New Initiative · Samburu County, Kenya
The Samburu
Project
GDP is going where few dare to go — deep into the remote frontier of northern Kenya — to rescue girls from cycles of gender-based violence, deliver life-changing empowerment programs, and open a door that has never been opened for the women and girls of Samburu.
Active field operations · Samburu County · May 2026
50%
Teen pregnancy rate in Samburu County — the highest in Kenya (Kenya DHS 2022)
76%
Illiteracy rate, Maralal Town
11
Girls rescued & now safe at St. Rita
4× / Year
Days of Hope & Help — Quarterly Events
Maralal Town & St. Rita · Two locations · Ongoing impact
Maralal Town & St. Rita · Two locations · Ongoing impact
“We went. We found them. We brought them home. — and we are going back.”
Fund the Mission →50%
Teen pregnancy rate — highest in Kenya
·
76%
Illiteracy rate in Maralal town
·
45%
Girls in Samburu affected by child marriage
·
26.7%
Girls’ school completion rate vs. 54% for boys
·
832
Teen pregnancies in one quarter alone (2022)
·
2,000+
Girls on the St. Rita waiting list
·
50%
Teen pregnancy rate — highest in Kenya
·
76%
Illiteracy rate in Maralal town
·
45%
Girls in Samburu affected by child marriage
·
26.7%
Girls’ school completion rate vs. 54% for boys
·
832
Teen pregnancies in one quarter alone (2022)
·
2,000+
Girls on the St. Rita waiting list
·
The Challenge
Samburu is one of Kenya’s most remote and underserved regions
Why Samburu calls GDP in
- Samburu County is one of Kenya’s most remote and geographically isolated regions — far from urban resources, healthcare, and educational infrastructure
- Many women and girls face significant barriers to accessing health care, quality education, and community support systems
- Gender inequality and limited economic opportunity leave women with few pathways to independence and self-determination
- Child marriage and early pregnancy remain serious concerns, limiting girls’ access to education and life opportunities before adulthood
- Safe spaces for reporting and responding to gender-based violence are scarce, and awareness of available support is limited
- A 76% illiteracy rate in Maralal Town means many women have never had access to the tools that create economic agency and opportunity
- Girls who need safe residential placement face long distances and real logistical barriers to reaching help — GDP closes that gap
- The Samburu community is resilient, proud, and deeply rooted in culture — GDP walks alongside this community, not above it
The numbers behind the crisis
50%
Teen pregnancy rate — the highest of any county in Kenya. 1 in 2 teenagers in Samburu becomes pregnant.Kenya DHS 2022 · ranked #1 nationally
1 in 3
Women in Kenya experience GBV in their lifetime. In Samburu, rates are significantly higher due to compounding cultural practices.Kenya Demographic Health Survey
6×
Girls are six times safer when they stay in school. Education is the most powerful intervention against GBV and early marriage.UNICEF research findings
90%
Of income earned by empowered women is reinvested back into their families and communities.UN Women
Our Framework
Four pillars of the Samburu Initiative
Every aspect of our Samburu work is built on these four foundations — addressing root causes, not just symptoms.
01
Education
Learning opportunities and resources to build confidence, economic independence, and a brighter future for girls and women who have been denied access.
02
Health & Well-Being
Health literacy, menstrual hygiene, reproductive health care, trauma-informed counseling, and access to vital maternal healthcare — on-site and in-community.
03
Advocacy
Championing women’s rights and gender equality at community, county, and national levels. Creating safe reporting pathways for SGBV that did not previously exist.
04
Leadership Development
Equipping women to step into community decision-making roles and drive lasting generational change — from the ground up, led by the community itself.
Programme Activities
Six ways GDP is transforming Samburu
From emergency rescues to quarterly empowerment events, this is what “going to the hardest places” actually looks like on the ground.
Emergency Field Rescues
When word reaches GDP of girls in danger — hidden in safe houses, surviving SGBV, waiting for someone to come — we go. In May 2026, GDP traveled deep into Maralal-Samburu and brought eleven girls safely home to St. Rita’s Lighthouse, including two 10-year-olds. We do not hesitate for a single moment.
Mental & Physical Health Empowerment Events
Quarterly community empowerment days bringing 100–150 women and girls together for mental wellness training, trauma-informed healing sessions, SGBV awareness, resilience building, and life-skills workshops. These are not programs — they are transformations. GDP provides food (unga) and sanitary supplies to every participant.
Health Outreach & Hygiene Programs
Reproductive health education, menstrual hygiene programs, and maternal health literacy delivered on-site in the community. GDP distributes sanitary pads and inner wear directly — dignified, tangible resources that keep girls in school and women healthy.
St. Rita Pipeline — Girls Getting a Second Chance
The Samburu Project is the field arm that feeds directly into St. Rita Evergreen Girls School. Girls identified in the region — survivors, at-risk youth, those in immediate danger — are assessed, supported, and enrolled into St. Rita’s full healing sanctuary in Nyahururu. Samburu to safety. In one journey.
Community Dialogue & Advocacy
Working with community leaders — including local steering committee member Janet Kabugi — GDP facilitates open dialogue forums on women’s rights, GBV reporting, child protection, and cultural change. We work within the community, not above it. Change led by the people of Samburu themselves.
Women’s Empowerment Integration
The Samburu Project links naturally into GDP’s wider Women’s Empowerment program. Women supported in Samburu become leaders. Leaders become advocates. Advocates change communities. GDP’s Patricia Wright (Director of Women’s Empowerment for East Africa) leads the Women’s Summit and Leaders’ Conference that supports women across Kenya and Uganda.
The Journey
From Samburu to Safety to Strength
Three connected programs. One unbroken mission. Each phase flows naturally into the next — transforming a girl’s story from crisis to hope to leadership.
