Nice Leng’ete
Add a sense of amazement to your event with Nice Leng’ete!
Choosing Nice also makes your event truly unforgettable.
For everyone. In every aspect.
Ignite change and get inspired
Are you looking to make a lasting impact on your audience? Introducing Nice Leng’ete, a dynamic speaker who sheds light on the urgent effects of climate change on indigenous populations in Africa. Her powerful storytelling will captivate your audience and raise awareness about critical issues as such.
Next to being a riveting speaker, Nice also dedicates her time to being a passionate human rights activist and has saved over 20,000 girls from the harsh realities of circumcision and child marriage. Book Nice Leng’ete today and be a catalyst for change!
Ambassadors for Change
With the Nice Place Foundation and the Leadership Academy, Nice trains girls to become ambassadors for change. Armed with knowledge and self-leadership, these women will bring change to the system from the inside out.
Make an impact through your booking
All of Nice’s profits as a speaker are directly donated to the Nice Place Foundation, so by investing in a keynote by Nice you are providing a future to many girls just like her. With these funds the foundation provides girls at risk of being circumcised a safe shelter and offers them an education. Simultaneously while educating them on various topics they also try to implement change by improving conditions in communities and eliminating harmful rituals.
Nice’s earnings as a speaker benefit the Nice Place Foundation.
Ignite change and get inspired Are you looking to make a lasting impact on your audience? Introducing Nice Leng’ete, a dynamic speaker who sheds light on the urgent effects of climate change on indigenous populations in Africa. Her powerful storytelling will captivate your audience and raise awareness about critical issues as such. Next to being a riveting speaker, Nice also dedicates her time to being a View more…
Keynotes
Would you like to book Nice as a (keynote) speaker for a conference, lecture, or event? Below you will find a selection of different keynotes. Custom program? Inquire about the possibilities.
Nice Leng’ete | My Story
How Nice saved over 20,000 girls from circumcision and child marriages
Nice’s heartbreaking yet hopeful story which also inspired her book ‘The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree’. Her experiences will linger with you and inspire you to act against injustice. She also teaches that real, sustainable change can’t just be achieved by fighting the system but rather by continuously seeking connection. Nice appears as a speaker adorned in impressive Maasai clothing on stage. Her earnings go entirely to the Nice Place Foundation.
Type of Lecture:
Lecture
The Impact of Climate Change on the Maasai
Climate change brought painfully close
Is climate change a distant issue? Not for the Maasai in Kenya. Nice explains how extreme drought – caused by climate change – has had disastrous effects on the local indigenous population, food shortages, poverty, great inequality, and violations of girls’ rights. Her own story and the effects she has seen with her own eyes daily form the basis for this eye-opening lecture, which makes the crisis palpable for a Western audience.
Type of Lecture:
Lecture
Nice Leng’ete | My Story
How Nice saved over 20,000 girls from circumcision and child marriages
Nice’s heartbreaking yet hopeful story which also inspired her book ‘The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree’. Her experiences will linger with you and inspire you to act against injustice. She also teaches that real, sustainable change can’t just be achieved by fighting the system but rather by continuously seeking connection. Nice appears as a speaker adorned in impressive Maasai clothing on stage. Her earnings go entirely to the Nice Place Foundation.Type of Lecture:
Lecture
The Impact of Climate Change on the Maasai
Climate change brought painfully close
Is climate change a distant issue? Not for the Maasai in Kenya. Nice explains how extreme drought – caused by climate change – has had disastrous effects on the local indigenous population, food shortages, poverty, great inequality, and violations of girls’ rights. Her own story and the effects she has seen with her own eyes daily form the basis for this eye-opening lecture, which makes the crisis palpable for a Western audience.
Type of Lecture:
Lecture
“It is my mission to build a promising future for every child, without exceptions.”
Nice Leng’ete Is a powerful voice against Female Genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), child marriage and other forms of gender- based violence. With her Nice Place Foundation, she has already saved over 20,000 girls and provided them with a hopeful future.
Somewhere in the south of Kenya, in the Kajiado County between Nairobi and the Kilimanjaro mountains, there is a special place. It is a safe haven that helps to break the vicious cycle of poverty and violence. It is the Rescue Center of the Nice Place Foundation, founded by the passionate Nice Leng’ete, who dedicates herself with admirable commitment to safety, rights, and education for girls in Kenya.
In the Maasai culture – where she grew up – child marriages and sexual violence occur regularly, and female genital mutilation (circumcision) is a tradition – a transitional ritual where girls sometimes even lose their lives.
When Nice was 8 years old, she already felt that this was not right. Her beloved parents had already passed away. After she witnessed the circumcision of a girl from her community who died a few days later, she knew: this could not continue! She managed to escape and was eventually allowed to attend a boarding school with the permission of her uncle, who was also a tribal elder.
The school was her refuge, but it was much than that. It set her on an extraordinary life path – saving at least 20,000 girls from various forms of violence; and the number continues to rise.
