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Kenya Keys unlocks the potential of students in impoverished Kenyan communities, raising awareness and bridging cultures to provide education, mentorship, leadership development and girl empowerment opportunities. In the rural Kinango District of Kenya there are many obstacles to education, but there is one organization working hard to remove those barriers for as many young Kenyans as possible. That group is Kenya Keys and its purpose is to unlock the enormous potential of young people in Kenya. Kenya Keys is a vibrant demonstration that one person really can make a big difference. In June 2005, Rinda Hayes and her daughter traveled to the remote village of Bahakwenu in the impoverished Kinango District in Kenya. Rinda was stunned by the extreme poverty she found in Bahakwenu. She was also inspired by the tenacity of the children in the village, who longed to get an education. She had never observed such a single-minded desire to learn. Perhaps no Kenyan impressed Rinda more than Joseph Mwengea, the Headmaster of Bahakwenu Primary School. Joseph is an intelligent and driven man and a determined advocate for his students. As he and Rinda met together during her first visit to his village, he pleaded with her to help him help the students of Bahakwenu. He watched bright and capable students leave primary school with little or no hope of attending secondary school due to their inability to pay the required fees. After her visit, Rinda was determined to share her stories of this community and the people who had so impressed her with her friends in the United States. She believed she could find caring American individuals and families that would be able to provide financial support for top Kenyan students, enabling these students to complete a secondary education. The Kenya Keys sponsorship program began with 14 students. Five years later it became the nonprofit organization of Kenya Keys. Kenya Keys has supported hundreds of students - to secondary school and now into college and university. And that's not all. Kenya Keys' work has expanded to include multiple worthwhile related programs. Kenya Keys works with local communities to improve educational infrastructure and resources, such as libraries, dormitories, classrooms, desks, and more. The Kenya Keys Boards of Directors (one in the U.S. and one in Kenya) also provide financial and other support to grassroots organizations run by local Kenyan community leaders and councils. Each of these components of Kenya Keys' efforts in rural Kenya is described more fully in the following section. Everything Kenya Keys does is guided by its founding principles: First, education is the primary key to unlocking potential, both for the individual and for the community. Second, cultural awareness and exchange is vital and enriching for all participants. We live in an increasingly connected world, and exposure to new cultures and ideas is key to creating understanding and appreciation for one's own culture and for the cultures of others. Third, opportunities, not handouts, are what make a lasting difference. There should be no giving of things that run out or wear out. Giving such things only increases dependency, invites discontent, and isolates the givers from the receivers. Instead, giving should empower the receiver and provide an enduring benefit. Fourth: volunteerism is fundamental to the success of an organization. Nonprofit groups run by volunteers remain strong and dynamic. Volunteerism also connects global citizens in a meaningful way. Fifth, education provides the best defense against the ranges of poverty and hopelessness, and is the greatest catalyst for change and growth. Sixth, all critical decisions should be made by local leaders and councils. Local leaders and community members know their own needs and circumstances far better than any outsider, however well-intentioned. Allowing local people to make key decisions gives them vital ownership and accountability. It also provides the opportunity for these individuals to develop crucial leadership skills. Kenyans will always find the best solutions to the deep-seated challenges in their communities. Finally, education and the development of leadership skills in today's youth is critical to building the future leaders of Kenya.

Currently Ubeci serves approximately 600 children, many who live on the streets of Quito, with an educational break during the day, at six different markets. Each day staff and volunteers get on a bus and go to a market, carrying canopies, mats, toys, school supplies and sports equipment; and set up an area to provide educational, social and recreational services. The market children are often required to spend up to 12 hours a day in a stall at the market helping bag produce and keeping the stall clean. Due to a lack of ability to earn adequate wages in the market to pay for basic needs, children often work so enough money can be earned to survive. Children first wash their hands with soap and water, both from necessity and to learn basic hygiene. Children between the ages of 1 and 17 engage in various activities each day, sometimes with younger siblings in attendance, because a 5 year old will be responsible for caring for a one or two year old sibling. Volunteers and staff assume responsibility for the young sibling while the older child participates in the program. Children are provided with educational toys, such as legos, puppets, etc., and are encouraged to play with others. Play allows children to develop creativity and imagination while developing physical, cognitive, and emotional strengths. Play is essential to developing social and emotional ties, and allow children who have been working to once again be a child. Older children will receive help with homework if attending school or have the opportunity to draw or read. Next. children are divided into three age groups in order to engage in appropriate learning activities. Younger children can engage in coloring a worksheet that may describe various objects, feelings, or activities which is then incorporated into a lesson which helps the young children gain a better understanding of basic elements of math, hygiene, health, language, self-respect and self-awareness. Worksheets and activities are more challenging for the older groups of children. All activities employ fun as a way to build interest, maintain interest and focus and increase success. After sitting, they are often in need of movement at this point, which is offered in the form of organized, cooperative, and fun games and activities. Children may engage in a three legged race, play different versions of tag, or a game of soccer. Organized games teach important life lessons from play that is often missing from work in the market. Children engage in a song that involves movement and another lesson often in relation to self-awareness and positive self-concept. Children are then allowed to choose an activity or receive additional help with school work. Many children are able to walk from their parents stall to the program on their own. However, others are picked by staff at their parents stall at the beginning of the program and then are returned to the stall after the program ends, a short but important form of transportation, to help all the children in the market participate. Goals of the Play Do and Learn Program Provide street children and at-risk children with a needed break from working in the stall and/or having to provide care for a younger sibling. Provide educational services to children who are either not in school or have limited school, to augment their learning and promote the importance of learning. Foster a positive self-concept in at-risk/street children who have experienced many challenges including various forms of discrimination including gender and class; lack of basic necessities: food, shelter, health care, clothing and education and a time and place to be a child. Provide an opportunity for parents to see and understand the value of education, many who have not had the opportunity for school, in a manner that provides an step between full time school and working full time in the market. Provide support so that children are able to enroll in and stay in school, so they have more and better options for earning a livable wage. Offer girls, who often have less options than boys in Ecuador, a more level playing field in terms of self-concept, educational opportunities and the ability to be more self-sufficient. Program Accomplishments Approximately of all the school age children in the Play Do and Learn program enroll in school and stay in school during the year due largely to the services provided before school age and ongoing support once enrolled in school. Services have been increased over the years so that over 600 children in 6 different markets receive program services. Due to the strength of the program and support from around the world, the program has survived for 20 years. Have employed three direct service providers whose energy and dedication to the program is evidenced by working long hours in the markets of Quito, regardless of conditions, and always placing the needs of the children first. Have developed and nurtured a relationship with IVHQ, which results in over 250 volunteers a year spending between two and twelve weeks a year, providing 15,000 hours of service per year at a value of a donation of $300,000 per year, keeping operating expenses to $60,000 per year. Have developed the local support and partnership with the best university in Ecuador, The Universidad of San Francisco who provides, student interns and materials for student supply kits each year. Christmas Campaign: Each December students in the Play, Do, Learn Program receive a gift from Ubeci consisting of food (such as candy, juice, cakes, sandwiches, etc.) and clothing. Children participating in the program often are unable to celebrate Christmas as many children around the world, due to lack of resources to obtain basic day-to-day living necessities. The total value of the food and clothing given to each child is approximately $15.00. School Supplies: In October, each child who participates in the Play Do and Learn Program will receive a kit of student supplies, which includes notebooks, pencils, pens, colored pencils, crayons, erasers and glue. The value of each kit is approximately $12.00. The kits are distributed to the child and parent.

