Empowering Girls in The Gambia
Tax deductible
***Please find a video presentation about our mission and supporting girls in The Gambia throughout COVID-19 here ***
Dear Starfish Friend and Supporter,
Starfish International is a non-profit organization devoted to providing a well-rounded, quality education to girls in The Gambia, West Africa.
The core of our organization is service to humanity, and so everything we do is reflected in this virtue because we believe that girls' education, in particular, is the key to mitigating or even remedying humanity's issues. We educate many girls (and boys) each year, giving them access to numerous resources and opportunities they can use to further themselves and their communities.
COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way we are able to interact with and help our students and communities. Travel and service-learning opportunities have come to a halt due to the pandemic. Funding revenues (from volunteer programs) that we would normally use to invest in projects that move us closer towards our goals have been significantly reduced.
We had to shut down all in-person programs and move all activities online. Only 60% of our students are able to access smartphones and the internet to participate in these online sessions and most of them are located in urban Gambia. The remaining 40% of the students who do not have internet or smartphone access are mostly from our rural chapters.
Starfish International had been sending mentors to these rural chapters to lead skills training programs for these girls who have the longest path to walk in attaining a well-rounded development. However, due to COVID-19, no visits or in-person training has been conducted for these girls since March 2020.
We are focused on expanding access to online programming for our students. Through this event, we are asking for your help to fund the purchase of smartphones and data plans for our rural chapters, as well as the learning materials needed for online classes and engagement opportunities. Together, we can uplift Gambian girls by providing them with access to advanced education and critical life skills.
Please find the video recording of our virtual fundraiser and overview of Starfish International and the impact of our online programming here .
You can also learn more about our organization and programming here .
Dear Starfish Friend and Supporter,
Starfish International is a non-profit organization devoted to providing a well-rounded, quality education to girls in The Gambia, West Africa.
The core of our organization is service to humanity, and so everything we do is reflected in this virtue because we believe that girls' education, in particular, is the key to mitigating or even remedying humanity's issues. We educate many girls (and boys) each year, giving them access to numerous resources and opportunities they can use to further themselves and their communities.
COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way we are able to interact with and help our students and communities. Travel and service-learning opportunities have come to a halt due to the pandemic. Funding revenues (from volunteer programs) that we would normally use to invest in projects that move us closer towards our goals have been significantly reduced.
We had to shut down all in-person programs and move all activities online. Only 60% of our students are able to access smartphones and the internet to participate in these online sessions and most of them are located in urban Gambia. The remaining 40% of the students who do not have internet or smartphone access are mostly from our rural chapters.
Starfish International had been sending mentors to these rural chapters to lead skills training programs for these girls who have the longest path to walk in attaining a well-rounded development. However, due to COVID-19, no visits or in-person training has been conducted for these girls since March 2020.
We are focused on expanding access to online programming for our students. Through this event, we are asking for your help to fund the purchase of smartphones and data plans for our rural chapters, as well as the learning materials needed for online classes and engagement opportunities. Together, we can uplift Gambian girls by providing them with access to advanced education and critical life skills.
Please find the video recording of our virtual fundraiser and overview of Starfish International and the impact of our online programming here .
You can also learn more about our organization and programming here .
Co-organizers (3)
Jordan Lubkeman
Organizer
New York, NY
Starfish International
Beneficiary
Fatoumata Jaiteh
Co-organizer
Zimu Cao
Co-organizer