Malkia Initiative is committed to empowering girls with the agency, voice, and power to lead transformed lives. Through our programs, we break systemic barriers that limit their potential, ensuring they have access to education, reproductive health rights, and opportunities to thrive. We focus on three key areas: Education for Girls, ensuring access to quality learning; Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR), equipping girls with knowledge and services to make informed decisions; and Gender Equality, advocating for a society that values and upholds the rights of every girl.
Adolescent and Youth-Centered Programming & Advocacy
KUZA
KUZA is Swahili for Nurture. At the forefront of our efforts, the Malkia Initiative advocates for equity in education by actively working to reduce barriers to educational transition. Malkia is dedicated to promoting education for girls, which plays a vital role in fostering community growth and well-being. We firmly believe that education empowers girls and boosts their confidence and self-esteem.
KUZA embodies our commitment to nurturing educational equity. By focusing on learners in Grades 3-5, we’re enhancing foundational literacy and numeracy skills, empowering girls to excel academically, and unlocking doors to future opportunities.
Malkia mentors on the road
Taking our mission to the grassroots level, the Malkia mentorship program curated the Malkia Mentors on the Road, a project that takes volunteer mentors to the hard-to-reach areas of the vast Kajiado County, committing to the realization of the SDG 2030 call to Leave No One Behind.
Every other quarter, volunteer Malkia mentors from across the country and beyond get on the road to do advocacy and mentorship in rural Kajiado. The campaigns mainly focus on Girls’
Education, FGM, Child Marriage, SGBV, Teenage Pregnancy, and SRHR including HIV/AIDS. By engaging directly with communities, we’re advocating for change, providing mentorship, and
ensuring that no one is left behind.
BREAK FREE! - YOUTH WYZE
YouthWyze is our digital platform for youth-focused sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) education, empowering young people (ages 10-24) to make informed health choices. It leverages peer-to-peer communication, modern technology, and social media to enhance access to SRHR information, support, and services.
Recognizing the need for innovative health delivery, the Malkia Initiative integrates digital platforms, schools, and communities to expand SRHR access beyond traditional facilities. YouthWyze ensures equitable, affordable, and comprehensive SRHR education, counseling, and services, fostering youth agency and participation in their well-being.
THE MALKIA PAD BANK
Menstrual hygiene shouldn’t be a barrier to education. Our Pad Bank initiative ensures that young girls have access to affordable, hygienic menstrual products, enabling them to manage their periods with dignity and stay in school. The Pad Bank is an important step towards menstrual equity and ensuring that every young school-going girl has consistent access to the menstrual products they need to live their life with dignity and respect.
EWANGAN ELELERO (YOUTH POWER)- YOUTH RESILIENCY AND BELONGING
Ewangan’ Elelero aims to open opportunities for youth and communities to access or build their own resources, knowledge, capacities, networks, and other forms of supports so that they can surface, analyze, and address the root causes and systems that affect youth’s holistic development, resiliency, and belonging in their community. Recognizing the need for innovative health delivery, the Malkia Initiative integrates digital platforms, schools, and communities to expand SRHR access beyond traditional facilities. YouthWyze ensures equitable, affordable, and comprehensive SRHR education, counseling, and services, fostering youth agency and participation in their well-being.
BEAD FOR HER
Mothers hold a crucial role in shaping their daughters’ lives. Through Bead For Her, we’re empowering women in the Maasai community with new skills and market opportunities. The Maasai community engages in beading as an income-generating activity. To enhance women’s economic prospects, we empower them with new skills to create crafts that can fetch higher prices in the marketplace. Additionally, we educate them on financial literacy and provide market opportunities. The beading circles also serve as safe spaces for fostering conversations around reproductive health and gender-based violence (GBV).
To further support the cause, a percentage of the profits from the sale of these beads is donated to a school of their choice, contributing to the Malkia Pad Banks (Menstrual Hygiene Program).