A returned Peace Corps volunteer with a passion to help her family back in Senegal, her effort as a one woman campaign to promote this cause, and the dedication to make sure our dollars actually get where they can do the most...this is what Amy Maglio has achieved in 7 short years with her Womens Global Education Project. Amy called me one day in 2004 as she was trying to generate interest and funding, and that call has resulted in my continued support and promotion. The growth has been exponential from one family to 58 rural communities in two countries, from a few to 370 scholarship students, from a dream for a better life for those she loved to reality, Amy has personified the girl effect.

A key element in overcoming poverty in Africa is the promotion of the education of girls and young women. Schools in Africa generally require the payment of tuition, so families living in poverty either cannot afford to pay tuition or favor the boys in the family over the girls. For nearly 5 years now, Women's Global Education Project has been working to change that by providing scholarships for girls. In addition to helping individual girls to get an education, it has had a significant impact in changing attitudes toward the education of girls and also on the treatment of females in other areas of social life.