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Alarm has been raised over rampant cases of school dropout among girls in West Pokot county due to banditry.

A new survey shows hundreds of girls from the war-torn region face a myriad of challenges and are faced with trauma, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing their relatives killed, which has impacted negatively on their education.

According to the Kenya Pastoralists Community Organisation (Kepaco), a youth led peace building organisation that works in West Pokot county, mentorship deficiency among girls exposed to violence and conflict leads to vices like teenage pregnancies and drug abuse resulting to rampant drop outs.

St Stephen Laikong Girls Secondary school is one of the schools that hosts affected girls from insecurity prone areas and refugees from Kakuma refugee camp.

The school also has girls drawn from insecurity hot spot areas of West Pokot county and other areas in Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda who have embraced peace.

Kepaco has embarked on a mentorship, guiding and counselling programme to counsel and offer psychological support to the affected girls.

According to Kepaco Director Diana Rotich, the   counselling programs are aimed at preventing individual, social, psychological and emotional issues.

 Rotich said there has been a gap in mentorship, guiding and counselling programs for girls exposed to a wide array of traumatic events that can cause an enormous psychological burden.

 “What war brings is a convergence or a realisation of all of the worst nightmares about fear of loss of people’s lives, about the lives of people they love, damage to their bodies, loss of control and also the loss of a familiar anchor in the routine of daily life. We want them to integrate with others from other Countries,” said Rotich.

She raised concern over poverty, teenage pregnancies, drugs and substance abuse among school going girls. “We remind them that it is important to stay in peace with neighbours,” she said.

 She said they interact with girls to build their capacities.

  “It is important to nurture young girls in school   at an age and when they go back to their community, they become great and good citizens,” said Rotich even as she called on well-wishers to support young girls.