WISER

Vision & Mission

Our vision is that one day all women will be granted access to equal and safe educational opportunities through achievement of gender parity inside and outside of the classroom. Our hope is that women will be able to maximize their potential to use their abilities to be active participants in their communities, not just as women, but as women leaders. We believe a girls’ boarding school is much more than a place where boys are absent. Rather, it is the center of cultivating the next generation of community, national, and international leaders.

Mission

The Women’s Institute for Secondary Education and Research (WISER) with Duke University in Muhuru Bay, Kenya strives to become the first model girls’ secondary boarding school and research center for women in the region. WISER is dedicated to maintaining a strong academic program for girls that fosters a spirit of inquiry, intellectual independence, and enthusiasm for learning. Girls will be challenged, in and out of the classroom, to lead, to serve, to make decisions and to reduce the gender equality gap in Kenyan society.

WISER will also create research and experiential learning opportunities for US students interested in international health and development.

WISER with Duke University in Muhuru Bay, Kenya:

• Works to achieve gender parity in education.
• Builds a community of girls who, as alumni, will create a valuable social network of educated and motivated female leaders.
• Enriches the whole community through workshops, access to technology and access to teacher training.
• Fosters international collaboration between US and foreign students through coeducational holiday retreats, research facilities, and web-based communications.