Tailored for Education Comes to Daraja

“We believe that every child has the right to receive an education. A uniform should not stand in their way.”

It was a casual conversation that set Megan Kelly on a course to outfit some of the world’s most vulnerable children. A friend who had just come back from Tanzania told her that the children there were unable to attend school if they did not have the required uniform.

Kelly, alongside co-founder Jessica Roy, discovered that in developing countries worldwide, lack of a uniform is a major reason why millions of children never go to school. Uniforms are around $17 USD, but many families are unable to afford the cost.

“We both firmly believe in education. That is how we can change the world and get a lot of people out of poverty,” says Kelly. “That’s the key here – education. And that seventeen dollars was keeping millions of children around the world out of school. It seemed criminal to us.”

In 2011, Kelly and Roy launched Tailored for Education, a nonprofit on a mission to provide uniforms and shoes for impoverished children around the globe. Tailored for Education currently works with 10 different countries, including Kenya, and has donated over 70,000 uniforms!

All uniforms are made locally, providing jobs to people who would otherwise be unable to work. The goal is to provide living wages and sustain more families. “We want to leave the communities of the children we help in a better place: more jobs and more children in school.”

Tailored for Education began working with Daraja Academy in 2016. “We chose to support Daraja because we know it is preparing these young women for the world beyond school, which is often an unfair and unkind one. Before even setting foot on campus, we knew from other partners and word of mouth the amazing work Daraja is doing. The approach they take allows them to strip away stereotypes and profiling and have the girls truly feel like they are one big family, while simultaneously providing a first-class education. It’s just remarkable, and we are thrilled to be a small part of it!”

Since 2016, Tailored for Education has donated over 300 uniforms to Daraja students! We are grateful for their support in helping us educate and empower girls of need to be the leaders of tomorrow.

“Obviously, there are lots of different barriers that keep children out of school—but if we can get rid of one of them, then we would definitely be doing a service to a lot of families around the world.” – Megan Kelly