Menounos with Mamu (left) and Florence, two girls from Kenya benefiting from CARE’s programs.
Watch Maria’s reportwhich aired as a part ofNBC Nightly News’sMaking a Difference series.
Now Mamu wants to be a broadcast journalist.
That would never have entered her sphere before."
“Sports allows these girls to be kids, but even more it lets them form a community.
These two, Mamu and Florence, are helping each other.
Florence helped Mamu get out of a bad relationship.
They’re creating a community where they have people to talk to and confide in.”
“Florence (in red) told us, ‘In every woman there is something big.’
It was incredibly powerful.
In our country, as advanced as we are, it’s such a great message.”
“The girls have learned so much through all of these programs.
This girl is fighting in the national boxing competitionshe’s the representative for all of Kenya.
And another girl actually put into action what she learned in Box Girls.
She was attacked and fought off her attacker with what she learned at this program.”
“Box Girls was started by this man who saw how dangerous it was for girls in the area.
They’re getting raped and he wanted to teach them how to protect themselves.”
“Taking care of a girl and giving her hope at an early age is incredibly important.
So many decisions about life start that early.”
“The biggest thing that I took away is that we take so much for granted.
We’re empowering women who are going to be the leaders of the future.”
“One of the remarkable things we saw was how the programs are changing the men in the community.
Before, only the boys could go to school.”
To help, go toHopeToShine.org.
“Now these girls finally have someone telling them, ‘you’re able to dream.
you could go to school.
It was so inspiring to see.”
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