Phase 01 · Outreach
The Samburu Project
Maralal & surrounding areas, Samburu County
- Emergency field rescues into remote areas
- Quarterly health & empowerment events
- Mental wellness & trauma training
- SGBV awareness & reporting pathways
- Sanitary pads, food & essential supplies
- Community dialogue & advocacy
- Identification of girls needing safe placement
→
Phase 02 · Sanctuary
St. Rita Evergreen Girls School
The Lighthouse · Nyahururu, Kenya
- Safe residential campus — beds, meals, security
- East Africa’s first trauma-informed school
- Professional counseling by Dr. Phyllis Kagimbi
- Integrated education & healing curriculum
- Medical care for complex trauma needs
- Founded March 15, 2025 · Fully GDP-supported
- 2,000+ girls on the active waiting list
→
Phase 03 · Empowerment
Women’s Empowerment
Kenya-wide · 5,500+ women annually
- Women’s Summits & Leaders’ Conferences
- 2,000+ widows given food & encouragement
- Women from Kenya & Uganda reached annually
- Economic empowerment & income training
- Community advocacy & leadership development
- Mothers becoming advocates & community leaders
- Led by Patricia Wright, Director for East Africa
Stories from the Field · Ongoing
Going where
others don’t.
There is a particular kind of courage that belongs to childhood — a resilience that refuses to give up even when everything has given up on it. The girls GDP reaches in Samburu carry that kind of courage. And GDP carries it with them.
Again and again, communities in this distant frontier hear about GDP’s work. About St. Rita Evergreen Girls School. About the extraordinary sanctuary Dr. Phyllis Njoki Kagimbi has built in Nyahururu. Word travels further than we realize. They reach out to us. And we don’t hesitate for a single moment.
“When that van door opened and we saw their faces — some clutching the few things they owned, some so young, holding babies — I think the whole team just held their breath for a moment. You reach out your arms. And you say: you are safe now. You are home.”
That scene repeats — because the need keeps repeating. Girls arrive at The Lighthouse with very little. They leave with beds. School uniforms. Three meals a day. Counseling from Dr. Kagimbi’s devoted team. And the beginning of something they may never have fully believed possible — people who came a long way, specifically for them.
This is not a one-time rescue. This is a continuing commitment — regular field missions, recurring empowerment events, and an ever-deepening partnership with the Samburu community. Every quarter, GDP goes back. Every quarter, more lives are changed.
11+
Girls brought safely to The Lighthouse so far
Quarterly
Field missions & empowerment events ongoing
3
Are 12–13, some arriving as young mothers
2,000+
Girls still on the St. Rita waiting list
Days of Hope & Help
Recurring Field Initiative · Samburu County
Frequency
Quarterly field missions — GDP returns to Samburu regularly throughout the year. Check gdpkenya.org for upcoming dates.
Two Locations
Maralal Town, Samburu County (Northern Kenya, ~339 km from Nairobi)
St. Rita Evergreen Girls School, Nyahururu
St. Rita Evergreen Girls School, Nyahururu
Reach Per Event
100–150 women & girls per location · Two sites · One day of sustained impact
Program Focus
Mental wellness & resilience · Trauma-informed healing · Awareness & safe reporting pathways · Community empowerment & leadership
Provisions Every Visit
Unga (flour), sanitary pads, inner wear, school supplies, and essential health items distributed with dignity to all participants
Typical Mission Budget — Per Field Trip
Accommodation (3 team members)~$60
Meals & subsistence (2 days)~$110
Sanitary towels (18 cartons)~$280
Inner wear (18 dozen)~$170
Transport (2 days fuel & driver)~$270
Photography & documentation~$60
Event materials & banners~$60
Local coordination & logistics~$40
Total Per Mission~$1,030
What We Need
Every item changes a life in Samburu
These are the tangible supplies and resources GDP distributes directly to women and girls at each field event — and stocks at St. Rita for girls who arrive. Every dollar goes straight to the community.
Inner Wear for Girls
Dignity & personal hygiene for every participant
~$9 / dozen
Sanitary Pads
Keeps girls healthy, confident, and in school
~$16 / carton
School Supplies
Exercise books, pencils, pens & learning materials
~$5 / student kit
Basic Medicines
First aid, vitamins, pain relief & common illness treatments
~$30 / supply kit
Flour (Unga)
Core food staple provided at every field event
~$20 / bag
Cooking Oil
Nutritional support & event meal provisions
~$8 / jug
Health Education Kits
Printed materials for reproductive health & wellness workshops
~$10 / kit
Diapers
For young mothers in care at St. Rita
~$15 / pack
Blankets & Sheets
For every girl arriving at The Lighthouse
~$12 / set
School Bags
Essential for girls enrolling at St. Rita school
~$8 / bag
Give to Cover These Needs →
100% of your gift goes directly to the women and girls of Samburu & St. Rita · Tax-deductible 501(c)(3)
Initiative Partners
🌍 Global Development Project (GDP)
🌐 Global Hearts Without Borders Network · GDP Sister Org
💛 Laughter of Hope
👩 Janet Kabugi · Founder, SWEP — Samburu Women Empowerment Program
🏫 St. Rita Evergreen Girls School
🌿 Edith Jebet Foundation
The Van Made It Because of You
From Maralal to St. Rita —
because of you.
Eleven girls are sleeping safely tonight because donors like you funded a team to go. The next mission is being planned right now. The next girl is waiting. Every gift — $10, $50, $100 — shows up in a real life in Samburu. Not someday. Today.
501(c)(3) · EIN 93-1730164 · Tax deductible
Candid Platinum 2026 · Top 1%
100% to programs — no overhead
35+ years serving Kenya