Esther doesn't seem to notice the expansive landscape, the distant line of mountains across the border in Tanzania or the thorn acacias dotting the savannah.
Eyes shining, the 11-year-old in her blue and red school uniform gazes at the new dormitory building at her school, Ol Donyo Oibor Primary in Kimana in southern Kenya.
The building was constructed by the German association Big Girls Foundation in cooperation with a Kenyan partner.
For Esther and 95 other girls from the Maasai people, the start of the new school year marks a new era. They will live in the school during the school year instead of walking up to 10 kilometres to school every day.
The area is beautiful, with Amboseli National Park, famous for its large herds of elephants, just 30 kilometres away. On clear mornings, you can see the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro in the distance.
But Esther and her friends know the disadvantages of the long journey to school. "We always have to watch out for wild animals nearby," she says.
Ten-year-old Jackie nods eagerly. "Sometimes we were late for school because we had to wait for elephants to move away." Lions and hyenas also live in the area.
Although boys also face the threat of wild animals, there is a reason for the focused support of girls.
"If a family gets into financial difficulties, for example as a result of drought, the girls are taken out of school, not the boys," says Samar Ntalamia, head of the scholarship programme of the Kenyan Big Life Foundation, the partner of the Big Girl Foundation.
"And the girls usually don't return to school once the situation has improved."
In addition, girls in particular have to complete time-consuming chores at home when they come home from school - such as fetching water or collecting wood.
This leaves no time for homework and the children are often exhausted and have difficulty concentrating properly at school.
As the Maasai are nomadic cattle breeders who follow the grazing opportunities for their cattle, regular school attendance is often not possible.
According to estimates by UNICEF, 9 million girls between the ages of 6 and 11 never attend school in Africa, compared to 6 million boys.
Yet investing in girls' education is considered a successful means of combating poverty.
Even before the dormitory was built, head teacher Joseph Nkonkat made it possible for some girls with a particularly long journey to school to spend the night on mattresses in the schoolrooms.
"It makes such a huge difference when the children can concentrate on school," says Nkonkat, a tall man with a gentle voice. "Their performance and concentration in class have improved significantly."
Thanks to the dormitory, more girls now have this opportunity, as well as access to the school library - and simply more peace and quiet. "The girls usually burn so many calories on the long journey to school and because of the many tasks at home that they hardly have any energy for lessons."
The Big Girls Foundation is committed to supporting girls precisely because of the existing disadvantages they face.
Lisa Städtler, representing the organization, highlights the importance of enabling girls to reach their full potential.
She emphasizes this mission during her visit to Kenya for the inauguration of the new dormitory wing.
The Munich-based association, which has been active in Kenya for four years, supports about 200 girls with scholarships and initiatives such as hygiene education in schools. Many young girls do not go to school during their menstrual period.
"We can see how ambitious the girls become and how big their dreams and goals grow," Städtler says about the young students.
In addition to academic performance, eligibility for a scholarship hinges on the parents' commitment that the girls will not be married off early or leave school prematurely due to pregnancy.
A promise must also be made to refrain from practising female genital mutilation, a traditional rite of passage among many Maasai girls, despite it being illegal.
Lydia Muntheiya has both encouragement and stern advice for the girls.
"I was like you - with one pair of shoes and a school uniform that had to last the whole year," Muntheiya, a medical doctor, tells the girls. Today, she serves as the county director for public health in a nearby district with a significant Maasai population.
When she was accepted into the scholarship programme, she found herself among the lowest-performing students in the class, requiring substantial catch-up efforts.
She wrestled with doubts about whether she truly deserved the scholarship. But she dedicated long hours in the school library and focussed on her studies.
"When I graduated, I was one of the top three in my year," she says. "The scholarship is your chance. But it's up to you what you make of it. You can't do it without hard work."
Esther's mother, who is wearing a traditional blue and red robe of the Maasai women, listened attentively and nods approvingly.
"I want my daughter to have the opportunities I could only dream of," she says. "A good education is the path to a good life."
