GlobalGiving Project of the Month Club

This April, we’re highlighting a partner working alongside young people in Kafue, Zambia, to expand access to reproductive health information and services. Through youth-led clubs, community education, and partnerships with local clinics, African Education Program is creating space for girls and boys to learn, ask questions, and build the knowledge, confidence, and agency to make informed choices about their health and futures.

In Kafue, young women face significant barriers to accessing reproductive and menstrual health services. Nearly 29% of girls under 18 experience pregnancy. While the COVID-19 pandemic intensified these challenges, the root causes are structural: poverty, limited access to contraception, gender inequality, and gaps in youth-friendly services.

Through the Reproductive Health Access Initiative, this project is working to address these barriers in practical, community-rooted ways. Weekly health messaging and “Girls Talk” and “Boys Talk” clubs provide young people with accurate information and supportive peer spaces, while counseling and partnerships with local clinics connect them to essential services—including pregnancy and STI testing, family planning, and contraceptives.

By engaging both girls and boys, the program goes beyond immediate service delivery to address the social norms and inequities that shape health outcomes. Young people are supported to become peer educators and community leaders—helping shift attitudes, reduce stigma, and expand access to reproductive health knowledge and care.

As Pamela O'Brien, Development Director, shared:

“The African Education Program is incredibly honored to be selected for GlobalGiving’s Project of the Month Club… your collective support is helping unlock opportunity, one learner, one family, and one community at a time.” 

Your support comes at a critical time. In an increasingly competitive funding landscape, resources are stretched while needs continue to grow. This investment helps sustain and expand essential programming at the Learning & Leadership Center—ensuring access to education, health services, and safe, supportive spaces for vulnerable youth—while creating opportunities to deepen impact and reach more young people.

At the heart of this work is a commitment to local leadership.

Many team members are alumni who once participated in these programs and are now guiding the next generation. When young people are supported to lead in their own communities, the impact extends far beyond one individual—strengthening families, shifting norms, and shaping a more equitable future.

Until next month, 

Yami + Raghuvendra 

When water is far away, childhood is shortened by long walks and hours lost each day. This month’s Project of the Month is changing that reality. 

Through Drop of Water, fresh spring wells are being built within a single kilometer of at-risk households, bringing safe water to 500 people in Ethiopian villages. With water closer to home, hauling times drop dramatically, freeing women and girls to spend time with family, do homework, or simply play and be kids.

“For a frontline, locally-led organization like ours, unrestricted funding is transformative: it allows us to respond where needs are greatest and creates ripple effects far beyond a single project,” said Hermella Woldehana, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Drops of Water. 

Ethiopian organizations like Drop of Water focus on strengthening what communities already have: local water sources that, when protected and restored, can sustain life for generations. 

Rather than importing solutions, this work centers on building, rehabilitating, and maintaining water infrastructure rooted in place. And when water rises at the source, time returns: to classrooms, to family life, and to childhood itself. 

“To the Project of the Month Club members, thank you for believing in community-driven solutions and for trusting locally rooted organizations like ours to steward your generosity with integrity and impact.”

Thank you for being part of this month’s impact. Every step closer to clean water is also a step toward time, dignity, and possibility.

With gratitude,

Yami + The GlobalGiving Team