Every girl is a gift. Every future deserves a chance.
Zawadi means “gift” in Swahili.
Zawadi Girls equips girls from underserved communities in Kenya with the knowledge, resources, relationships and opportunities they need to protect their health, stay engaged in education, discover their potential and build independent futures.
WHO WE SERVE
Her circumstances are part of her story. They don’t have to determine her future.
A Zawadi Girl may be growing up in poverty. She may be orphaned, living with or affected by HIV, experiencing period poverty, at risk of leaving school, or growing up with limited access to health information, mentorship and opportunity.
Her circumstances may be different from the girl sitting beside her. Her potential is not.
Different circumstances. Different barriers. Same potential.
WHAT WE DO
We support the whole girl.
A girl’s future is rarely shaped by one challenge alone. Health affects education. Dignity affects participation. Mentorship affects confidence. Exposure creates possibility. Economic independence creates choices.
Health: Know. Protect. Thrive.
Dignity: Every girl deserves to participate.
Learning & Mentorship: Someone sees my potential.
Future & Opportunity: From potential to independence.
THE ZAWADI JOURNEY
From where she is to where she can go.
She arrives: limited resources, limited information, few mentors, limited exposure
She experiences Zawadi: health, dignity, mentorship, opportunity
She builds: knowledge, confidence, skills, relationships, agency
She moves forward: healthy, educated, connected, prepared, independent
We don’t define girls by where they begin. We invest in where they can go.
OUR PROGRAM
Rooted in schools. Built on what works.
13 partner schools · 250 girls · ages 10–18 · 4 pillars
Zawadi Girls is an HIV prevention and health education initiative reaching 250 girls ages 10–18 across 13 Kenyan partner schools. Aligned with Kenya’s End the Triple Threat campaign against new HIV infections, adolescent pregnancy, and sexual and gender-based violence among young girls, the program delivers evidence-based sexual and reproductive health education covering HIV prevention facts, U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable), PrEP awareness, menstrual health, and dignity, building girls’ confidence to make informed choices about their health without stigma or fear.
Measurement is built into everything we do, so success isn’t simply how many girls attend, but what changes because they did.
OUR BEGINNING
A safe place can change where a girl lives. Opportunity can change where her life goes.
The idea behind Zawadi began taking shape about seven years ago. During a visit to Kenya it became deeply personal through the story of a teenage girl we call Zainabu. (Her name has been changed to protect her privacy.)
She had found a safe place to live. But what would prepare her for the life ahead?
PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS
A girl’s future isn’t built by one organization.
Schools · Healthcare · Universities · Corporations · Foundations · Communities · Mentors. Zawadi brings that ecosystem together around the girl.
She already has the potential. Let’s make sure she has the opportunity.
Your support can help girls access health education, menstrual dignity, trusted mentors, STEM experiences, career exposure and pathways toward independence.