We are pleased to announce that as part of #GivingTuesday 2020, Good for Girls will match all funds raised for the Girls Gotta Run Foundation’s Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund (up to their goal of $1500). All proceeds go towards supporting the athletic scholars and their families in this difficult time. Read more below for how the funds will be used.

• Increased Access to Hygiene Facilities and Materials: Increased provision of soap, access to safe hygiene facilities, and disbursement of sanitary pads. Local public health officers are present during the distribution of hygiene materials to provide awareness on how to protect oneself and one’s community during this outbreak.
• Free Lunches and Snacks: GGRF students will have access to our lunch program throughout the duration of school closures.
• Savings Groups: The GGRF Savings Groups provide access to the groups’ collective savings as well as grants and loans that are of critical importance at this time. All members will be able to access these resources at this time while observing best practices in social distancing.
• Medical Subsidy: Students will continue to have access to a medical subsidy to cover any necessary medical costs during this time.

To all those who came to our little party yesterday to celebrate with us, and to those who couldn’t make it but still made a donation anyway – THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS.

It was a joyful, magical evening, filled with warmth, laughter, yummy things to eat and drink, and amazing stories from a truly remarkable man, and famed photojournalist – John Isaac.

Big appreciation to the all-volunteer Board who pulled this event off in under 2 weeks, and to our fabulous host Dave of David Dupuy Studios.

And did we mention that…WE SMASHED OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL???

Happy holidays to one and all from the Good for Girls Team!

As we head into our Holiday Party fundraiser tonight, we are just inches away from reaching our fundraising goal! A big, heartfelt thank you to all of our friends and supporters for contributing to our cause – we are deeply grateful.

Our speaker tonight, photojournalist John Isaac, has generously donated a beautiful print for auction. Bids start at $500 and will open from 10am Dec 11th until 10am Dec 12th. To place a bid, please email projectgoodforgirls@gmail.com with your full name and contact number. 

If you’re in NYC this December, please join us at the Good for Girls Holiday Party 2019!!

Dec 11th, 7-9.30pm
Hosted by Dave Dupuy Studios, 151 W 19th St, Unit 5C, New York

Minimum donation: $50/person*
(*all proceeds tax-exempt to the extent possible by law; only limited tickets available at the door so please purchase online in advance)

To rsvp and purchase tickets: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/good-for-girls-holiday-party-2019

Special guest speaker:  John Isaac, former UN photographer
 “The Pictures I Didn’t Take”

John Isaac worked for the United Nations as a photojournalist for over 20 years. Many of his assignments were in conflict and humanitarian crisis situations including the Israel/Lebanon conflict, the Vietnamese ‘boat people’ crisis, the Ethiopian draught, the Iran/Iraq conflict, and the humanitarian situations in Bosnia and Rwanda. After his retirement from the United Nations he became a wildlife photographer, continuing today to especially document threatened species like the tigers of India. 

John’s 45-year career has led to many national and international awards including Picture of the Year (1985), Professional photographer of the year (Photographic Manufacturers and Distributors Association, 1993), and the Lifetime Achievement award (2000) from the International Photographic Council. In 1991, the legendary Audrey Hepburn chose one of John’s photographs of her as one of her all time favorites for American Photo Magazine. In 1997 his exclusive photo of Michael Jackson’s first child Prince (1997) was featured in more that 350 international magazines.

To all our friends, supporters and generous donors, we are grateful for you.

Because of you, girls are getting the educational opportunities they would never have had before, so THANK YOU for walking our walk with us.

Athletic scholars, Ethiopia. (Image courtesy of GGRF)

Help us raise $5000 to support our program partnerships for 2020!

Proceeds will go to supporting the launch of the third Girls Gotta Run athletic scholarship program, this time in the acclaimed coffee-growing region, Agaro (where coffee was discovered!) 

No amount is too little, every penny counts, as the grants we provide to our partners, with your support, may be small but very impactful.

