Monthly Archives: January 2013

Sacred Valley Project

The Program | Sponsorship Breakdown | Type of Sponsorship | Photos | Videos


FAST FACTS:
• Location: Sacred Valley, Peru
• Annual Sponsorship: $1,100
• Grade Level: Secondary

Donate here!

Program:

• Sacred Valley Project students come from Quechua­-speaking rural communities, and all have parents who never completed elementary school. Those students who get accepted to the dormitory enter secondary school at a severe disadvantage to their peers, due to a language barrier. Sacred Valley Project’s goal is to not only provide students with access to formal education but also help them to continue to practice and value their historic culture and customs.

• The organization has a number of workshops, classes, and programs to help students succeed academically and to continue to practice trades that have been used in their communities for hundreds of years. For example, students participate in artisanal workshops as well as nutrition and healthy cooking classes. They have weekly seminars on social issues and personal development, and professional tutors come in to give extra support in foundational subjects such as math, Spanish, and communications. The students also receive computation classes and art and dance workshops.

• The students are actively learning to implement a peer mentorship model, and are becoming more successful with each session. Eventually, students will be ready to conduct their own mentorship workshops with each other, building a strong support base for one another.

• Sponsorship Breakdown:
Tutoring: $200
Food: $415
Boarding Costs: $425
School Supplies: $60
Total: $1,100

Type of Sponsorship:

When you sponsor a girl at Sacred Valley Project, you’ll receive her photo and bio, and be able to communicate with her as well. Supporters who contribute to a partial sponsorship will be able to write the student messages online, while those who fund a full tuition at the program will get the opportunity to exchange handwritten notes at least twice per year.

Please note it may take up to a month for a sponsorship to process.

Photos:

Videos:

Want to learn more? See our blog posts here!

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Want to Spend the Summer in Kibera?

Photo Credit: Kibera School for Girls

Applications are now open to live, work and learn at the Kibera School for Girls. Photo Credit: Kibera School for Girls

Can you imagine a more rewarding summer than spending it with the wonderful young ladies at the Kibera School for Girls? Once again, our partner school in Kenya is inviting college students to apply for the opportunity to teach and learn from the KSG community.

Since the Summer Institute’s beginning, the program has served as an incredible opportunity to connect civic-minded and engaged college students with girls who attend the Kibera Schools for Girls. Not only do participants assist with tutoring and mentoring, but they’ll be called upon to bring their passions to the classroom by exploring workshop topics of their own choice with the young girls. Weekends are spent exploring Nairobi and surrounding areas with other Kenyan and American college students.

The work is challenging, deeply meaningful and impactful and we at She’s the First are sure it will be as much of an opportunity to teach as it is to learn. If you are an undergraduate or recent graduate who is open to expanding your comfort zone and committed to women’s empowerment and education, please consider applying!

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but ultimately due by March 1, 2013. Applying early is highly encouraged. For more information on the application process, please visit here.

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Why This PR Company Rocks

Kristen Tully, leader of MMC for a Cause, with our favorite: tie-dye cupcakes

Once in a while, an email slips into our info@shesthefirst.org account and it creates an impact on She’s the First like never before. Last March, when Kristen Tully, who runs the “MMC for a Cause” team at Marina Maher Communications, reached out to us, to ask if we were interested in being their partner, our hearts jumped: YES!

For 2012, MMC set a company-wide goal that they wanted to sponsor 12 girls’ educations with us. This past week, Christen Brandt, Director of International Operations, and I guest spoke at their all-staff meeting to reveal the results:

They did not sponsor 12 girls.

They sponsored 14!!!!

How did they do it? Under Kristen’s leadership, the staff applied the same creativity that they pour into their award-winning campaigns for clients into fundraisers, like a bake-off, yoga class, raffles, and a denim day (jeans are not normally in the dress code–but one day last summer, if staffers donated, they could wear them!).

A look back at the yoga, jeans, and baking fundraisers MMC held

We hope more companies realize the power they have to make a difference through fun fundraisers that not only make a huge impact on girls’ lives by funding their education, but also give the staff an unforgettable opportunity to bond.

Is your company interested in creating a cause partnership with She’s the First? Email me! tammy@shesthefirst.org

Posted in Founder's Updates, Fundraising Ideas, Independent Fundraisers | Leave a comment

STF in Nepal: Teaching the Kids to Create Films

Did we tell you the Kopila Kids are also budding filmmakers?

With school back in full swing, it was time for Britt and I to jump head-first into our role as teachers at Kopila Valley. Since we were going to be spending so much time filming the students and the school, we decided to switch gears and put the kids behind the camera for a documentary video workshop!

