Since we began giving, a little over two years ago, we have seen many reasons for hope.

The Kenyan government has asked Harambee, our partners in Africa, to expand their highly successful teacher-training program so that it can be offered to over 50,000 primary and secondary school teachers from all over the country. Other Harambee projects, including educational efforts in Sudan, Cameroon and the Congo, have flourished this past year and brought the prospect of brighter futures to countless children and their families.

The South Bronx Educational Foundation (SBEF), helping boys and girls beat the odds with after-school mentoring, leadership clubs and other achievement programs, saw continued success of its activities, with an astounding 100% of the students served —an average of 400 kids per year over the last decade— managing to graduate from high school (against an average rate for the neighborhood of under 60%).

We’ve added four partners to our roster in the Washington, DC metropolitan area: Centro Tepeyac, the Youth Leadership Foundation, Open Circle Theatre and ArtStream. Each of these organizations provides unique, enriching —and sometimes life-saving— opportunities for disadvantaged children, young adults and their families.

We are proud and grateful that we can help sustain these excellent initiatives. Thanks to them, there is hope that children will be able to stay in school, and that they will learn from inspired teachers that love teaching and do it well. There is hope that young parents-to-be will be able to welcome their babies in joy and dignity, despite socioeconomic hardship. And hope that youngsters with disabilities will shine on the stage and grow in self-esteem, transforming themselves and the communities where they thrive.

There is hope, also, that we will be able to develop and expand our projects in the coming months, thanks to the continuing generosity of our benefactors and the hard work of all concerned!

Adela Illarramendi, President 

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