A golfer doing what he enjoys in support of the BSK literacy project

BSK held an exciting golf tournament event on August 31^st 2018 at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club to raise funds for the women literacy project in Pokot.

The event was attended by 55 golfers from various golf clubs who came to play as well as support the noble course of helping marginalized communities with low literacy levels. The golfers were very excited to contribute towards this noble course of helping a woman in Pokot get basic education and training so that their lives will be transformed holistically.

This was the 3^rd annual golf tournament to be held by the Society. The main sponsor of the event was Sanlam.

The literacy initiative dubbed Literacy for Women in Africa is aimed at empowering women and girls in Pokot who have not had a chance to get basic literacy skills and knowledge hence improve their way of life and ultimately be able to read the Bible.

BSK decided to respond to a need identified and documented in the Kenya National Adult Literacy Survey, 2006 Report which established that an average of 38.5 % (7.8 million) of the Kenyan adult population are illiterate, while the age cohort 15 to 19 years recorded a literacy rate of 69.1 % with West Pokot County ranking low in Literacy levels.

Previously, the project has successfully ran in Turkana, Narok and Kajiado counties. In Turkana County, we have 10 pilot classes consisting of more than 250 learners who are expected to graduate in November 2018. We wish to extend the literacy work in Pokot so as to have an empowered community.

Women in marginalized communities are most vulnerable debilitated by negative cultural practices like early marriages, female genital mutilation, inability to make decisions even in their personal lives and early teenage pregnancies rendering basic opportunities like education inaccessible. It is believed that empowering a woman reduces infant mortality and deaths among children under five years by about 10%.

Off to the field we go…

By extension, this project encourages men to learn and acquire basic knowledge which is projected to deliver more stable and healthier families.

The Board Chairperson Prof. Mumo Kisau thanked the sponsor Sanlam and golfers for their support towards the noble cause and noted that the funds will go towards assisting the Pokot community learn literacy skills which will translate to transformed lives.

After a long day of play, the golfers were treated to a sumptuous dinner by BSK and the winners were awarded in different categories.