Kurandza 2020 Annual Report And 2021 Goals
Together with your support, we positively impacted 290 lives directly in Mozambique last year.
2020 was a period of growth and change for Kurandza. Our team took the years’ unique set of challenges in stride and our passion shined as we continued to seek ways to maximize our impact. We are so excited about all that we were able to learn and accomplish, even during such unprecedented times. Looking back, the year reminded us just how incredible our mission-driven community is when we come together with a common goal in mind.
In this post, we’ll share our 2020 annual report findings with you, along with our goals for 2021!
2020 impact:
0 children dropped out
5 boys sponsored
9 pre-schoolers graduated
12 women employed
13 neighborhoods in remote villages served
135 monthly sponsored joined
201 girls sponsored
637 hours of home visits conducted
1,951 pounds of food aid delivered
37,755 miles walking to school saved
290,000 community members indirectly impacted in our lifetime
Here are our 2020 impact highlights:
1. Covid relief
The pandemic presented a number of new challenges for Kurandza. With school closures, our team had to pivot quickly and keep the girls learning safely. As distance learning became their new normal, we hired another staff member, Alice, to conduct home visits and help the girls navigate the new learning environment.
Many families considered sending their daughters to live with relatives during the pandemic. However, Percina and the team counseled parents about the safety concerns of doing so and as a result, several of them remained in our program. The ones that did relocate allowed us to open up spots for 20 new pre-schoolers who will be joining us this year.
We also launched a campaign to fund relief efforts for our staff and girls in Mozambique. With your help, we raised enough to provide 70 of the most vulnerable girls and their families with food staples and soap, as well as prevention training and masks for the high schoolers returning to the classroom.
2. Girls’ education results
Our team of teachers and tutors are always striving to improve our programs, maximize our impact, and support our girls as best as possible. We are so happy to report on our findings of their success in the classroom this past year!
100% retention rate of the girls in school, even during the pandemic.
147 girls continued their education through supported distance learning that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.
56 hours of after-school tutoring services helped students prepare for entrance exams into the next grade.
100% of our students did not get pregnant versus 95% of girls that aren't in our program.
Back in 2019, students from the “center” neighborhood struggled in school given that for many, it was their first time in a classroom. Our team emphasized supporting the girls that showed low proficiency by providing extra support, tutoring, and home visits in 2020. Despite the pandemic, our team worked hard last year to improve their proficiency and help get them up-to-speed.
Additionally, community leaders in Mozambique expressed concern that many girls wouldn’t go back to school after being at home for so long due to the pandemic. Kurandza stepped in to help counsel the girls in preparation for their return to the classroom. Our team on the ground received recognition and thanks from the community leaders who encouraged them to continue supporting the girls in this manner.
3. Giving Tuesday fundraiser
On Giving Tuesday, we set a goal of raising $1,800 to help our pre-school install mandatory Covid-compliant updates so they could open their doors in 2021. We received an incredible outpouring of support from our community, nearly doubling our initial goal! The success of the campaign allowed us to start procuring another important addition to the preschool: new mattresses for the naptime dormitory so that each child could have their own bed!
4. #ISTANDFORGIRLS CAMPAIGN
#IStandForGirls is Kurandza’s biggest annual campaign to generate funding for the students’ education. This fundraiser is what makes sending all of the children to school possible! One of our biggest focuses for this year was to bring a more holistic, well-rounded education to the girls. We’re thrilled to report that 2020 was our best year yet! Every student is covered for the next school year AND over half of them will be receiving extra after-school programming!
5. Giveback partnership program
Giveback Partners are key members of our community who support our programs by donating a portion of their business revenue to Kurandza each month. We couldn’t have gotten through 2020 without help from our partners who stayed on during the pandemic to cover our rising operation expenses!
PS: You can meet our incredible partners here!
Alyssa Coleman
"Knowing that a portion of my sales is going to women in Mozambique who are starting their own businesses and becoming self-sufficient PLUS sending little girls to school, aligns massively with my mission. I strongly believe that every girl has the right to be educated."
Alyssa donates a portion of “The Productive Entrepreneur” every month as a Giveback Partner, and has been sponsoring a girl since 2017.
Praise santos
"I believe that when women are resourced, empowered, and confident, they cause their communities to flourish - and Kurandza gets this so perfectly. The way that they enrich girls’ lives in Mozambique in a holistic way gets me excited to have my business partner with them."
Praise has been sponsoring the holistic education of a girl in Mozambique through her business ComePlum since 2019.
6. We raised over $100k!
As a small, grassroots organization, Kurandza strives for a culture of transparency so our supporters know exactly how their donations are being put to work. 2020 was a big milestone for us because it’s the first year we raised over $100,000! Every dollar adds up to make a big difference for the girls and women in Mozambique and we’re excited to share the most recent numbers with you!
Here are our top 3 goals for 2021:
GROW OUR TEAM IN MOZAMBIQUE
PROVIDE EVEN MORE SUPPORT TO THE GIRLS IN OUR PROGRAM
CULTIVATE OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY BY GETTING TO KNOW EACH MEMBER A LITTLE BETTER
We are so amazed by the kindness and love our community continues to show the girls in Mozambique. They are the heartbeat of our work and truly help make the world a better place! As we look ahead to 2021, we are so excited to continue fulfilling our mission and driving change through education with you by our side. Thank you for making all of this possible!
Click here to learn more about our girls’ education programs and how you can join the movement!