By Diane Dvorin | Co-founder & Managing Director
Great News
The Zimmer Family Foundation has granted $5000 to our Mi Hermanita (My Little Sister) program. In announcing the award, Collins Zimmer described the program as “very intriguing and unique,” highlighting the inclusion of mothers of both the big and little sisters as part of what attracted them to funding this particular program. He also expressed the foundation’s admiration for all of the work being done by the ADIMTU team in Guatemala. The Zimmer Family previously funded Women Work Together and ADIMTU two years ago.
During the 2016 academic year, ADIMTU is continuing the Mi Hermanita program with 200+ 9th grade girls from our 13 schools paired with 200+ “little sisters” who are in grades 1-3 and identified by their teachers as at high risk of dropping out. This program provides academic and emotional support that is helping to keep them in school and improve their self-confidence as learners. Simply put, staying in school secures a future for these girls that would otherwise be out of reach.
When WWT co-founder, Diane Dvorin visited San Pedro Sacatepéquez last year, she talked with an elementary school teacher in Santa Teresa who spontaneously reported that that his young students were more motivated, more successful and more excited about school as a result of this program. He wanted her to know first-hand about the huge impact Mi Hermanita is having on his students, classroom and colleagues as well as on the school community as a whole.
It is exactly this kind of success that the Zimmer Family Foundation has recognized and is funding here.
Women Work Together and ADIMTU appreciate volunteer Nico Cabrera-Schneider for his follow-up with the Zimmer Family Foundation and his continued fundraising leadership.
Yes — Numbers Tell the Story
At the conclusion of the 2015 academic year, over 90% of the girls who graduated from the Leadership Institute continued on to secondary school. This is a remarkable accomplishment and testimony to the LI’s impact on the ground. Virtually all of the girls in the Leadership Institute come from families with severe economic limitations. None the less, the girls and their families have committed to staying in school as the key to a better future for themselves, their community and their country. By comparison, only 45% of girls nationally continue their education beyond middle school.
These numbers are what caught the attention of the Ministry of Education in Guatemala. ADIMTU and the Ministry of Education are talking about how to expand this program beyond San Pedro Sacatepéquez in 2017.
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