Leonard: Supporting Girls' Education
Leonard Schein is generously supporting 5 girls' education for the year. The girls come from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds, and are at serious risk of dropping out of school. Thanks to Leonard, these girls will have the necessary support to achieve well in school this year, and step closer to their dreams of climbing out of poverty.
Project Goal:
$1000
Currently Raised:
$1000
Progress:
100% raised
Location:
Northern Ghana
Will Benefit:
5 Girls in Secondary School
Proposed Implementation Date:
2010 - 2011 School Year
5 Girls' Futures: help them fulfill their potential.
The Story of this Project...
Vancouver based Leonard Schein, the founder of the Vancouver International Film Festival and Festival Cinemas, has stepped up to support 5 girls through a year of secondary school.
While girls are prone to dropping out of school at early ages because they are forced to fetch water, mind children, farm, and cook, these five young ladies have worked extremely hard to achieve admission into secondary school.
Having gained admission, Ayisha, Ayisha Y., Jennifer, Martha and Zeinab all face the struggle of finding money to pay for their school fees and necessary educational supplies to succeed in their education. The cost for one year of secondary school is more than half their families' annual income. Although the girls all work menial jobs during vacation time, the girls barely earn enough for lorry fare to travel back to their boarding schools, and for food.
Because of Leonard's generosity, these girls will not have to struggle to stay in school. With their fees paid and necessary educational materials being provided, these five girls have the opportunity to realize their dreams and climb out of poverty.
We will post news, photos, and video so you can see these girls as they develop, thanks to Leonard's wonderful gesture.
Leonard Schein's Sponsored Girls:
 Ayisha lost her father, and her mother lives in a village where she has no work. Ayisha was perviously supported by a teacher, who saw how Ayisha was struggling to stay in school. With high school fees being so costly, Ayisha has nowhere to turn. She desperately wants to stay in school. |
 Ayisha Y. lost her father to sickness, and relies on her mother who works on a farm. Her mother does her best to support her family, but has no money to help Ayisha through high school. Coming from a rural village where women marry early, Ayisha will need support if she is to graduate. |
 Jennifer says: "I am in need because my parents are not educated and cannot help to take care of us even when we are sick. My future ambition is to become a textile designer, so I can help my own children go to school because if you are educated your children will not suffer like some of us are doing." |
 Martha's parents are subsistence farmers, and barely grow enough food to feed their five children. Martha is the first girl in her family to make it to high school, and hopes to make her family proud by becoming a journalist one day. Martha needs support to realize her dream. |
 Zeinab is one of our brightest students, and has fought her way from a village, where most girls become farmers. She did astonishingly well on her high school entrance exam, and is foused on going straight to university. We have no doubt Zeinab will achieve her dreams if she continues to be supported. |
