We are all part of the puzzle!
Have you ever spent time putting together a puzzle? So many pieces…… yet each piece is important to the big picture and unique, no matter how big or small! Each piece has a place it is needed and each piece has a role in completing the bigger picture. When it comes to women’s empowerment, there are many excellent organizations out there in the world that are all about serving women and girls in various issues. So, what makes The Angaza Project so special then?
That is easy! We joined them and turned up the volume! The Angaza Project has the same heart as so many other organizations for making a difference so we joined in on the work of empowering women around the world! By joining in, we raised the volume of the overall voice working toward economic and educational equality for women. The more that join in on making a difference, we become louder, we can cover more ground, and it means more women and girls that are engaged worldwide. This is never the work of one organization or voice, but many!
Each organization, no matter how big or small, is unique and has a place they are needed. We all have a role in the big picture of change! Unfortunately, there is more than enough work to go around or to be done. According to USAID (2015), “around the world 62 million girls are not in school, 1 in 7 girls is married before her 15th birthday, and approximately 16 million girls between the ages of 15-19 give birth each year. While women make up more than 40% of the agriculture labor force only 3% - 20% are landholders. In Africa, women-owned enterprises make up as little as 10% of all businesses. And despite representing half the global population, women compromise less than 20% of the world's legislators.”
So how can we fix this? Organizations working together on the issues, making the one voice stronger and louder on these matters and empowering women and girls is the answer! “An educated woman has a positive ripple effect on her health, family, community and society. Educated women invest 90% of their income into their family. Countries with higher levels of female secondary school enrollment have lower maternal mortality rates, infant mortality rates, lower birth rates, lower rates of HIV/AIDS, and better child nutrition” (USAID, 2015).
The Angaza Project has several areas of work that contribute to the start of that ripple effect. We have a Shining Scholars Sponsorship Program that helps girls obtain their high school education in Kenya. We also opened a skills building class for both adult women and young girls where they will learn sewing, braiding and beading that allows them to make an income with dignity. That is not all…… The Angaza Project hosts a Girls Empowerment Group on weekends in Kibera where girls receive pads and learn about assertiveness, self-worth, avoiding early pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, creating healthy boundaries, and strengthening leadership skills.
The other country that we work in currently is Mexico. In Mexico, we provide basic needs items (like soap, pads, etc.) to women who want to escape substance abuse or who have escaped domestic violence or drug/sex traffickers and found their way to a place known as The Refuge. This shelter opportunity provides a safe place to be, meals, clothes, and a community worker who holds education sessions on various topics that we help support. Often, these women left their situation in a hurry so when they make it to the steps of the Refuge, they have nothing, but what they are wearing. With your partnership, items like pads, soap, food and more can be provided to them while they are in the shelter, along with the educational materials for the classes that take place. The shelter works with the women toward reintegration into a new community over appropriate time.
So… join us in our work! By joining us, you turn up the volume even more on the voice for gender equality in economic and education opportunities for women around the world! Contact us to learn how you can sponsor a student in our Shining Scholar’s Sponsorship Program, support the skills building classes with needed supplies to serve more women and girls in Kenya, or support the emergency basic needs items and education sessions for the women who narrowly escaped danger in Mexico. Questions? Just reach out to us! We would be happy to hear from you!