The Humanity Share is a non-profit started by a pastor in Kenya and a Ballerina in Indiana. They work with the Masai and the Pocot tribes in Kenya focusing on basic needs, education, and sustainable income. Kait TenHarmsel is trained as an architect and volunteered for The Humanity Share. In 2019 she quit architecture and became the CEO of the organization.

 

Most of their current work involves clean water and scholarships for girls education. Young women are under pressure to drop out of school to help at home. Water for a household is often carried long distances and this is usually the job of the girls. Proper sanitation facilities for girls are often lacking at schools and this causes them to miss days of school. While primary school is free, secondary schools are not. It is still common for teenaged girls to marry and the dowry paid is a source of income. Because of these factors, only 80% of girls graduate from primary school, 14% from secondary school, and a tiny fraction continue on to university.

 

The water wells are always drilled on public land, usually near a church or school. This avoids the difficulty of a private land owner not allowing access to the community. There is a charge for the water that covers the operation and maintenance of the well.

 

98% of the girls supported by scholarships complete secondary school and 40% of those continue on to university. In the Pocot area education for girls is relatively new. So far, all of the women who continued on to enroll at a university have graduated or are continuing their education. The graduates are now teaching science in a local school, creating aquaculture programs, becoming a trusted advisor for her village with the business skills, working as an economist, and other professions.