In recent years, the plight of adolescent girls has garnered the attention of leading philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Their emphasis on girl-child rights is proof that girls are indeed becoming more of a priority in policy-making and development.
But there is still work to be done.
In the recent article, “How to Make 2014 an Even Bigger Year for Girls,” The Girl Effect – an organization spearheading the movement to invest in adolescent girls worldwide and championing their critical role in ending the cycle of poverty – applauds the efforts that have increased girls’ visibility on the global agenda.
They urge us, however, to make 2014 “an even bigger year for girls!”
Shukuru has taken up this call to action.
We are spreading the girl effect through our innovative and sustainable program that provides adolescent girls in Tanzania with an in-kind loan which enables them to self-finance their own secondary education.
In Tanzania, where most girls cannot afford to continue their education after primary school, this opportunity to earn and save money, and further their education will have a particularly huge impact.
Through our program, girls become part of a support network that nurtures their potential, and gain the confidence and skills to become self-reliant. They will go on to become catalysts for transformation, not only of their own lives but for their families and communities as well.
As UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon argues, investing in girls’ education and entrepreneurship translates into stronger economies, improved health, and sustainable development.
For Shukuru, 2014 is a year to amplify Tanzanian girls’ ability to earn their own way to a secondary education.
We are gearing up to do so with the launch of the second cycle of our program in the next few weeks. All 38 Shukuru Girls will once again raise around 100 baby chicks to full maturity, sell them to local buyers throughout the Kilimanjaro region, and use the profits to pay for secondary school.
To further develop girls’ business competence, in the next cycle we will be introducing regular financial literacy workshops. We will also provide additional training to girls and their families on how to turn chicken manure into fertilizer. Incorporating this new, sustainable component into the program will help to increase families’ crop yields and teach girls another means of income generation.
You can help us make 2014 “an even bigger year for girls” in Tanzania!
Please gift your support in the suggested amounts described below. Here’s to the Shukuru Girls investing in their own education and paving their path to higher education and self-reliance!
