GlobalGiving Project of the Month Club

Each month, your gift to the Project of the Month Club helps local, community-led nonprofits make the world a better place. From revitalizing Indigenous communities in the United States last month to improving access to education in Indonesia at the beginning of the year, your generosity has made countless stories of change and hope possible—stories like Amelia’s. 

Amelia’s story begins during the holiday season of 2018, when she was 8 months old and celebrating her first Christmas in Colombia. Yudi, Amelia’s mother, recalls singing traditional carols and smiling with the family. They were completely oblivious to the fact that their lives were about to change forever.  

A few days later, Yudi noticed Amelia getting sick. By New Years', Amelia was diagnosed with pneumonia and a widespread bacterial infection that forced doctors to amputate one of her feet.

Incredibly, Amelia refused to let this loss slow her down. She was fiercely independent and loved to explore—despite her missing foot, she crawled everywhere at home.

 Then, Amelia’s family learned about our April Project of the Month: Mahavir Kmina Artificial Limb Center. This life-changing partner provides prosthetic limbs for people without health insurance in Colombia, helping nearly 450 people regain independence and freedom each year. Before long, Amelia became one of the youngest members of the Mahavir Kmina community—and was able to stand up and take her first steps.

Since then, Amelia has grown so much that she’s on to her second prosthesis, which features a more realistic and personalized design. Caroline Estrada and Marie Clara Vieria, Communications Leads at Mahavir Kmina, say that Amelia continues to thrive.  

“Amelia has shown that limits are in mind only, and for her, they do not exist. Despite her young age, she always wants to have her prosthesis on, and after taking a shower in the morning, she tries to put it on immediately to go outside.”

Amelia’s courage and perseverance is also an inspiration for her parents and everyone else around her. 

“Now, when someone complains, they immediately say, ‘I am complaining about nonsense—look at Amelia, she can do anything,’” Caroline shares. In fact, after seeing Amelia’s abilities with the new prosthesis, her parents plan to give a bike!

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, Amelia’s story is only one of many. With support from the Project of the Month Club, Mahavir Kmina center will be able to provide prosthetic limbs to 30 people, giving them the freedom to pursue their full potential—and inspire hope in all those around them. 

From the bottom of my heart: thank you for helping make stories like Amelia’s a reality. 

With gratitude, 

Alix Guerrier

Dear Project of the Month Club Member,

First and foremost: thank you for your continued generosity. Together, the Project of the Month Club is creating positive change each and every day—and building the foundation for a brighter future. In the words of S.A. Lawrence-Welch, Director of our March Project of the Month recipient: “The first step to healing is feeling not alone.” 

In February, you joined a community of 647 donors to raise $25,790 in support of Childline Kenya’s project Shine a Light on Child Abuse in Kenya. This month, that generosity will support Seeding Sovereignty’s kakichihiwewin project. 

An Indigenous, womxn-led collective, Seeding Sovereignty works to tackle oppression and environmental degradation by revitalizing Indigenous practices and communities in the United States. Their kakichihiwewin project supports this mission by creating online healing circles, sending out care kits, and curating an online storytelling series that elevates the experiences of Indigenous people. 

“Everyone has a story, and the kakichihiwewin project will be there to help heal through words,”shared Lawrence-Welch. “Nitataminan - I am grateful and thankful, knowing I can continue this work with security. It truly is a gift and a blessing to not only me but to those who benefit from kakichihiwewin.”

To learn more about how Seeding Sovereignty is helping Indigenous communities thrive, check out their most recent report. 

Thank you for another month of inspiring compassion! 

With heartfelt gratitude,  

Alix Guerrier 

GlobalGiving CEO

Dear Project of the Month Club Member,

Thank you for yet another month of astonishing generosity! Your commitment to supporting community-led nonprofits across the world truly gives me hope for the future. 

In January, you joined a total of 586 compassionate donors, raising $25,343 to support Yayasan Usaha Mulia’s project Help Promote Good Reading Habits in Kalimantan. 

Today, I’m beyond excited to introduce our February Project of the Month: Childline Kenya’s Shine a Light on Child Abuse in Kenya.

In 2004, Childline Kenya launched their 24-hour support hotline for children facing domestic violence and other forms of abuse in Kenya. Since then, this locally-led organization has expanded its services to include counseling, shelter, legal support, and medical care to more than 200 survivors of childhood abuse each month.   

When Executive Director Martha Sunda learned that Childline Kenya was selected as the Project of the Month, she expressed her heartfelt gratitude, saying:

We are elated at the selection of Childline Kenya's Project! I jumped up and down round my living room on reading the email...I am grateful to everybody who made this possible for more children to be rescued from an abusive environment and better enjoy their childhood. I can already see the cheerful faces of the children who will benefit from these funds together with their families and I love the picture painted.

Martha also shared how plans for how your generosity will help Childline Kenya keep children in their community safe. 