Our mission is to expose a diverse population of young girls to a high-quality STEM academy that inspires confidence in their pursuit of learning throughout the year.

Education for All Girls in the Slums in Ghana

Our mission is to create a new reality for girls in poverty. We will pursue this mission by building an international network of Justice Centers which speak up for the poor, particularly girls in poverty.

our mission is to enable women and girls in their unique capacity to change their communities. we do so by providing a platform for economic empowerment , self autonomy, girl power, movement building and advocacy.

We want to bring hope and healing to the estimated 35000 girls and women that are working in the sex industry in Pattaya, Thailand At the core of Tamar's heart is our desire to provide the girls with an alternative to the often devastating job as a bar girl (prostitute). To achieve this goal we deploy various activities to help the girls each step of their way to a new life. We reach out to the girls working in the bars, through: Bar outreach Banquet parties Pregnancy counseling English Class We offer vocational trainings to the girls who stepped out of their work in the bars, to prepare them for a new life with new ways to earn a living: Card crafting Hairdressing Bakery / Restaurant Business training Accommodation Nursery We deploy reconnection and prevention programs in Issan, the area in North-Eastern Thailand (where most of the girls come from): Prevention Center Khorat Prevention Center Chaiyaphum

The Girlz with Goals Leadership Center is a grassroots movement and community-based organization working to help girls of all backgrounds develop the qualities needed to become future leaders. At Girlz with Goals we believe in the development and growth of every girl. Our program strives to inspire girls to be strong, beautiful and brilliant with programming that focuses on academic achievement, a healthy lifestyle, and life-skills. Our programs teach girls to develop a love of learning, manage money, develop healthy relationships, deal with peer pressure, critically examine global events, and be physically active. All programs are designed to drive positive outcomes for girls and reinforce necessary life skills.

To improve the quality of life of children, young people and women living in the slum through the provision of quality education, affordable housing, health care and socio economic empowerment Akili Girls Preparatory School strives to provide underprivileged girls in Kisumu County with affordable quality education that will help them to break the cycle of poverty. The project goal is to generate sufficient income through focussing on horticulture, poultry, dairy cows, and renewable energy systems so as to meet educational, nutritional and medical support needs of the girls we support. This project aims to support at least 200 orphans and vulnerable girls between 3 and 14 years by the year 2020. The primary target group are girls from the lowest income populations, particularly those who are affected by the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Obunga slum and Obambo village in Kisumu County. We will enroll 5 fee paying students in every class to enable parents who are able to pay fees to participate in the education of needy girls. The strategy we have adopted to provide quality education to these girls is through the establishment of a boarding school known as Akili Girls Preparatory School which will provide holistic education that addresses both the physical and emotional needs of the girls while creating dignity through self-reliance

To provide education for poor children and provide skills to girls and women to improve their lives

Soroptimist International is a global volunteer movement working together to transform the lives of women and girls. Our network of around 76,000 club members in 120 countries and territories works at a local, national and international level to educate, empower and enable opportunities for women and girls.

Cherish Others Organisation- Kenya was registered in 2004 as a local non-governmental organization dedicated to uplift the lives of the vulnerable members of the community that include the women, girl child, the youth and the orphans. Cherish Others exists to improve the livelihoods of the resource poor communities through information sharing, education and providing support and care while working with them towards reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence within their environment. The organization contributes to advocacy campaigns on issues affecting the girl child, such as education, girl child rights and adolescent pregnancies. It is also involved in mentoring young girls for professional development by conducting alternative rite of passage ceremonies.