The Girl Effect

I joined the Girl Effect campaign created by Tara Mohr, writer/blogger extraordinaire….I am so moved by the work that The Girl Effect organization is doing that I want to share it with you.

Girls all around the world are at a crossroads and need help…some amazing facts from The Girl Effect:

From the Ameena team: The small and isolated village of Kiang’ombe has hundreds of young children who are struggling daily for their basic needs and have no opportunity for education or developmentally enriching experiences of any kind.  Village elders and the local leaders are so excited about the chance for something positive for their children that they have offered the Ameena Project the free use of an abandoned school house and full community support.

Regular nourishment, academic instruction, and structured social activities are a powerful combination almost all children in the western world enjoy.  Children in extreme poverty literally come alive when they are given these three basic elements of healthy development.  When parents know their children have a safe and nurturing place to spend their days, they are often freed up to seek employment themselves, multiplying the positive impact on family systems.  When the youngest and most vulnerable children in a community begin to do better, it has a tremendous impact on the community as a whole.  Adults consumed with worry over their malnourished children are transformed when they hear the sounds of singing, see children playing together again (or maybe for the first time), and feel the relief that comes from seeing joy and hope in their child’s eyes.

* * *

Shari’s background: She owns and operates an advertising agency here in Portland. As an Ameena volunteer, she has played integral roles on very successful capital campaigns and has been instrumental in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable giving.  Shari came to Kenya in 2009 and was forever changed by what she witnessed.  The profound level of need that is a reality for countless children and the dramatic impact that can be realized through targeted, well managed interventions has left her with an unquenchable desire to help the most needy.

If you wish to help or donate to this incredible project, please  email me (the Ameena site is brand new and not set up for donations) and I will put you in contact with Ameena directly.

I think I might have a trip to Kenya…camera in hand…in my future. Images can speak louder than words in so many ways.

OX.