Episode 69: Kakenya Ntaiya

When Kakenya Ntaiya was a teenager in her small Kenyan village, she made a deal with her father. She would undergo a public circumcision ceremony if he let her stay in school.

25 years later, Ntaiya holds advanced degrees from universities in the USA and is a public champion for girls’ education and an advocate against female genital mutilation. In this episode you will hear the amazing story of how a woman who was born into poverty in a Massai village defied what was traditionally expected of her in pursuit of an education. She now runs a highly regarded school for girls in her home town and is a respected international leader for girls’ education. She’s received accolades for her work, including being nominated as a CNN hero a couple of years ago. Her TED talk is great.

Her stories are deeply personal. But the lessons we can all draw from them are universal.

Download on iTunes or get the app to listen later.