Friday, March 6th, 9:30 am – 12 pm

Two female forces are working together to empower, educate, and preserve the human rights of young girls in Africa, and they will be sharing stories of their groundbreaking efforts in honor of International Women’s Day.

Teri Gabrielsen, founder of Africa Schools of Kenya, and Dr. Elizabeth Toro, Santa Barbara-based OB/GYN and director of health for Africa Schools of Kenya, will discuss the delivery of healthcare in Kenya and community-driven efforts to end the practice of female circumcision.

Africa Schools of Kenya is a nonprofit organization devoted to educating the residents of a rural region of Amboseli, Kenya. The organization built Esiteti Primary School, a fully accredited government school that now serves 580 students in grades K-8. Dr. Toro and Ms. Gabrielsen designed the academic curriculum for reproductive health for students at the school and participated in the creation of the Alternative Rite of Passage program, which has helped end the harmful and long-held practice of female genital mutilation in several Maasai communities.

The event, hosted by Direct Relief Women, is open to the community.

Formed fourteen years ago, Direct Relief Women is comprised of supporters whose primary focus is championing the maternal and child health work of Direct Relief. The group is committed to improving the lives of mothers and children before, during, and after childbirth, and has been instrumental in developing life-saving midwife kits.

“Each year, more than 290,000 women die from preventable complications that occur during pregnancy and childbirth,” said DRW co-chair Carolyn Chandler.  “Access to things like prenatal vitamins and a trained midwife with essential supplies can significantly reduce these numbers and keeps moms and babies safe.” 

Each midwife kit provided by Direct Relief supports about 50 safe births.

Following the presentations, attendees are invited to help pack 2,000 hygiene kits for women and tour Direct Relief’s facility.

“It is an honor to pack and provide hygiene kits to women around the world. We hope that in addition to the items in the kit, they can find strength in knowing that women from a different part of the world care for and support them,” said Kristin McWilliams, who has co-chaired the International Women’s Day event for the past three years.

The event takes place on Friday, March 6 from 9:30 am – 12:00 pm at Direct Relief’s headquarters, 6100 Wallace Becknell Drive in Santa Barbara.

The event is open to the public although RSVPs are required by contacting directreliefwomen@gmail.com.

“I think it’s fabulous that in our local community we have a robust group of women who want to come together to make an impact by supporting Direct Relief and women around the world,” added co-chair Kelly Walker, a member of Direct Relief Women’s leadership team.

For more information about Direct Relief, visit www.directrelief.org.  For more information about African Schools of Kenya, please visit https://www.askenya.org/.