Kurandza 2018 Impact Report + 2019 Goals
In a short time, Kurandza has come a long way. If you follow us on Instagram, you have heard a bit about our founder, Elisabetta, and our Country Director, Percina's stories. Just in case you missed it, we will sum it all up by saying that Kurandza hasn't come to fruition overnight. Years of hard work, dreaming, and collaboration has led us to where we are today.
As 2019 opens its blank, fresh pages, we have big dreams that we can't wait to carry out. And first, before we can move forward, we think it's important to look back.
This post is all about our Impact thus far. Since our very beginning as a women's sewing cooperative, until this year, when we will be sending 200 sweet girls to school. Looking back inspires us to keep pushing forward. Keep reading and youβll also get a sneak peek into our goals for 2019!
Because of you, we've...
- FUNDED A pre-school dormitory:
Our partner pre-school in southern Mozambique was in dire need of a nap-time dormitory! The children were sleeping on the floor in the cafeteria during their nap-time, which wasnβt ideal for many reasons, including the smoke from the kitchen and sanitation purposes. So the Kurandza community joined together and raised funds to build a dormitory! The first phase of construction has been completed, and they are busy working on the rest so that the kids can start using the dormitory this school year!
- ACCOMPLISHED OUR FIRST SPONSORED SCHOOL YEAR FOR 100+ girls:
Weβre happy to announce that all of the girls that participated in Kurandzaβs first sponsored year of school through the 2017 #IStandForGirls campaign passed their studies and graduated to the next grade! We had no drop outs due to pregnancy or child marriages, and our girls have demonstrated higher academic abilities and improved behavior after participating in our program!
-RAISED FUNDS TO SEND MORE THAN 200 GIRLS TO SCHOOL THROUGH OUR second #ISTANDFORGIRLS CAMPAIGN:
Most recently, and perhaps most impactful, our #IStandForGirls campaign in September 2018 doubled our goal from last year and raised funds to send over 200 girls to school! Their sponsorship includes tuition, uniforms, transportation, meals, after-school care, and school supplies. They start the next school year in February and are so excited!
Another HUGE win is that Kurandzaβs 501(c)3 tax-exempt status became officialized! That means that all donations to Kurandza are tax-deductible! This also means that Kurandza is now a partner of AmazonSmile and Facebook! Be sure to choose Kurandza as your chosen cause when you purchase on Amazon. You also now have the opportunity to start a Facebook fundraiser for Kurandza for your birthday or any other day!
Here are our 2018 impact highlights:
We are almost a month into 2019 and we think it's the perfect time to keep the momentum of a new year going by making our goals public. Whether you're new to Kurandza, a Giveback Partner, a donor or a sponsor for our #IStandForGirls campaign or anything in between, we hope you're inspired and encouraged by our goals. AND we would love to invite you to join us in making them a reality!
Here are our top 5 goals for 2019:
1. Get our 200 sponsored girls through school
Thanks to the success of our second #IStandForGirls campaign, we are sending 200 girls to school this year! Half of the girls are continuing from last year, and the other half are starting with us this February when the school year in Mozambique starts! Their sponsorship includes school fees, uniforms, backpacks, transportation, after-school care, and school supplies. Our Holistic Education Program program provides girls with the opportunity to dream about a bright future.
2. Bring Percina, our Country Director, to the US again
In 2016 and 2017, our co-founder Percina was able to travel to the U.S. to attend conferences with Elisabetta and meet some of our biggestsupporters!She had plans to come to the US last year, but she had a baby instead! So this year, we are hoping to bring her back at least once, to participate in conferences, meet donors, sponsors, participate in events, and make new friends. Percina has overcome so much and traveling to the U.S. is not only incredibly exciting for her, but gives her the opportunity to share her story with others, speak at events, and add momentum to our campaign launches so we can make more of an impact for our girls!
3. increase OUR GIVEBACK PARTNER and monthly giving programs
Our Giveback Partners are the backbone of our organization. Through their support, we're able to raise awareness and money for the work we do in Mozambique. We're planning to partner with even more women-leaders and entrepreneurs to create even more change this year! This will allow us to continue bringing in steady funds that will help us complete our programmatic responsibilities in Mozambique, while partnering with like-minded individuals and businesses who want to give back and make a difference in the lives of women and girls.
Click here if you're interested in learning more about our Giveback Partner program!
4. Continue to build capacity at our partner pre-school
In 2018 our goal was to raise enough funds to improve the pre-school we partner with in Southern Mozambique. We raised the funds and started construction on the dormitory and painted the classrooms. This year, we want to continue helping with the classrooms and facilities restoration including building new bathrooms and making the pre-school an overall better environment for our pre-schoolers to learn and grow.
5. Have another successful #IStandForGirls Campaign in September 2019
As many of you know (because you were a part of it!) in 2018, we raised funds to give school scholarships tomore than 200 girls. Through your support, these girls received not only school fees, but everything they need to thrive during and after school as well! The girls will begin school in February, and soon, you'll get to see your donations in action. For 2019, we plan to continue to secure scholarships for our girls and focus on giving them more educational opportunities!
If you'd like to join the launch team for this year's #IStandForGirls campaign, click here!
We're dreaming about an even bigger and more impactful 2019, and we can't wait to partner with you to make them come true! Will you join us?
Click here to learn about our Education Program and how you can get involved!