Sydney Ideas: Empowering girls and women in education

Engaged at age 5, Dr Kakenya Ntaiya experienced female genital mutilation (FGM) as a young teenager in preparation for early marriage.

Her life was set to follow the traditional Maasai path of ending school to become a wife and mother, but Kakenya had a different dream. She negotiated with her father to return to school after undergoing FGM. When she was accepted to college in the United States, she promised her rural Kenyan community that she would use her education to help the village in exchange for their support. Kakenya went on to earn her PhD in education from the University of Pittsburgh and returned to her community to fulfill her promise.

In this Sydney Ideas event, Kakenya will provide a keynote address on the value and transformative power of education, sharing a rich perspective that is both intimate and personal as it is global and far-reaching. 

Kakenya will then join a conversation with young women who are studying in Sydney, connected to Kakenya's Dream.