are instrumental in effecting positive change in their communities. Mentor HER, Educate HER or Support HER today.

Shirleen is from the Mtelo community.  Her mentor has recently committed to being her sponsor to attend Maasai Mara University where she will study business commerce.  Shirleen will be the first girl from Mtelo to go to ‘ever’ attend university.