In 2012, Nice came into contact with AMREF – one of the largest NGOs operating in Africa. As a human rights activist and someone knowledgeable about Maasai culture, she played an important role in their programs aimed at ending this painful, dangerous tradition.
“I couldn’t save my sister and friends, but I can protect other girls from the same suffering.”
To further extend her impact, she established the Nice Place Foundation. The foundation provides housing, education, and (psychological) support to girls escaping from Female Genital Mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), child marriages and other forms of gender based violence. Part of this is The Academy, which not only provides education but also serves as a springboard to higher education, career opportunities, financial independence, and (personal) leadership.
Nice Leng’ete has gained worldwide recognition for her courageous and impactful work. In 2018, she was recognized in the TIME 100 list of the most influential people in the world. In 2021, her biography ‘The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree’ was published. Her efforts have not only helped thousands of girls but have also served as an inspiration for global movements against gender-based violence and for women’s rights.
Nice’s earnings as a speaker benefit the Nice Place Foundation.
Nice Leng’ete Is a powerful voice against Female Genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), child marriage and other forms of gender- based violence. With her Nice Place Foundation, she has already saved over 20,000 girls and provided them with a hopeful future. Somewhere in the south of Kenya, in the Kajiado County between Nairobi and the Kilimanjaro mountains, there is a special place. It is a safe haven that View more…
“We must respect tradition, but also recognize that it takes away the dreams and voices of girls. There is an alternative.”
“I no longer bear this mission alone, but together with all the beautiful girls we are educating to become leaders for change.”
Save one girl, save the whole world
When Nice takes the stage, silence falls. Not only because of ‘what’ she comes to tell, but also ‘how’. During her lectures, she consistently wears traditional Maasai clothing. It symbolizes the duality of her message – embracing the riches and wisdom of her culture while simultaneously resisting harmful traditions. And by uniting those contrasts, her mission has proven to be very successful.
“Deeply ingrained traditions cannot be changed in one day by enforcement; the mindset must change. That is a long process, but if it succeeds, the effect is significant.”
Through AMREF, Nice talks with various people from Maasai communities. Not only with elders, but also with young warriors who will marry the girls. Changing a community and culture from within is, according to Nice, the only way.
She has been able to reach many communities by explaining that circumcision endangers the health of girls and women and by proposing alternative rituals that align with Maasai culture. Furthermore, she is the first woman in the history of the Maasai to have been presented with the ‘esiere’, also known as the Black Talking Stick. It is a symbol of leadership and gives her access to conversations with men and elders.
With the Nice Place Foundation, she also tries to prevent the forced marriage of young girls to older men, something that in some cases arises purely from poverty. Parents see no other way out. Nice shows them that education is the key to prosperity for their families and the entire community.
“Educating girls can break the vicious cycle of poverty in communities, thereby reducing the violence.”
Although there have been many changes in recent years, Nice is also aware of a significant threat to progress: climate change. While its effects are still subtle in the West, it already threatens the existence of many people in African countries like Kenya, and thus the safety of girls. Parents are balancing on the edge of poverty and hunger. Their livestock dies, which not only feeds mouths but also serves as their ‘bank account’.
“When a child is sick, they sell a goat to buy medicine. But the livestock is dying or has lost its value due to poverty. Parents often have no choice but to marry off their daughter in exchange for a dowry.”
Climate change thus places enormous pressure on girls, on communities, and therefore on large-scale change in African countries where forced marriage and female genital mutilation are still commonplace. Despite the ban since 2011, millions of girls worldwide still risk undergoing this procedure secretly.
Yet, Nice remains hopeful and combative.
“We cannot save everyone, but with the Nice Place Foundation and the Leadership Academy, we can educate girls to become ambassadors for change. Armed with knowledge and self-leadership, these women will change the system from within.”
Nice’s mission started in her own village and has expanded throughout Kenya. Now she is convinced that scaling up and expanding to other countries, such as Tanzania, is possible. It is often said that by saving one girl, you save the whole world. Nice shows what the effect is.
Want to book Nice as a speaker?
Can you help too? Then book Nice as a speaker. Her earnings as an inspiring speaker benefit the Nice Place Foundation.
Why invite Nice Leng’ete as a speaker for your event?
1. Unfiltered
Nice’s story is raw and unfiltered, silencing every audience. With her stories, she shares her experiences through the eyes of her eight-year-old self, as a student, women’s rights activist, and as a ‘mother’ to all the girls whose lives she has touched.
2. Awe-inspiring
Nice demonstrates that even in the most deplorable and unjust circumstances, you can make a difference. That the things that happen to you can be a source of strength to improve the lives of others.
3. Maasai
Nice’s appearance in traditional Maasai clothing is an ode to a beautiful culture with all its ancient wisdom. Despite the painful traditions she opposes, she embraces the positive aspects of the culture. Nice is Maasai.
4. Inspiring
Nice proves that sustainable change does not come overnight. It is inspiring that her respectful approach has already convinced many people and entire communities of alternative transitional rituals and education for girls.
5. Heartwarming
“I see the girls laughing and talking about their dreams, and slowly I see those dreams becoming a reality.”
