Hello from Bungoma, Kenya! This week, on the heels of the International Day of the Girl, we used our LitClub meeting to have an open forum discussion, where every girl had five minutes to write two things that made the month of October difficult and then shared these challenges with a friend.

After talking with our partners, we came together to work through our challenges as a group. The most common problems among the girls included booing from boys whenever they stand to answer a question in class; lack of support from their parents especially fathers; and carrying the burden of helping their mothers run their families by doing income generating chores.

We helped each other come up with practical solutions to some of these problems. We talked about ignoring the booing boys, taking full charge of our LitClub's income generating egg project, and talking to their parents about the importance of educating a girl.

Helping the girls find a solution to the most pressing problems is an accomplishment. I smile when I see them ready to stand up for each other and willing to confront the stumbling blocks to their success in life.

--Submitted by Rose Mureka, Bungoma Regional Coordinator