Nice Place Foundation
Nice Place Foundation
Sector Portfolios
- Sanki (Gender Equity)
Focus Areas
- Gender Equity
- Health
- Education
- Human Rights
- Climate
Cohort: 05
- East Africa
- Kenya
Nice Nailantei Leng'ete was six years old when she lost both parents. At eight, she was set to undergo female genital cutting and escaped. Most girls in her community were not as fortunate. An idea began forming early: someday, she wanted to have a place where girls could run to. In October 2021, Nice Place Foundation opened its doors as both a rescue center and a leadership academy under one roof.
Based in Kajiado County, Kenya, Nice Place Foundation works with girls, families, and communities to prevent FGM, child marriage and gender-based violence through a holistic model that protects and supports those affected while nurturing a new generation of young women leaders and changemakers. . The rescue center provides safety, shelter, healthcare, trauma counseling, and psychosocial support for girls escaping violence, while scholarships, school reintegration, and mentorship help survivors continue their education. The Leadership Academy equips girls with life skills, advocacy training, and the tools to become community voices for change. Since opening in 2021, the foundation has trained 1075 girls, supported 350 boys and girls under scholarship program and rescued more than 100. The organization also works with community leaders, parents, men, and boys to challenge harmful norms, and partners with schools, healthcare providers, law enforcement, and government agencies to strengthen child protection systems across the region.
Partner Impact
Leadership Highlight
Nice Leng’ete
Founder and CEO
Nice Nailantei Leng'ete is a globally recognized human rights advocate, social entrepreneur, and the Founder and CEO of Nice Place Girls Leadership Academy and Rescue Center in Kenya. As a trailblazer for gender equality and cultural transformation, Nice has dedicated her life to ending female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), child marriage, and other harmful cultural practices through community driven solutions and girl-centered leadership.
Born in the pastoralist Maasai village of Kimana, Kenya, Nice defied tradition at a young age by escaping FGM/C—a brave act that propelled her into a life of activism. Her pioneering work in advocating for alternative rites of passage has inspired widespread cultural change across Kenya and the African continent. Before she started the Nice Place Foundation, Nice led community engagement and advocacy work at Amref Health Africa, one of the continent's largest public health NGOs. Her foundation now serves as a safe haven and empowerment hub for girls, offering shelter, education, leadership development, support to escape and heal from gender-based violence.
Nice's groundbreaking work has earned her global recognition. In 2018, she was named one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. She is also a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Annemarie Madison Prize, The Women Deliver Young Leader recognition, Laureate Freedom from Want Award as well as the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. In Kenya, Nice was awarded by the Head of State in Kenya with a Head of State Commendation during the National Mashujaa (Heroes) Day celebrations for her work.
In 2020, Nice published her book, ‘The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree: How I Fought to save Myself, My Sister, and Thousands of Girls Worldwide’ described by the New York Times thus ‘An important memoir…Elegant and Inspiring….A real hero looks like Nice Leng’ete’. Since 2023, she has served as an International Ambassador for the Postcode Lottery, championing global efforts to create equitable and just communities.
She believes in the power of collective action and often reminds the world: “Together, we can be an unstoppable change for good—making the world a Nice Place for everyone.”
