● ● ● beads for education NL (English)

The foundation ‘beads 4 education NL’ was set up at the end of 2005 by Dionne Deij. Its aim is to offer girls and women of the Samburu and other pastoral tribes in northern Kenya a better outlook for the future by sponsoring their education, helping women establish small scale business affiliations and educating them about HIV/Aids, women’s rights and female circumcision.

The Maasai and Samburu are closely related and their cultures are very similar. Girls receive few chances and little education; often not going to school or being prematurely taken from school to get married off. A major cause of this is lack of money. Parents are often unemployed or the girls have lost one or both of their parents and therefore have no one to take care of them.

Beads NL is primarily focused on the girls of the Samburu in northern Kenya but supports women of other tribes by selling the beautiful handmade products that they produce.
In southern Kenya the American organization “beads for education” has been supporting women and girls of the Maasai with similar programs. Beads USA provides comprehensive guidance and information about HIV/Aids. In August of 2005 ‘beads USA’ witnessed the first initiation ceremony without a circumcision. Beads USA sponsors over 270 Maasai girls in southern Kenya (January 2006).


	BEADS NL INTRODUCES NEW GIRLS!!!

Jennifer, 13 years, ran away from home to avoid forced marriage.	Patricia, 15 years, comes from a poor family, parents have badly paid jobs.	Samafina, 15 years, became an orphan when she was very young. Wants to be a mathematics teacher.

• • • beads 4 education NL