With this financial support, we intend to increase awareness of child protection services, optimize access to the child helpline by engaging additional counselors and strengthen the response to reported cases of violence against children.

To learn more about how Childline Kenya is helping children continue their education, check out their most recent report. 

Thank you so much for your invaluable support!

With gratitude,  

Alix Guerrier 

GlobalGiving CEO

Dear Project of the Month Club Member,

I truly can’t express how grateful I am that you’ve resolved to continue making the world a better place in 2021! Your generosity will play a crucial role in supporting nonprofits across the world as they help their communities overcome the long-term impacts of COVID-19. 

Last month, you joined an incredible 620 donors, raising $25,220 in support of Fundación Calicanto’s life-changing efforts to provide professional training opportunities for women in Panama. 

To ring in the new year, we’re crossing the globe (virtually, of course) to bring you yet another inspirational initiative. 

I’m thrilled to introduce Yayasan Usaha Mulia (YUM) and their project Help Promote Good Reading Habits in Kalimantan. 

For more than 4 years, YUM has worked to increase the quality of children's education in Bukit Batu, Indonesia. The organization’s Community Library, which is the only library in the region, ensures that more than 500 children are able to access books, participate in educational activities, and build community.  

When Executive Director Vanessa Reksodipoetro learned that YUM was joining the Project of the Month Club, she sent this message of gratitude:

After a very tough year, what a blessing to discover that we were selected as Project of the Month for January 2021! This nomination enforces our belief that hard work and continued optimism can get us through any challenges ahead. We’ve seen first-hand how the generosity of the collective has stepped up in 2020, and this is the icing on the cake!

Vanessa also shared how plans for how your generosity will help YUM support the children in their community this year. 

The funds we receive will help continue the tutoring sessions in our library in Central Kalimantan. With 9 months of being out of school, the children living in rural Indonesia are experiencing a tremendous learning loss and we hope the small group tutoring sessions can help to ensure that the basics of reading, writing and simple maths are achieved. Once the library can reopen, the funds received will also help other activities such as the English Club, Computer Club, Science Club as well as our Dance and Arts activities.

To learn more about how YUM  is helping children continue their education, check out their most recent report. 

Thank you so much for your compassion and commitment. Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy New Year!  

Warmly,  

Alix Guerrier 

GlobalGiving CEO

Dear Project of the Month Club Member,

From the bottom of my heart: thank you. This holiday season, you’ve given locally-led nonprofits the gift of stability in a time of instability, helping them support their communities in a giving season like no other. 

Throughout the month of November, you joined an incredible 614 donors, raising $25,104 in support of Green Light for Girls and their project Give Girls a Green Light in STEM Around the World. Your collective compassion ensured Green Light for Girls can continue helping girls explore STEM through their COVID-19-safe educational broadcast series and science experiment kits. 

Today, we’re thrilled to introduce yet another awe-inspiring nonprofit helping women and girls unlock their full potential: Fundación Calicanto. Their project Fight Poverty: Educate Women in Panama, works to reduce gender inequalities and provide professional training opportunities for women in Panama who live in marginalized communities and often struggle to access educational resources.

Fundación Calicanto's CAPTA program helps these women reach personal and professional independence through vocational training, leadership development, and psychological support. After completing the program, participants earn a certificate to work in the region’s thriving hospitality industry and are better able to support themselves and their families. 

Fundación Calicanto leader Hildegard Vasquez shared her gratitude to you and other Project of the Month Club members for supporting Fundación Calicanto’s mission:

“Our team couldn’t be more excited and empowered about the news that we have been selected for GlobalGiving’s Project of the Month. We work to reduce gender inequalities and provide professional training opportunities for socially at-risk populations in Panama. The current global and local context provided us with a unique opportunity to adapt the CAPTA Program to a digital version through which we continue to fight poverty and reduce the social gaps towards access and opportunity. This strategy has allowed us to amplify our impact capacity to include the needs of our former, current, and new beneficiaries. Thank you to GlobalGiving for the incredible recognition of the work that our team, beneficiaries, partners, and directors have committed to throughout the years.”

Hildegard went on to share plans for how your generosity will power their efforts this year: 

”We anticipate that the program’s current virtual format will allow us to reach women from every region of Panama without restrictions and to better adapt to the various profiles and needs of the women, regardless of where they reside. We also seek to sustainably expand our impact by improving our post-program connection with the graduates. We want the sense of belonging to persist through the foundation and the women's' lives. Through this fund, we aim to successfully continue to support the women post CAPTA by embracing their personal and professional journey to be ambassadors of the program and agents of change in their communities.”

To learn more about how Fundación Calicanto is helping women succeed, check out their most recent report from the field. 

I can’t express how grateful I am for your profound generosity during this trying time. Thank you for making this holiday season brighter for nonprofit leaders around the world!  

Warmly,  

Alix Guerrier 

GlobalGiving CEO