Armed with five donated Flipcams (thanks to Brittany’s family!), we kicked off two days of hands-on workshops with the 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-graders. First, we held a group discussion on the basics of a documentary, and the kinds of things the students would want to document. It was fascinating to learn about the subjects they were interested in — we talked about everything from their soccer team and their teachers to more serious topics like arranged marriages. We then ran a practice interview exercise to get them asking the right questions, a task that conjured some serious giggles but also some serious reporting right off the bat. Then it was time to split into groups and start producing films!

Each group decided on a topic they could tackle within the school’s gates, and after a quick course in Flipcam basics we sent them out of the classroom with a camera, a checklist, and one hour to make a movie!

The kids had a blast interviewing each other and the staff and volunteers and getting B-roll shots of their subjects. They set scenes, tracked down the teachers who were experts on their topics, asked tough questions, and continued to giggle a lot as they interviewed each other for the first time on camera.

After the hour was up, we collected the cameras. We couldn’t wait to see what the kids had come up with! With some quick editing by Britt and myself over the next few days, the films were ready for Kopila Valley’s first-ever documentary film screening!

Everyone laughed, applauded, and cheered on their classmates as we watched their videos together in the school’s computer lab. Already, the kids were ready to talk about what they learned and how they could improve for the next round. We hear whisperings that a Kopila Valley news team will be emerging in the very near future, and I personally can’t wait to see what they churn out next!

Want to see the results? Here are a few of our favorites – and trust me, it was pretty darn tough to choose!

And we even taught the boys, too! ;)

(Photos by the fantastic Brittany Brothers and Benjamin Heiber. Videos by the uber-talented Kopila Kids, of course.)

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STF in Nepal: Shopping for Kurta Surwals

Kopila Valley took a holiday from school on the day after Christmas to recover from their big Annual Day performance, so Britt and I took advantage of the break to see the town and experience Nepali culture. The girls were impressed that we wore traditional Nepali dress (kurta surwals) on Annual Day, so we thought it was time to get our own. With the help of Hima, one of the fantastic girls we sponsor, and some of the Kopila Fellows, we set off to the market to pick out some fabric.

We were overwhelmed by walls and walls of fabric choices, but Hima stepped in to translate and help us choose (and took over as photographer – she might have a career there!).

After we made our final picks, and found matching shawls, we went for the girls’ favorite snack – chaat, which is a mixture of potatoes, chickpeas, onion, tomatoes, and a heavenly array of spices. So. Good.

The next step was a trip to the tailor to get measured for our kurta surwals to be made.

A few days later, and the results are in! The girls are incredibly impressed. Even though my hair is a bit too blonde, they think we rock the Nepali fashion. I’ve also been taught the multiple ways to wear the shawl. I’m a bit of a scarf fiend in the U.S., but these were all new to me!

How do we look?!

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Starfish International

The Program | Sponsorship Breakdown | Type of Sponsorship | Photos | Videos

FAST FACTS:
• Location: Lamin, The Gambia
• Annual Sponsorship: $625
• Grade Level: Secondary

Donate here!

The Program:
• Starfish International is a mentorship program for girls attending secondary school in Lamin, The Gambia, where the average family lives on less than $1 per day. The goal is to instill the girls with five core values: Nobility, Independence, Courtesy, Knowledge, and Service. Ultimately, each student learns that she is responsible for helping to raise her community around her.

• The student curriculum includes mentorship as well as skills classes, including small business training. Each sponsored student learns entrepreneurial skills while she starts her own small business in one of these six areas: Soap-making, lotion-making, lip balm making, vegetable-gardening, photography, or bee-keeping. Students may also take classes in sewing, embroidery, tie-dying, cooking, and electronics repair.

• Students receive tutoring in the following areas: Mathematics, English, Geography, Social and Environmental Studies, Public Speaking, Biology, Chemistry, Basic Electronics, Character Education and Co-ed Workshops.

• Sponsorship Breakdown:
Mentorship Program, Tutoring, and Extracurriculars: $433
Food Costs: $72
School Tuition: $100
Uniforms: $20
Total: $625

Type of Sponsorship:

When you sponsor a girl at Starfish International, you’ll receive her photo and bio and be able to communicate with her as well. Supporters who contribute to a partial sponsorship will be able to write the student messages online, while those who fund a full tuition at the program will get the opportunity to exchange either handwritten or emailed notes at least twice per year.

Please note it may take up to a month for a sponsorship to process.

Photos:

Videos:

Want to learn more? See our blog posts here!

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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