ISIOLO, KENYA — In the vast grazing fields of Northern Kenya, a girl’s dream often ends where primary school ends.
Not because she lacks talent. Not because she lacks ambition. But because poverty is ruthless, tradition is heavy, drought is relentless, and the cost of a high school uniform is more than a family’s entire livelihood.
For years, those stories have been heartbreaking — and abundant.
Now, a powerful new book and photo exhibition is telling a different story. A story where change is not just possible, but already happening.
Titled ‘She Is Rising From The North’, the work by author, photographer and MOV Liaison Officer Hildah Kathure is a raw, beautiful, and urgent testimony to the transformative and economic power of educating girls.
The Dreams We Lost
“Travelling through Northern Kenya over many years, I have carried many painful images with me,” Kathure says.
“Girls’ dreams and hopes just fade away or are replaced by domestic duties, great talents remain untapped, economic opportunities are wasted. Poverty, harmful practices, policy gaps and unequal access to educational opportunities remain hurdles to a more prosperous future.”
It is a reality she knows too well — and refused to accept.
As Liaison Officer for MOV, a foundation from the Netherlands focused on education and SME support, Kathure has quietly led a revolution. She has walked with hundreds of girls from impoverished communities in the North all the way to high school, and supported close to a hundred more to college and university.
From Grazing Fields to Operating Theatres
She Is Rising From The North is not a book of statistics. It is a book of journeys.
Page after page, it follows the strenuous, dusty, determined path of girls from the grazing fields of Isiolo County, to crowded dormitories in high school, to lecture halls in universities across Kenya.
The photographs are life-changing. They show girls discovering their voice, their confidence, their worth.
Today, those same girls are teachers, nurses, doctors, scientists, dentists, CEOs, police officers, SME entrepreneurs, government policy makers, mothers, leaders and role models.
They lead. They provide. They decide. They inspire.
Education Is Not Charity. It Is Economy.
For Kathure, this is not just a moral issue. It is Kenya’s smartest economic strategy.
“Inequality is not fate. These girls’ journeys prove that education can turn a life around, for a girl, for a family, for communities, the generations that follow,” she says.
“Education is a powerful economic driver for the long term and strategically vital to combat poverty.”
She applauds improvements like a broader curriculum and digitization, but says the system is still broken for the most vulnerable.
“The cost burden is almost impossible to carry for so many. The loan structure needs reform. It’s a no-brainer: Education is a main driver of prosperity, economic growth and positive development in so many respects. So why not sharpen our focus to fulfill the much-felt need for affordable education, for a fairer student financing system and sustained investment in girls from marginalized communities?”
Alongside the intimate portraits, the book delivers hard facts — on disastrous poverty rates, the persistent disadvantages girls face, and stark labour market inequality. It makes one thing clear: fundamental change is not optional. And it pays off.
In Their Own Words: The Rising Generation
Dr. Zeinab – Doctor, CEO, Kenyatta Teaching and Referral Hospital
“Education gave me more than a profession. It gave me the confidence to serve, to lead, and to show other girls from the North that their dreams are valid.”
Kamila Abkanu – Veterinary Doctor, Acting Director of Livestock, Isiolo County
“In our communities, livestock is life. As a veterinary officer, I am not only treating animals; I am helping families protect their livelihood, their dignity, and their future.”
Macline Rimpiya – Form Four Student, St. Mary’s Girls School
“When I see women from our communities becoming doctors, teachers, and officers, I believe my own dream is also possible. I want to work hard so that one day, another girl can look at me and believe too.”
Zeituna Kunu – Grade 8 Student, New Era Preparatory School
“My mother died of an unknown sickness; I want to be a doctor to help treat the sick in my community. This education is making this dream come true one day at a time.”
She Is Rising From The North is more than an exhibition. It is a mirror and a map — showing Kenya what we lose when we let a girl drop out, and what we gain when we dare to invest in her.
