Celebrating International Women's Day

Apr 24
2 min read

"Women and girls are Africa's greatest untapped resource, and it is they, not diamonds or oil or minerals that will be the foundation for solid, sustainable, equitable progress."

-- Joaquim Chissano, former President of Mozambique

For 10 years we have been investing in girls.

Our gifted Executive Director, Estahappy, is making a difference by creating a better and more hopeful world for the next generation of women.

She has fearlessly led our organization for over 10 years implementing programs that develop a girl’s confidence and agency. She helped to empower girls with the critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills to make informed decisions in their lives.

Estahappy understands first hand the sacrifices families assume to provide an education to their daughters. She walked 14 miles a day to attend primary school and many of our students walked 7 or 15 or 30 miles a day to attend their primary schools. Estahappy is a village girl who grew up in the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro. She was raised in a family of 14 siblings -10 sisters and 4 brothers. Her father couldn’t afford school for all his children: however, her sister Dr. Veronica supported all her siblings’ education. Inspired by her sister, Estahappy inspires others in a hundred little ways to persist with a predominance of courage over timidity.

Estahappy is a once-in-a-lifetime teacher, mentor, coach, and critical friend to our students. Estahappy is kind and generous, firm and demanding. She has no patience for the easy way out or a half-hearted effort.

She will call a student out, “That’s not enough. You can do better than that.”

Estahappy turns her surroundings into a classroom - whether it’s outside, on the playing field, in the garden or in her office. She is practical and has a ‘go to’ attitude.

It isn’t a coincidence that our alumnae are teachers, social workers, mentors, researchers, nurses, and a medical officer. We’ve been supporting them for 10+ years providing access to a quality education, skills and opportunities to step up in school, become peer advocates and fulfill hundreds of hours of community service. These young women are equipped to lead with empathy and understanding. They are making an impact in their families and their communities.

Recent studies show that the impact of educating 1 girl multiplies for generations, as a girl in turn assists an average of 3 more girls through school. In the last 10 years, we’ve impacted over 50,000 youth and with Estahappy’s incredible drive and expansive enthusiasm we’ll continue to challenge students to fulfill their potential, to stand up for others, and to serve those in their community.

Thank you Estahappy - you light up the lives of all who know you!