My journey to start a school for girls in Kenya: Kakenya Ntaiya at TEDxMidAtlantic 2012

Kakenya Ntaiya was set to follow the traditional path of all girls born in the small village of Enoosaen, Kenya. Engaged at the age of 5, she was to be circumcised by the time she became a teenager. But she had a different plan. First, she negotiated with her father: she would willingly agree to be circumcised only if he would allow her to finish high school. He agreed. Then she negotiated with the village elders to do what no girl had ever done before: leave her village to go to college in the United States. She received a scholarship to Randolph Macon college in Virginia and returned to Kenya to change her hometown forever. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)