The founder of the Samburu Girls Foundation transformed the protection she received from her mother and the opportunities opened by education into a lifeline for thousands of girls.
Dr. Josephine Kulea was nine when education carried her hundreds of kilometres from her Samburu village and introduced her to a different possibility for a girl’s life.
She had accompanied a classmate who was being protected from child marriage and female genital mutilation to a distant boarding school. A priest supported the education of both girls, giving Josephine an opportunity to remain in class and imagine a future beyond the expectations surrounding her.
Her mother would later become one of her strongest protectors.
After Josephine’s father died, relatives repeatedly attempted to arrange her marriage. Her mother resisted and insisted that her daughter continue her education.
That decision changed more than one life.
Years later, Josephine returned to northern Kenya determined to create the same protection for other girls.
When Protection Began at Home
Josephine grew up in a community where child marriage appeared ordinary because it was happening around her.
Boarding school exposed her to another reality. Girls could remain in class, develop their abilities and make choices about the direction of their lives.
Josephine has also spoken openly about undergoing FGM after completing secondary school. Her personal experiences gave her a deep understanding of the pressures facing girls and the courage required for families to choose a different path.
Her mother’s determination became part of the foundation for her future work.
By protecting Josephine’s education, she helped raise a daughter who would eventually build an organization protecting thousands more.
Standing Up for Her Family
Josephine’s activism began within her own extended family.
In 2008, she intervened when a ten-year-old cousin faced FGM and child marriage. When the planned marriage was transferred to the girl’s seven-year-old sister, Josephine returned with police officers and secured the younger child’s safety as well.
She continued receiving requests to help other girls.
By 2011, Josephine was personally supporting 46 children. The growing need led her to formally register the Samburu Girls Foundation.
What began as individual acts of courage developed into an organized child-protection and education movement serving Samburu and neighbouring pastoralist communities.
Protection Is Only the Beginning
The Samburu Girls Foundation does more than remove children from immediate danger.
It helps girls access safe shelter, education, healthcare, psychosocial support, mentorship and leadership development. The organization also works with families, schools, authorities and child-protection institutions to create longer-term solutions.
This approach recognizes that rescue is only the beginning of a girl’s journey.
A child who has been protected still needs a safe place to live, emotional support, consistent schooling and people who believe in her potential.
In 2020, Josephine reported that the foundation had rescued and supported 1,243 girls. A more recent Aurora Luminaries profile places the cumulative number above 2,000, with beneficiaries progressing through educational levels ranging from preschool to university.
Some have since entered employment and begun building independent lives of their own.
Bringing More Children Back to School
The foundation’s current work also emphasizes prevention and educational access.
During 2025, a partnership operating in Samburu County enrolled 700 previously out-of-school children—550 girls and 150 boys—into an accelerated-learning program.
Teachers were trained, families were engaged and children received support intended to prepare them for entry into mainstream schools in 2026.
Including boys is an important part of creating lasting change.
Protecting girls cannot be treated as a conversation for girls and women alone. Boys, fathers, teachers, elders and community leaders must also participate in building environments where children are safe and education is valued.
Through parent meetings, birth-registration support, learning materials and youth-led conversations, the foundation is encouraging communities to participate in the solutions.
Courage Recognized Around the World
Josephine’s leadership has received Kenyan, African and international recognition.
Her honours include Kenya’s Head of State Commendation, UN Person of the Year recognition in Kenya, African Union Youth Hero recognition and the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s Justice for Women Award.
Former United States President Barack Obama also recognized her work during his 2015 visit to Kenya.
Each honour brings greater visibility to the girls and communities at the heart of her mission.
Yet the true measure of her work is found in the child who returns to school, the parent who chooses education and the young woman who grows into an independent leader.
One Mother’s Courage, Thousands of Futures
At Sisi Kenya Media, we celebrate Kenyans who transform personal experience into protection and opportunity for others.
Dr. Josephine Kulea’s journey carries a powerful message.
Her mother defended one daughter’s right to remain in school. That daughter grew into a woman who built an organization protecting thousands more.
Through the Samburu Girls Foundation, Josephine is not only helping girls escape harmful situations. She is giving them education, mentorship and the opportunity to imagine futures shaped by their own choices.
Her work proves that protecting one child can begin a chain of courage capable of transforming entire communities.
