Fortunately, data related to global efforts to educate girls (The “Girl Effect”) is extremely encouraging.  A girl in the developing world with 7 or more years of education marries 4 years later and has 2.2 fewer children. Each year of secondary school boosts her future wages by 15-25%.  Additionally, she invests 90% of her earnings back into her family (versus only 30-40% for a man). Clearly, excluded Mayan girls in Guatemala have a great capacity to become powerful agents of change.

Founded in 2007, Starfish One by One (SF1by1) is unleashing the power of the “Girl Effect” among some of Guatemala’s poorest families and communities. The program targets girls otherwise unable to continue their studies beyond the 6^th grade.  It then guides their educational and empowerment process through the 12^th grade.  Through its integrated approach that combines partial academic scholarships, consistent peer support, and personalized guidance from a community-based mentor, SF1by1 is educating and empowering the next generation of indigenous female leaders in Guatemala.  Few Mayan females overcome the pressures of the “double burden” (lost labor + school fees) that education represents.  Yet SF1by1 has a proven model in which fully 95% of its beneficiaries are academically successful and continue in the program.

The M. Night Shyamalan Foundation is delighted to partner with Starfish One by One, and has granted them $12,000 to help cover the costs of two mentors for their Bridge program. The BRIDGE program targets 28 high-school aged students, and focuses on assessing interests and talents, professional skills and planning, practical experience, and networking.  Graduates of the BRIDGE Program will be completely ready for the transition from secondary schooling to the next step, whether it is formal employment, a small business, or university (or all 3).

Go here to learn more about Starfish One by One.

Research finds that ⅔ of the achievement gap among high school students is attributable to summer learning loss during the elementary school years. By 8^th grade, these losses accumulate to a two-year wedge between low and higher-income peers. Underlying the achievement gap is the reality that year-round access to learning is a socioeconomic luxury.

Springboard Collaborative works to close the literacy gap by using a three-pronged approach to transform the summer from a barrier into a springboard for financially disadvantaged students. They coach teachers in data-driven instruction to lead K-3 students toward reading growth goals; equip parents with effective strategies to drive achievement at home; and award educational incentives in proportion to student gains.

In Summer 2011, Springboard launched a pilot that enabled 42 students to learn at 3 times the expected rate and increased parent attendance from 10% at school-year events to 94% at weekly workshops. By replacing a 3-month loss with a 4-month gain, each summer of enrollment doubles students’ annual reading progress.  Over 4 summers of re-enrollment, this accumulates to a gain of 2.8 academic years and closes the reading achievement gap.

We are thrilled to be partnering with Alejandro as he begins to scale his programming and we are excited to see how he will continue to positively impact the education scene here in Philadelphia.

To learn more about Springboard Collaborative go here.

Our visit with Usha and the community proved to be an extremely moving and inspiring time for us. We had time to meet with the community members, both men and women, and speak with them about how their lives have changed since receiving skills training and employment as a direct result of this project.

The change was palpable.  The community itself has a different look and feel- it is bright and joyful. Kids are playing, vendors are selling, the majority of homes are now made of concrete instead of tin, and most of all, the people seem to have a sense of confidence that was missing last visit.

When we had first visited with the community in 2007, there was very little activity. Most of the women had no jobs and were housewives or domestic workers making no salary, or an average salary of 300-800 rupees a month. ($5-$15USD) All the women in the community have since received skills training in markets such as garment and sewing, computer skills, catering and cooking, making ceramic teeth, and milk processing. Early results show that all of these women are either employed by a business, working as a group or collective, or self-employed, and have increased their livelihood to as much as $56USD per month.

More importantly, the women expressed a feeling of happiness that they said they did not have prior to the job training program. They have their own income now and do not have to rely on their husbands. They also have confidence and the ability to pursue other interests if they please.

The men also received training if they were interested, and many have received gainful employment as a result, including government jobs which were never accessible prior to this training.

As we continue to evaluate this grant we will post more results. Have a look at the photos
on our media page which clearly tell this transformative story.

• To learn about the event, visit the event website.
• And to inquire about how to get an invitation, send a note through our contact page!

Jubilee Project, a non-profit which focuses on creating videos that insprire change, will capture your stories about small acts of kindness that have changed your life and feature them in an impactful video. The video along with the final artwork complete with fingerprints will be  featured in an art exhibition late July and posted online to this website, more details to come.

• See more about this Givology event here and here.

• Increase school enrollment for girls who no longer have to walk 15+ miles per day in search of water
• Decrease in miscarriages, which were common because of the long searches for water
• Decrease in intestinal and digestive issues due to unclean water
• Increase in livestock farming with water trough systems
• The simple benefits of clean clothes
• Increased time for other initiatives

In 2008, MNSF gave a $6,500 grant to the Samburu Project for the purchase of a generator, helping to complete a drip irrigation farming system for the Milimani Women’s group. Recently we had time to look at some of the benefits of this grant and the results are astounding!  In fact, MNSF recently awarded The Samburu Project  a second grant of $16,500 to implement a second farming initiative. Some of the results from the  first farming initiative include:

• 150,000 individuals now have access to locally grown, fresh produce for the first time
• The women’s agricultural group produces food for their families, regardless of rainfall
• Income for farming group increased from $6,000 USD annually to approximately $52,000 USD annually
• Women now employ workers, including their husbands, at their farm
• The group is making no-interest loans available to themselves and other community members for business  development

As one of the most arid regions in Kenya, this gift of water is life-giving to the Samburu People, and this new grant will enable them to continue to sustainably develop and thrive as they work to improve the community in which they live.

Launched in March 2008 by students at the University of Pennsylvania, Givology is an internet online giving marketplace for education that leverages small dollar donations to support grassroots projects and student scholarships in the developing world. Learn more about Givology at givology.com!

• What: Givology “10,000 for 10 Schools” Auction Benefit for Educati­on
• When: Friday, March 11th, 2011, 7-10pm
• Where: Hudson Bar at the Hudson Hotel (356 West 58th Street, between 8th and 9th Ave, NYC)

** General Admission: FREE with donations of your choice suggested and RSVP requested*

• Visit http://www.10schools.org/rsvp.html to *RSVP* and donate online.

Also, read a previous NY Times article about Valentino here.