‘Better educated women tend to be healthier, participate more in formal labour market, earn higher incomes, have fewer children, marry at a later age and enable better health care and education for their children, should they choose to become mothers’ The World Bank

The odds seemed to be stacked against her

Qabale Duba grew up in Torbi village, a remote section of the upper eastern region of Kenya, in a polygamous family of 20 children – and she is the last born. Her chances of going to school to gain an education as a girl were slim. Her parents had many mouths to feed and needed all the help they could get at home without thinking about schooling for her and her sisters. Girls were required to assist in daily house chores and would also be married off at an early age.

Perhaps as a result of her last born status and her persuasive nature, Qabale managed to convince her mother to allow her to attend Torbi primary school nearby and thereafter Moi Girls High School, Marsabit for her secondary education. Realizing the unique opportunity she had to get an education, Qabale Duba went on to acquire a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Kenya Methodist University (KEMU). With this accomplishment Qabale Duba became the first woman in Torbi village to acquire a bachelor’s degree in her community. The sky was the limit for this girl turned woman, now presented with infinite possibilities she could not even dream of, as a result of her education.

The Queen of Marsabit

Each holiday as Qabale visited her family in Marsabit County, she realized more needed to be done for her community but she didn’t have the platform. In 2013, armed with her beauty and brains, she competed for the Miss Tourism Marsabit title and won. She then formalized the Qabale Duba Foundation (QDF), a community based organization empowering pastoralist girls and women through education. Working with the county government and partners, Qabale started the Pads and Panties project (PAPA) which provides sanitary wear to school going girls to ensure that girls do not miss school as a result of their menstrual cycles. QDF also promotes communal integration through peace initiatives and mentors and empowers youth in the communities.

The school with a difference

In 2017, the Kenyan government launched the competency based curriculum (CBC). The aim of the new curriculum is for children to develop skills and knowledge to apply in real life situations. This new curriculum requires parental involvement in supporting children’s projects and assignments. Recognizing that many parents in her community were illiterate and would not be able to support their children in realising the new curriculum, Qabale opened Torbi Pioneer Primary School. The school caters for the children and parents in the community, where children come to school in the morning to learn receive their morning and lunch meals in school. Their parents, mostly mothers, come to class in the afternoon. This new way of schooling for parents and children is closing the literacy gap within Marsabit County.

The Qabale Duba Foundation contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing quality education (SDG4) and supporting gender equality (SDG5).

The Qabale Duba Foundation (QDF) Main Programs

PAPA (Pads and Panties) project– this is an initiative that seeks to provide reusable pads and innerwear to school going girls in Marsabit and other remote areas in Northern Kenya.

Mentorship program– mentors primary and secondary school students with the help of young local professionals, who inspire the students to dream big, continue with their education and also provides career guidance.

Community cohesion and integration– Peace initiatives between the warring communities who participate in tournaments, peace mentorship programs which bring them together.

Contacts and Partnership

The Qabale Duba Foundation would like to provide feeding programs for pastoralist children in Marsabit who are no longer in school as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are also working on building a school library and boarding blocks for the children, who will not have to miss school as a result of their parents moving to different areas. To support the Qabale Duba Foundation contact them on info@qabale.org