Educate girls and fight poverty in Senegal

Thank you for your continued support of Women's Global Education Project! Your support helps us provide scholarships and support to girls in rural Senegal who would otherwise not have the chance to go to school--girls like Yacine and Aminata, whose inspiring stories tell us that our work is making a difference--thank you for partnering with us!

Yacine, WGEP Senegal scholar

Yacine comes from a very poor family – her father passed a way and her mother is an immigrant from Mali.  As one of the older siblings in the family, Yacine feels a lot of responsibility to look after her younger brothers and sisters. Her family raises ducks and chickens to sell, but that does not produce much money. Without our program, Yacine would not be able to go to school, and she and her family are very grateful for the opportunity. Yacine is serious and focused, and she wants to be a doctor so she can help others. Although she knows that becoming a doctor means a long road ahead that includes university and graduate studies, she is committed to succeeding.

Aminata, WGEP Senegal scholar

Aminata has been in our WGEP program for the past eight years. Her father teaches at their local village religious school and believes in education for all children--whether they are girls or boys--so unlike some other parents in the area, he allows Aminata to attend both the religious school and the secular school. Although this means a double workload for her, Aminata is very bright and does well in all her studies. She is a pioneer in their village in navigating the worlds of traditional religious studies and modern education.

Links:

• Learn more about the work of WGEP in girls' education.

"Our program has generated a love of learning in girls who are asserting themselves more in the classroom and obtaining excellence," reports WGEP Senegal Project Coordinator Adji Senghor. "The best students in Sokone are from our program!" 

Thank you for supporting Women's Global Education Project in Senegal! Your support helps WGEP provide critical scholarships to 150 girls in rural Senegal, girls who otherwise would not have the chance to go to school. You are also helping us impact 3,000 of their family members, friends and neighbors, ensuring that entire communities are invested in the future of their girls.

We are making a difference--thank you for partnering with us!

Links:

• Learn more about WGEP.

Your support of our "Educate Girls and Fight Poverty in Senegal" project helps us provide not only access to education for girls, but also crucial support services such as our Mentoring Program to help our girls succeed in school and work towards their dreams.

WGEP Senegal's Mentoring Program connects nearly 300 girls to mentors--older, educated women who provide additional, personalized support and who serve as role models. These mentors were often themselves the first woman in their families and communities to finish school, and so know first hand the struggles and pressures facing many of our scholars in their daily lives. They are able to provide support and encouragement for our girls and show them what is possible with education.

Additionally, our Mentoring Program allows our girls to regularly meet successful, educated women they would otherwise not come into contact with. This includes female professionals from surrounding areas, village leaders and regional officials, as well as visitors from around the world (recently, this included American college students from the University of Minnesota, Lewis and Clark College and Beloit College, Italian volunteers from Action Aid, and visiting staff from GlobalGiving!)

We know that our scholarship and support programs are giving our girls access to the possibility of a brighter future--thank you for partnering with us in this life-changing work!

Our project, "Educate Girls and Fight Poverty in Senegal," has been chosen by GlobalGiving for their Girl Effect Challenge! This means the chance to become part of GlobalGiving's 2013 Girl Effect Fund--but we need your help. The top six organizations in the Challenge with the greatest number of unique donors automatically win a place--so please consider donating during the month of November to help us in the Challenge. Any level--even just $10--will help! Thank you from WGEP Senegal!

Links:

• Learn more about the work of WGEP in girls' education.

• 98% of our elementary school scholars passed into the next grade, with 78% placing at the top of their class
• 92% of our middle school scholars passed into the next grade, with 64% placing at the top of their class
• 79% of our high school scholars taking the national BAC graduation exam passed, compared to the national average of 38%

Links:

• Learn more about WGEP

"We are solving a full range of challenges, beyond just funding scholarships and supplies--we are helping to change the culture to value girls' education."
 
This is what WGEP Board Member April Donnellan says about our work in Senegal after recently visiting the WGEP Sisters-to-School program there with her 11-year-old daughter. While there, they went to numerous schools and programs, visited scholars and their families at home, took part in an adult literacy class, joined a community meeting, and attended an education conference.

"It was very special to be there with my daughter, as she was able to meet girls her age and learn about their daily lives," April says. "Our WGEP program--with its mulch-tiered emphasis on family and community support--is really making a difference for these girls. We met several families whose daughters would clearly not be able to attend school were it not for our program. Teachers and tutors say our scholars learn faster than other students, participate more in class, and have confidence in themselves and their abilities.

"In many schools in our region, we are seeing more and more girls in school, and in some cases even outnumber the boys. This is reverse of long-standing traditions of devaluing education for girls. Seeing our Senegal programs at work really inspired me!"

WGEP Senegal is a "Give Knowledge" finalist in the 2012 GlobalGiving Photo Contest! You can help us by casting your vote here--http://www.globalgiving.org/poll/photo-contest-2012/ -- between now and noon EDT on August 15. The organization with the most votes wins $1,000 from GlobalGiving, with the winning photo displayed on the GlobalGiving homepage for a full day. Thanks for your support!

Links:

• Learn more about the work of WGEP in girls' education.