The importance of birthdays at MGRC
The Importance of Birthdays at MGRC
The large majority of the girls who come to MGRC do not know their birth date. They do not have birth certificates and have never celebrated their birthday. Most were born at home in their bomas. You would need to see for yourself the harsh environment where they were brought into this world. We have estimated ages based on conversations with parents, grandparents and neighbors, and we have applied for birth certificates for each of the girls who live at MGRC.
A special day to remember
Often times in our culture we take celebrating our birthdays for granted, being treated a little special on our day is something that we’ve grown accustomed to. Since building up self esteem is an important part of the rescue mission for these girls who have run away from forced marriage and other abuses, we thought we would try having birthday celebrations to help the girls feel special. The girls found the concept of having a special day each year dedicated just to them to be truly amazing, and it has really caught on!
We have one party a month, and each of the girls having a birth date in a given month celebrate together. We have cake, soda and sweets and all the girls join in to sing. There is a monthly calendar posted with the girls who have birthdays that month, and we celebrate at the end of the month so each girl can anticipate their party. I believe each girl will remember her birth date from now on. They have never had a reason to do so prior to coming here.
The importance of birthdays at MGRC: How you can help by dedicating your birthday
Some of our supporters have been dedicating their birthday to us through birthday fundraisers on Facebook, and it has been such a nice and humbling suprise! As one person put it:
I’m dedicating my birthday this year to the birthdays of the 36 girls at the Maasai Girls Rescue Center who could really use the encouragement. Let’s help make their new birthdays unforgettable!”
If you’d like to do your own, you can set it up here.
Our Promise
We use 100% of public donations for the care of rescued girls. The MGRC management team: founder, president, board of directors, angel donors, and fundraising committee, are all unpaid volunteers. This support makes it possible for us to keep out promise: “that we will never use public donations to pay for our administration or fundraising expenses.”