Girls With Books! represents the merger of two grass roots non profits that supported girls’ education in South Sudan. Girls With Books! and its two predecessor organizations achieved amazing results in South Sudan for nearly twenty years - building rural schools and educating hundreds of South Sudanese girls. South Sudan has one of the lowest female literacy rates in the world. Educating girls is a key component to making South Sudan a peaceful, prosperous democracy. I believe the success of Girls With Books! is due in large part to its indigenous leadership by South Sudanese refugees who understand the needs and difficulties of work on the ground in South Sudan. The work that Girls With Books! is doing is difficult but vital and worthy of support.
Proud to be affiliated with Girls With Books! I've worked with Micklina for 15 years -- through the Community of South Sudanese Women, Empowerment Through Education, and now through Girls With Books. Micklina is committed, passionate and a visionary leader committed to education for girls in South Sudan. Modeling resiliency and creativity, Girls With Books continues to find ways to provide education for South Sudanese girls.
If you want to effect change, begin with education, and begin with education for girls in particular.
I have observed the non-profit organization (NGO), Concerned Sudanese and American Women (CSAW) established to promote girls’ education in South Sudan, make a phenomenal evolution. Its name was later changed to Concerned South Sudanese and American Women (CSSAW), then Empowerment Through Education (ETE), and finally to Girls With Books (GWB). This followed successful negotiations with Project Education South Sudan (PESS), another non-profit organization supporting girls’ education South Sudan. Despite the changes in names, the sole Mission of these organizations has remained unchanged - educating South Sudanese girls and young women. Education is a priority for girls in South Sudan since there are huge gender disparities as girls lag far behind boys due to biased cultural practices and the negative consequences of the devastating decades of war on the planet’s newest country. My hope is that GWB, with its committed new Executive Director and Board of Directors, will propel girls’ education in South Sudan to new heights with the much-needed assistance of their donor base. For GWB, the best is yet to come!
Sudan O. Wongo
Girls' Education Supporter
Girls With Books (GWB) Mission of educating girls and young women to become peace builders and positive change makers in South Sudan is very befitting, since the new country is in a protracted crisis. On the other hand, it is not enough to have a good mission unless we turn that mission into action. This is exactly what GWB’s Executive Director (ED) and its Board of Directors (BD) are doing in improving our girls’ access to quality education by providing them with full scholarships in boarding schools. This protects the girls from the multiple challenges and risks that they would have been exposed to, such as trafficking, gender-based violence and early childhood marriage. The ED and I, as a Board member, visit our girls in their various schools in Uganda and South Sudan annually to learn more about their progress firsthand. It is always a very rewarding experience to see how far the girls have come. This would not have been possible without the financial investment and support by the many generous donors as well as the commitment of GWB in ensuring that every dollar is well spent and accounted for. GWB’s work should and must continue to close the educational gender gap that exists in South Sudan, improve young women’s participation in national development and peace building in South Sudan.
In a region where gender disparities and educational obstacles persist, this organization is a beacon of hope. Their unwavering commitment to empowering South Sudanese girls through education is changing lives and, ultimately, contributing to a brighter future for the entire community. This organization's work is a reminder that education is not just a means to acquire knowledge; it is a powerful tool for empowerment, and it has the potential to change the world—one girl at a time
I joined the Board of Girls With Books! after meeting Micklina Kenyi during a class we were both taking. I was so awe-struck and inspired by her story that I offered my help in organizational management as a Board member. Since joining the Board, I am continually grateful for all that I am learning about South Sudan and my ability to help girls who are impacted by the intense 'growing pains' of this new country to get the education they each so desperately want. I know first hand how directly all funds raised go to help these girls - thereby enriching not only their lives but the lives of their families and the hopes in their communities.
South Sudan remains the country with the widest gender gaps favoring boys. And considering the limited resources that education system in South Sudan possesses, Girls With Books! financial support is the most practical approach to help underprivileged South Sudanese girls learn and acquire quality education to boost their overall well-being and to prepare them for life after school. Gils With Books! have increased girls’ access to quality education both in South Sudan and in the refugee camps in Uganda. Girls With Books is currently a making a positive impact so much so that girls can empower themselves through education and achieve their life aspirations.
Girls With Books is a great organization that is continuing to help young girls from South Sudan get educated. As a refugee myself, I have seen how tremendous the work Girls With Books is doing to educate these young girls and giving them hope of a better life.
Michael Ritter
I have worked with our Executive Director, Micklina Kenyi, educating South Sudanese girls and young women since 2007 in one of the precursor nonprofits that merged to create Girls With Books! I keep the books for the organization and was not a part of the planning for our first official fundraising event. This occurred on August 24th at Denver University. As other guests that attended, I was not aware of how the evening would proceed. Micklina and the fundraising committee put on incredibly professional and successful fundraiser. The highlight for me was the video clips of the girls we help go to school talking about their experience at the various schools we send them to. They all said they realize that their dreams of becoming a doctor, a pilot or other vocations requiring a good educational background will be in reach because of the help they receive from Girls With Books! It is gratifying to be working with Micklina and the other women and men on our board to accomplish our mission.
I attended the August event of Girls with Books and was very impressed with the quality of work they are doing to educate young women in South Sudan. The organization is supported by a broad spectrum of individuals who are enthusiastic about Micklina Kenyi and her people on the ground in South Sudan. This is a group that gets results and is deserving of deep support from the funding community.
I serve as a pro bono advisor to Girls With Books! It's my privilege to do so, because this non-profit is truly making a difference in the lives of South Sudanese girls. Hundreds already have benefitted, and hundreds more will in the near future. No single issue in the international development field is more critical than girls education.