Our grants help pilot or expand initiatives by small, on-the-ground organizations who work directly with girls and young women at risk. Our scholarships help remove financial burdens which can limit opportunities for girls, while also recognizing the hard work, motivation and inspiration that drives them to do better for themselves and their families. Importantly, because our grants are part of a long-term partnership and not one-off or ad-hoc, this helps our partners better budget and plan their programs each year, helping to ensure their work is sustainable.

Click here to donate!
(or copy/paste this link into your browser: https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/good-for-girls-annual-fundraiser-2019)

WHAT ARE YOU HELPING US TO DO?

Partner – Girls Gotta Run Foundation

Since 2014, Good for Girls has partnered with the Girls Gotta Run Foundation in Ethiopia, where child marriage is a serious challenge and girls are often taken out of school once they reach puberty. We have helped them pilot and expand initiatives that reach girls through athletics and a life skills program.

Through scholarships, girls train as runners, and learn about issues that affect their lives such as nutrition, healthy relationships, and financial literacy. The running team represents a ‘safe space’ and peer-support group, and the scholarships help remove any financial burdens on the girls’ families so they can stay enrolled in school.

We also support Savings Groups for the mothers of these girls (many of whom are single mothers) to provide a peer-learning environment where they can better their livelihood skills to support their families.

In 2017, the very first co-hort of 15 girls graduated from the 3-year program – all are continuing their education, and all are no longer at risk of child marriage (read more: https://goodforgirls.org/2017/11/13/first-cohort-of-athletic-scholars-graduate/). Today, we help GGRF support over 200 girls and their mothers. 

In 2019, we were also proud to support the new GGRF Alumni program which gives tuition assistance to graduated girls from the GGRF program who want to go on to 11th and 12 grades. Only a tiny fraction of women throughout the country complete this ‘pre-college’ level of education.

Partner – LA County Dept for Children and Family Services

In 2019, we continued to award small, but meaningful scholarships to young women, through the Los Angeles County Department for Children and Family Services. Two of our recipients, who grew up in the foster care system, are entering their sophomore year of college.

East Brooklyn Community High School

Finally, in May 2019, we provided a small stipend to 7 girls in the graduating group of East Brooklyn Community High School, a transfer school that helps get kids back on track with a second chance at getting a High School diploma. The girls used the stipend to get dresses for the prom, or pay for childcare so they could attend.

It might be called Intl Women’s Day, and while we women love to be made to feel special, what today really is about is gender equality. It’s about leveling the playing field for women and girls, about stepping up to stop gender-based discrimination, bias and injustic

And that’s where YOU come in.

You stepped up to help us give disadvantaged girls a better chance to get an education and learn important life skills. So today is for you. Thank you for being a champion for women and girls  – it’s what makes this day so meaningful.

And now… here’s a quick update from our partner Girls Gotta Run in Ethiopia. A few months ago, we told you about the mothers of the athletic scholars in Bekoji .* We told you about how the program is also helping the girls’ moms, through a Savings Group, where they get together once a week to save money and learn from each other about entrepreneurship. The moms were hoping to set up a shop in the local market so they could sell their goods collectively and ensure a steady income.

Well…THEY DID IT! The Mothers’ Shop was launched at the end of 2018, and it’s been doing really well. The moms work in shifts and often bring their little kids along as well. And the collective income they’re earning is far more than what they would have earned on their own.

As the head of the Bekoji Town Women’s and Children’s Affairs Office said: ” The women started saving from scratch and grew into a strong social enterprise. They created their own jobs. Many of the mothers had nothing when they started in the savings group, and now two years later they have started a business together. They can now sell their goods everyday instead of only on market days.”

Pics by @wolfferine, courtesy of GGRF

In our third and final installment of stories from teen girls from the foster care system in LA who are on their way to college, we hear from Alondra, who  not only possesses the determination to chase her dreams, but also aspires to become a lawyer so she can make a difference in the lives of others, and “represent those that can’t represent themselves” .

[Names have been changed to protect identities.]