Help 1,800 students get quality teachers in Kenya

Greeting supporters!

First of all: progress is continually being made on the teachers project. As of September 2nd, 2014, this project has raised $14,000. That's huge. So huge, in fact, that it is Hopeful Africa's biggest annual fundraiser, and biggest program, ever. By a long shot. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Funds are disbursed to the partner schools throughout the year, allowing for them to pay for additional teachers. Remember, the student to teacher ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa's primary schools is around 42.5:1 according to the World Bank. The teachers provided by your donations are making a profounf difference for students in our Kenyan partner schools. Six schools are currently able to pay for extra teachers because of this campaign. That amounts to 1,800 students.

If you're super observant, you may have noticed that I referred to our organization as Hopeful Africa in the paragraph above instead of Hope 4 Africa. That wasn't a mistake. Hope 4 Africa, on Tuesday, announced that it was changing its name to Hopeful Africa. The short reason is that we felt like 'Hopeful' better reflected our values, among which is the recognition of Africa as a diverse, amazing continent with talented people driving some very real and impactful growth. We're ecstatic about the opportunity to spread our message and we're riding a wave of momentum from this monumental change. We have a new website (www.hopefulafrica.org), a new logo, and probably most importantly, a new mission: To foster sustainable prosperity in Africa through educational development and equal partnership.

If nothing else sticks, remember this: educational development and equal partnership. That's what Hopeful Africa is about. We talk to school and community leaders to find out what they need. We don't impose solutions. One thing that has been a universal need is teachers. So our Teacher Support program, which this GlobalGiving campaign has funded, is continuing in its current form. Again, these changes to our organization do not affect the progress of this project. If you want to read more about Hopeful Africa's exciting new era, head to this blog post: http://hopefulafrica.org/hopeful-africa/. We are launching a new GlobalGiving project as soon as possible that will encompass all of Hopeful Africa's programs, so be on the lookout for that as well.

As always, thanks for your support. It's not hyperbole to say that the success of our Teacher Support program is almost entirely due to your donations.

Links:

• Project Page

Recently, seven representatives of Hope 4 Africa travelled to Kenya to help implement the programs for which we have fundraised all year - including the teacher support program funded through GlobalGiving. The Kenya summer trips are always fantastic opportunities to get on the ground and generate real understanding of the communities with which we are working to promote a more prosperous future in Africa. This is always an exciting time of year and you can read all about it at blog.hope4africa.info!

Currently, our GlobalGiving project total is $13,192, just $6,808 short of the $20,000 goal that will provide teachers to all six partner schools in Kenya. We’ve received these donations from 163 of the best, most generous supporters out there; so, thank you! The donations have come in a variety ways. Our student clubs, the backbone of the organization, held charitable events on their campuses to support the campaign; several supporters have donated their birthdays and asked friends and family members to donate to H4A rather than give presents; Hope Teamers and club members took to social media on the GlobalGiving bonus day, securing a lot of donations and  matching funds from GG; and, finally, the Kenya trip team fundraised through their daily blog. We’re proud of all of our supporters, volunteers, and club leaders and members for doing everything they can to help provide teachers to students in Kenya.

On June 28th, in West Des Moines, Iowa, we are hosting Educators 4 Hope. Educators 4 Hope is a charity walk born out of the simple truth that teachers matter. Whether it’s in Des Moines, Iowa or Nakuru, Kenya, teachers are one of the primary influences on children’s future success. And when classrooms are understaffed, students’ quality of learning decreases. We are tapping into the passion and skills of Des Moines-area educators to help their peers in Kenya by adding teachers to struggling classrooms. Fundraising will be conducted online through GlobalGiving. You can learn more about this exciting event here.

Continue to watch our website (www.hope4africa.info), blog (http://blog.hope4africa.info/), and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/hope4africa) for more details as the event gets closer.

As our fiscal year comes to a close on June 30th, we are making an end of the year push to generate support. Whether it’s coming to Educators 4 Hope, donating through GlobalGiving, or simply posting a link to the fundraising page on Facebook, please consider supporting Hope 4 Africa this June. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us at info@hope4africa.info.

Thank you so much for your continued support!

Links:

• Visit our blog for posts from the Kenya Summer 2014 Trip