By Katherine Kolios | Executive Director
Two weeks ago, we gathered parents at RAIN's Agadez Learning Center. As we welcomed a new class of 6th grade girls to the center for the 2022-2023 school year, we knew it was important to connect with their parents, to ensure the girls were supported by all the central figures in their lives.
The difference between the energy of the parents and the girls was palpable. The parents were hopeful but they were also fearful. They lamented the mounting obstacles their children had to overcome each day. They talked about a government that let them down and non-profit organizations that never came back.
A Village Chief spoke about how all the professionals in the city of Agadez had to be brought in from elsewhere, how locals needed translators to access medical help in their own city. He urged the parents to think about how their daughters could fill those roles. With education, their daughters could be the nurses, doctors, and administrators who serve their city.
The parents agreed but there was still a layer of doubt - was this vision possible?
The girls have no doubts. When asked about their futures, they shared visions of becoming teachers, doctors, even a pilot (if only to see the inside of a plane!).
Their parents are right that there are many obstacles… but every child has a world of potential in them – and that potential should not be snuffed out just because they were born into circumstances where they have fewer opportunities. They’re young enough not to let those limitations stop them and with your support, RAIN offers the opportunity they need. It’s still not easy, but with hard work, there is a path out.
We see this with ALC graduates. There’s Naoude who opened her own clinic and Assalamata who returned to teach in her hometown.
This year RAIN is hosting the biggest class of students ever at its center - 56! And the community only wants us to welcome more students. We're in the process of raising funds to build a new 3-story dorm that can accomodate another 50 girls and that includes a media library and study center. But inflation has driven construction costs up. We need your help!
Give today to support expansion and to ensure these students, and those to come, have the support and resources they need to succeed.
Ask friends, neighbors, and colleagues to give with you for greater impact!
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