Did you know that more than 200 million children around the world don’t have the opportunity to go to school to get a quality education? It’s heartbreakingly true, and most of those kids reside in developing countries, 41% in sub-saharan Africa alone.
Here at The Simple Folk, we passionately believe that we can make the biggest impact on the world by advocating for children everywhere to help ensure that each child, no matter where they live, has access to opportunities that enable them to flourish and achieve their wildest dreams.
To that end, we are incredibly honored to support the Kikulu Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to giving children in Uganda a chance at a quality education by providing communities with teacher training support, student scholarships, educational materials and resources, and portable solar-powered lights for nighttime studying.
Started in 2012, the Kikulu Foundation is the outcome of founder Alisha Robertson-Stephens’ years of traveling and volunteering all over the world. After working with underserved communities across seven countries and four continents, she launched a non-profit to focus on supporting education for kids in Uganda, where an estimated 2.5 million children are in need of an education.
Think about this: In a country where nearly 50% of the population is under the age of 14, educating youth has an amazingly powerful ability to transform the nation in the decades to come as these kids reach adulthood. Unfortunately, education isn’t free in Uganda, and many young people have faced devastating hardships—like disease, war, famine, droughts, poverty, and parental loss—that make it nearly impossible to pay for and focus on anything but the most basic human needs.
That’s where the Kikulu Foundation steps in. To date, the foundation has already provided:
• $90,000 invested in scholarships, materials, and resources
• 1,500 books and school supplies
• 1,000 solar lights for studying
• 500 students and teachers with support
And, they’re not stopping there! With the goal of doubling the number of scholarships they can provide to Ugandan students, the foundation has been working on a storytelling project, during which team members traveled to Uganda to take videos, photos, and interviews of some of these remarkable kids. Telling their stories will help clarify the vast need for access to education for students in Uganda, and enable the Kikulu Foundation to widen their reach and help even more kids realize their dreams.
We just knew we had to be a part of this new project, so The Simple Folk recently donated new bed sheets and mosquito nets—check out these beautiful photos of the kids receiving their much-appreciated goods! We are also thrilled to be a monthly giving partner so we can provide school scholarship support that helps ensure hundreds of primary and secondary kids in Uganda have the opportunity to go to school.
Wondering how you can help, too? The Kikulu Foundation welcomes companies and brands with a passion for education equality to join its Giveback Partner program. Partners can choose from a variety of monthly giving amounts, and 100% of donations go toward supporting education for kids in Uganda. In addition to connecting with a global community, give back partners receive a media kit, a “give back badge,” and newsletter and social media recognition.
We’ll be following up with Alisha and her foundation in the coming months to learn more about the impact of investing in global education and to hear student stories from Uganda, so please stay tuned! And, as always, check out our collection of eco-friendly, GOTS certified, non-toxic play clothes—your purchases help us support the Kikulu Foundation and other changemaker organizations in the Change for Women Collective.
Together, we can change the world!