The results are in. There is no question that one of the most effective, most sustainable investments in any society is educating its girls. Families benefit; local economies benefit; the girls themselves have higher incomes and fewer, but healthier children. And the girls themselves have more and more of a voice in their life choices. One could even call that increased independence.

And so, of all the wonderful things our Gambian team accomplished in the current school year with donated funds, surely among of the most impactful were the scholarships that allowed more than 200 teen-aged young women to stay in school.  As July 4th approaches, let us tell you about four of them.

Maimuna J.

When the second of Maimuna's parents died, the relatives who took her in decided to find her a husband. She refused. They would not support her schooling, so she looked for another way. After some time out of school, she found GambiaRising's Community Coordinator and went to his home to plead her case. Thanks to our donors, Maimuna was able to go back to school, and at age 22, she accomplished what only 1 in 30 low-income Gambian girls achieve; she completed 12th grade, at Masroor Senior Secondary School..

*****

Jainaba N.

Jainaba, her two sisters, and her mom, share one bedroom in Sinchu Alhagie; her mother is barely able to feed the family by selling groundnuts (peanuts) outsider her gate. When we met Jainaba in 2014, she and her sisters had left school. We always have a waiting list, but with new donations that fall, we were able to accept Jainaba for support and she went back to 9th grade. (The next fall, we had enough new donations for her sisters as well, but when their house burned in a fire caused by a candle, they asked if they could use the funds to replace the roof instead. So it was finally in 2016 that both her sisters also returned to school; at age 15 and 18 they are in grades 6 and 8.)  And this June, Jainaba accomplished what only 3% of low-income Gambian girls achieve; she completed 12th grade at Mingdow Senior Secondary School.

*****

Yassin N.

Yassin is from the remote upcountry village of Sare Geda, in The Gambia's Upper River Region.  Four years ago, she ran away from home when her parents decided to force her into early marriage.  She appealed to distant relatives in a town in the Kombo (near the coast) for a place to stay. They agreed to shelter and feed her, but told her they had no funds for her to return to school.  But she did not give up hope, and by word of mouth heard about GambiaRising and came to visit our Community Coordintor.  He wrote up her case, took a photo, and added her to our waiting list. In the fall of 2015, with donations from our Back-to-School campaign, Yassin was able to start senior secondary school, at Banjulinding Senior Secondary School, where she is thrilled to have just completed 12th grade.

*****

Haddy T.

Ebrima Sanneh was a GambiaRising scholarship students before there was GambiaRising. He was one of two interns at Peace Corps when I was Country Director and I realized that budget cuts were likely to eliminate the internship program after I left. So some friends and I offered to support him to study for his degree in accounting. He is now an accountant, and also now serves as one of our volunteer Community Coordinators.

Three years ago, Ebrima was waiting for a taxi to go to work when a girl approached him on the street: "I understand you help girls go to school," she said. Her name was Haddy, and she explained that her father had died, her mother had re-married and her stepfather stopped supporting her schooling and had picked out a husband for her. She had refused but had no way to  go back to school. Thanks to new donations we received , we were able to offer her a scholarship, and this June, Haddy completed Nusrat Senior Secondary School.  Now she'd like to thank you:

Life will still not be easy for these young women. The economy is weak; the society is still male dominated. But there can be no doubt that they will have a higher degree of independence because they stayed in school, they had time to grow up, they got an education, they learned valuable skills, and most importantly, they gained a greater sense of confidence in themselves.

There is no secret to GambiaRising. The number of such young Gambians we can support is 100% determined by how many people include them in their giving plans. Most of our donations now come monthly, which provides wonderful continuity. (Also, $10 per month produces does 20% more good than $100 once a year!) But however it comes, the shape of these young Gambians' lives literally depends on each of us stepping up, every year.

They deserve it.

Our first priority must be to support single student we are already supporting. Therefore we must count on our donors to remember these students every year. And then we hope (and pray) that new donors will join us, since that is the only way we will be able to offer support to new students. 

Our zero-overhead model means that we can do a remarkable amount of good with a small number of dollars; it is surely one of the greatest returns on investment I have ever seen. Compared to the costs, the difference in their lives is so great, that we simply must come through every month, every year. For $15 per month, we can support a girl in high school. And for $5 per month, two girls can start or go back to elementary school.  

Think about how different their lives will be if they have that chance.

While we celebrate our recent graduates, we are already planning for September. If you are not doing so already, even $5 or $15 per month can make such a difference in the lives of young Gambians. And if you give annually, it is not too early to let us know you're standing with our students in the new school year.

And we have only one source of funding: you.

It takes so little to change a life

Thank you so much.

Mike McConnell
Managing Trustee, GambiaRising
www.gambiarising.org
www.facebook.com/gambiarising