My Nonprofit Reviews

Starfish One-by-One supports the education and empowerment of young girls in rural Guatemala to break the cycle of poverty and contribute to their families and communities. They provide scholarships so that girls can continue their education in high school and give them mentors from the community. The girls meet with their mentors once a week and receive training on a number of subjects, including job skills, handling money, and running a business. I was able to spend a day with a group of girls in Panajachel, Guatemala, and their dedicated mentors. There is no doubt that these girls have overcome difficult circumstances and made sacrifices to continue their education. They are dedicated to their studies and so eager to learn; it is so inspirational to see how they have been empowered by their mentors. The mentors I spoke with hope to inspire and empower the girls become active and outspoken in their communities so that they can become agents of social change. The girls took turns explaining how different their lives are now that they have been able to continue their education. Reina started and said that before receiving a scholarship, she never spoke up in class. She was shy and intimidated. Now, she regularly participates in class and has become active in her community. She discovered her love of singing, and her new-found confidence shone through as she proudly displayed to me the scarves and shirts she made for her family. She hopes to graduate from high school, attend a university and pursue a career that will allow her to help her family and her community. Rosa is the first person, male or female, in her family to attend school past primary school, and is now tutoring a group of children from her community in Spanish. My experience with Starfish One-by-One was truly unforgettable. These girls have become inspired and now empowered to know that they can make a difference in their communities.

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