Grantee Spotlight: EKARI Foundation
If you haven’t visited our Facebook page lately- you might have missed the post that included a picture of the letter sent to us by six young women in Malawi who have benefitted from the Circle of Sisterhood grant program. We can’t think of a more perfect way to thank our donors and to announce that the EKARI Foundation is a Circle of Sisterhood grant recipient for 2013. The EKARI Foundation’s vision of creating “empowered communities leading self-sustaining lives of dignity and peace,” clearly aligns with the Circle of Sisterhood’s mission.
This grant will enable Jenipher M, Rosina, Patuma, Jenipher C, Patricia, and Falida to stay in school. Jenipher M, Jenipher C, Rosina, and Patuma will be able to attend their sophomore year in a government run secondary school. Patricia, also a sophomore, is one of very few women who have been accepted to attend a Catholic run secondary school, which will provide her the highest quality education available in southern Malawi. Falida will be attending the 7th grade at a private primary school.
The Circle of Sisterhood was fortunate enough to be able to provide the full funding requested, and the nearly $3,600 granted will cover the costs of tuition, boarding fees, tutoring costs, meal programs, uniforms, and transportation home during holidays for these six women. This will also include basic necessities such as soap, feminine products, notebooks and an allowance for additional school needs such as a calculator for these six young women.
The impact that this grant will have on these women is tremendous. The women say it the best themselves, “The assistance that your organization is offering to us as students, is highly and warmly welcomed. Since this will make the basic foundation of our bright future as we are now able to concentrate on our studies…”. Thank you to all of our 2012 campus and alumnae donors who have made the future brighter for these six wonderful young women.
This blog was written by Kaitlin Kirk. Kirk is a volunteer with the Circle of Sisterhood, working primarily with the marketing committee. She is currently finishing her last semester of graduate school at Illinois State University in College Student Personnel Administration. She currently works for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life at Illinois State. Kaitlin is a proud member of Sigma Kappa Sorority.