My Nonprofit Reviews

We met Ted and Connie Ning of Evergreen, Colorado through a mutual friend. Over dinner one evening Ted and Connie told us about "Starfish One by One." We appreciated their vision for empowering young Mayan girls in Guatemala. We were intrigued and wanted to see firsthand how this was being done. In January 2010, along with our mutual friends, we spent a week in Guatemala with Ted, Connie, their son Travis, and several of their local leaders. It was a wonderful experience and we hope to return and offer ourselves as volunteers for short-term service. During our visit, Travis, the local director, provided us with many opportunities to meet and interact with the local leaders and the young Mayan women they served. The goal of Starfish One by One is to provide relational and financial support that will enable these teenagers to continue their education beyond 6th grade. The philosophy is simple yet powerful: if you educate women you can change the world. Educated women have better economic opportunities, have fewer children, provide better nutrition for their families, all of which improve communities, countries, and the world. These young women were chosen by their teachers because they have great potential and are financially the most in need. Families must also agree to be supportive of their daughter as she pursues her education. Starfish One by One provides scholarship help and weekly mentoring groups. The mentors are local Mayan women who are college educated and who know well the Mayan culture and the challenges ahead for these young women. They meet with the young women at least weekly to provide tutoring assistance, personal support, goal setting, and a great deal of encouragement. We had the privilege of meeting the mentors, observing several mentoring groups, and talking with the families whose daughters were in the program. We were very impressed with the quality of the local leaders and mentors. As we interacted with the families, there was great sensitivity and respect from the Starfish One by One staff. And there was a great deal of appreciation and affection from the families for the opportunity given to their daughter to continue her education. All in all, the vision of the Nings, the high quality of the local staff and mentors, the gratitude and support of the families, and the contagious enthusiasm of the young girls are some of the reasons that we are enthusiastically sharing our experience with Starfish One by One. We are surely going to return and be continually supportive of this tremendous work. Doug and Jeannie Amidon, Carlsbad, CA

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