Help Educate 40 Bright Girls in Lesotho

It is a great pleasure to have this opportunity to get in touch once more. Many of you have been on this journey with us for many years, but I am pleased to welcome those new to our group of supporters. Your gifts enable Educare Fund to continue to work with disadvantaged families in Lesotho, helping them to keep their girl children in high school until they graduate. Thanks to you, we have gradually managed to increase the number of students we support each year, starting with one student in 1997 to the current cohort of 80 girls. You have made amazing things possible for our cohorts of students over the years and you continue to give the girls hopes of a brighter future. All that Educare Fund has achieved so far would have been impossible without your generous support.

We recently got feedback from Basetsana, who with your help completed high school in 2022. She subsequently obtained a scholarship to study Computer Engineering in India and is now in her second year of that programme. This is what she wrote:

‘I strive to succeed in everything I do as I work towards reaching my goals … I am very grateful to the people who have supported me throughout my academic journey; my parents, Educare Fund, and of course, my teachers, without all of whom I would not be where I am today.’

This year, among other things, your gifts have made it possible for our local team in Lesotho to organise another weekend of activities for the 80 girls, all of whom attended a workshop in the capital city of Lesotho. The event gave the girls an opportunity to meet each other and learn together, benefitting from several motivational speakers on a range of topics. This is the second such event and the plan is to have one every year, if funds allow. Feedback from the girls and the teachers who accompanied them indicates that they all feel these events are really worthwhile.

Last weekend Educare Fund held a fundraising garden party which raised enough money to cover most of the cost of one student workshop. Many of you chipped in, including those who could not attend in person. We are grateful to you all for the generous support, especially to those new to the band of Educare Fund supporters’ club.

I want to finish by thanking you all again for your continued support. We are fortunate that you are with us on this journey of empowering young women in Lesotho to change their lives through education. I can assure you that along with us, the girls and their families really appreciate what you are doing. Those from the earlier cohorts are already reaping the benefits of your generosity.

Gratefully,

Liphethiso Monica

As I sat down to write, it struck me that it is appropriate that Educare Fund’s first report for 2024 is coming your way during March, an important month for the empowerment of women and celebrating their impact on societies around the world. Several countries choose this month to celebrate the impact women have made in communities around the world through the ages. National Women’s Month, Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day are all celebrated in March. All these remind us that, while a lot of progress has been made regarding gender equality, there is still work to be done before women achieve true parity. As we approach the end of this important month, I hope you all celebrated your part in empowering women in communities around the world. We, at Educare Fund, continue to applaud your support in our joint work to ensure that the young women in Lesotho can complete their high school education as a step toward a better future for themselves and their communities. You already know from previous reports that a good number of the girls have not only finished high school but have attained university education and beyond. Many of them now have good jobs and can support their families and communities. These achievements are largely due to your generous donations over the years.

Last year, 27 of our students wrote their final high school exams. Although the majority obtained enough grades to qualify for entry to tertiary education, a number need to improve their Mathematics and English Language grades. These two subjects are essential for entry into some courses in tertiary education, so we agreed to fund the resits for them. Educare Fund has been fortunate to obtain the assistance of an experienced retired Maths teacher who is volunteering her time and skills to provide materials to support Maths teachers in the schools where we sponsor students. The resources are intended for whole classes of students to use (not just those sponsored), with guidance from the Maths teachers. The offer of support has been well received, but we are anticipating that schools might need help to meet the extra cost of making these resources available to their students.

While I’m here, I’d like to give you a heads up about the coming GlobalGiving Little by Little Campaign which will run for 5 days from the 8^th to the 12^th of April 2024. There will be a 50% match on all donations up to $50 all through the week. We hope you can join us in this campaign to take advantage of the leverage.

I’d like to finish by again thanking you for your continuing support. We are fortunate that you are with us on this journey of empowering young women in Lesotho to change their lives through education.

Gratefully,

Liphethiso Monica