New Partner Profile: Dandelion Africa
With the goal of increasing our impact, the Africa Pod last year began to focus our grantmaking on the question: How can we increase the success of girls in education? We define success as not merely attending school, but progressing with good grades, moving on to higher levels of education, being prepared to compete for responsible jobs. We chose Dandelion Africa (pronounced Dan- DEL-ion] because of their comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of girls living in harsh conditions.
Located in the northwest area of Kenya’s Rift Valley, Dandelion’s target group includes many girls still living in IDP (internally displace person) camps as a result of the post election violence in 2008. They are poor, ostracized, and members of a highly 
paternalistic tribal group that practices female genital cutting, which usually results in early marriage and child bearing. With Pangea’s small initial grant they are working with the entire form 7 class of 23 girls in one primary school, their parents and teachers to put together a comprehensive support program to enable the girls to excel in school. Activities include individual goal setting, workshops for the girls and parents, strategy sessions with teachers, after school study groups and access to a computer lab, and exchanges with form 7 girls at a high performing school in a nearby urban district. Dandelion has established a Girl’s Center where the girls can meet, study, and talk with mentors. And they are keeping excellent records documenting each girl’s progress.
Below is an impressive report that shows the improvement in the girls’ academic scores since the program began in March of 2014 to June 2014. Please note the difference in the scales on the left of each bar graph. Their academic performance clearly has gone up!
Dandelion Africa calls their exemplary program Girls for Leaders, and have committed to this pledge:
“I have an opportunity to excel, it is my education that will secure my future. I am, a young star”.
9/8/14