We not only hear Nice’s story but also that of the girls she has taken under her wing;about how they heal, learn, and transform into leaders, and how they in turn commit themselves to a world where women are nobody’s property.
1. Unfiltered
Nice’s story is raw and unfiltered, silencing every audience. With her stories, she shares her experiences through the eyes of her eight-year-old self, as a student, women’s rights activist, and as a ‘mother’ to all the girls whose lives she has touched.
2. Awe-inspiring
Nice demonstrates that even in the most deplorable and unjust circumstances, you can make a difference. That the things that happen to you can be a source of strength to improve the lives of others.
3. Maasai
Nice’s appearance in traditional Maasai clothing is an ode to a beautiful culture with all its ancient wisdom. Despite the painful traditions she opposes, she embraces the positive aspects of the culture. Nice is Maasai.
4. Inspiring
Nice proves that sustainable change does not come overnight. It is inspiring that her respectful approach has already convinced many people and entire communities of alternative transitional rituals and education for girls.
5. Heartwarming
“I see the girls laughing and talking about their dreams, and slowly I see those dreams becoming a reality.”
We not only hear Nice’s story but also that of the girls she has taken under her wing;about how they heal, learn, and transform into leaders, and how they in turn commit themselves to a world where women are nobody’s property.
Interview with Nice Leng’ete
For Good: What does "good" mean to you?
“Putting everything on the line to provide every child with a promising, safe future, without exceptions. I eat, drink, and live for it. But perhaps the most beautiful thing is that more and more hands and voices contribute to the mission. We not only provide these children with shelter; they are slowly but surely transforming into educated, confident women who will change even more lives.”
Walk the talk: how are you of value?
“I grew up in a Maasai community and have seen the rituals and their consequences. I tell my story in a compelling way, making it come to life, even for an audience that is far removed from this experience.”
Why do you also speak about climate change?
“For many people worldwide, climate change is still very abstract, something distant. Therefore, it quickly gets generalized. For the Maasai, it is already directly noticeable, with disastrous consequences – poverty, hunger, inequality, and even more suffering inflicted on girls. I believe it is important to tell this story.”
Do you have an example or source of inspiration?
“Nelson Mandela. He fought for his ideals, regardless of the consequences, as well as my parents. They are for me the epitome of Maasai wisdom. For example, my father worked for the protection of wildlife; he trained rangers to protect them. The money he earned was distributed in the community and used, among other things, for the education of children. He recognized the necessity of this long ago. My mother left school early when she married my father, but she also dedicated herself to the community. She, along with others, cared for those who were less fortunate.”
How can others contribute by booking you as a speaker?
“My speaking fee goes entirely to the Nice Place Foundation so by booking me as a speaker, you contribute to the lives of many girls. With this money, we provide safe shelter for girls at risk of being circumcised and offer them education. By providing information, we also aim to improve conditions in communities and eliminate harmful rituals.”
For Good: What does "good" mean to you?
“Putting everything on the line to provide every child with a promising, safe future, without exceptions. I eat, drink, and live for it. But perhaps the most beautiful thing is that more and more hands and voices contribute to the mission. We not only provide these children with shelter; they are slowly but surely transforming into educated, confident women who will change even more lives.”
Walk the talk: how are you of value?
“I grew up in a Maasai community and have seen the rituals and their consequences. I tell my story in a compelling way, making it come to life, even for an audience that is far removed from this experience.”
Why do you also speak about climate change?
“For many people worldwide, climate change is still very abstract, something distant. Therefore, it quickly gets generalized. For the Maasai, it is already directly noticeable, with disastrous consequences – poverty, hunger, inequality, and even more suffering inflicted on girls. I believe it is important to tell this story.”
Do you have an example or source of inspiration?
“Nelson Mandela. He fought for his ideals, regardless of the consequences, as well as my parents. They are for me the epitome of Maasai wisdom. For example, my father worked for the protection of wildlife; he trained rangers to protect them. The money he earned was distributed in the community and used, among other things, for the education of children. He recognized the necessity of this long ago. My mother left school early when she married my father, but she also dedicated herself to the community. She, along with others, cared for those who were less fortunate.”
How can others contribute by booking you as a speaker?
“My speaking fee goes entirely to the Nice Place Foundation so by booking me as a speaker, you contribute to the lives of many girls. With this money, we provide safe shelter for girls at risk of being circumcised and offer them education. By providing information, we also aim to improve conditions in communities and eliminate harmful rituals.”
Four Freedoms Awards Meet-up
2022
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Nice Leng'ete for Amref Flying Doctors
Clinton Global Initiative
2024
Clinton Global Initiative
2024
A selection of companies that Nice Leng'ete already had impactful collaborations with….
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Nice Leng’ete delivers an inspiring and impressive lecture at Maastricht University. Mega impact.
University of Maastricht -
Nice Leng’ete gives an inspiring and impressive talk at a National Postcode Lottery event.
National Postcode Lottery -
Nice Leng’ete gives an inspiring and impressive talk at the Four Freedoms Awards. Mega impact.
Four Freedoms Awards
