“If one girl with an education can change the world, just imagine what 130 million can do.”
~ Malala Yousafzai

Dear Friend,

In many parts of Africa, improving girls’ access to education is the gateway to economic empowerment and breaking the cycle of poverty. But as a woman, mother, and former teacher, I believe it is incredibly important to recognize that girls have different needs than boys—especially as they mature.

This Saturday, October 11, is International Day of the Girl Child, an observance declared by the United Nations in 2012 to increase awareness around gender inequality. Addressing barriers to girls’ education in East Africa has long been a priority of Grand Circle Foundation. By asking girls what they needed, they opened our eyes to the importance of privacy and a sense of security, which led to improvements in schools and dormitories—some of which lacked even doors or locks in lavatories to offer basic protections.

In Kenya alone, one million girls miss school each month because they cannot afford menstrual products. We recently partnered with REEpads East Africa to provide each girl at Amboseli Lewis Secondary School with a reusable menstrual kit designed to last for years—because a period should never be the reason a girl falls behind.

This new project is only possible because we achieved our goal of bringing clean water and adequate sanitation to all the schools we support in Kenya. Now, in partnership with Wine to Water, we are working toward replicating this success in Tanzania, and I am excited to announce that we recently achieved a crucial first milestone. You can read more about this project below, along with other updates from East Africa—and I invite you to join us in supporting us in bringing clean water to Tanzania by donating here.

On behalf of Grand Circle Foundation, thank you for your continued support. Together, we are empowering girls to fulfill their dreams for the future with confidence and dignity.

Love and Peace,

 

 

Harriet Lewis
Chair, Grand Circle Foundation

Wine to Water Tanzania: Supported since 2018 with $372,868 funds donated.

Over two billion people live in countries, including Tanzania, where the water supply is inadequate. In partnership with Wine to Water, this September, drilling began at the Njia Panda Primary School in Tanzania with a rig that was purchased with funds donated by Grand Circle Foundation in 2021. At the time, we were delayed by changing government regulations and the ongoing pandemic, but finally—we hit water!

The water must be tested for quality and potability, but this is the first step in ensuring that the school and its over 800 students and teachers will have consistent access to water, rather than relying on the seasonal rains.

REEpads East Africa: Supported in 2025 with $1,693 funds donated.

This year in Kenya, Grand Circle Foundation celebrated a milestone: schools now have clean, safe water, private cubicles for girls to change in, proper handwashing areas, and even incinerators for safe disposal. But with progress came a hard question: What good are facilities if girls still cannot afford the basics to manage their periods?

Globally, 500 million women and girls experience period poverty. In Kenya alone, 65% cannot afford menstrual products. Some improvise with unsafe materials, risking infections. Others face shame and stigma so heavy, they stay home. Some even turn to transactional sex just to buy pads.

At Amboseli Lewis Secondary School, Grand Circle Foundation decided to act. Together with REEpads East Africa, we distributed 105 reusable menstrual kits—soft, absorbent, and reliable—designed to last for years.

SANGO-Kenya: Newly supported Foundation partner with $11,638 funds donated.

SANGO-Kenya provides mostly women smallholder farmers with training in sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and livelihoods to enhance food and nutrition security in their households and communities. Grand Circle Foundation is partnering with SANGO-Kenya to provide a two-year training program to 120 women and farmers from Amboseli. Participants will graduate with the skills and knowledge to continue growing, consuming, and marketing vegetables.

Kenya Scholarship Fund: Supported since 2013 with $181,969 funds donated.

Grand Circle Foundation currently supports 13 children on a variety of scholarships in Kenya, who are in schools spread across a 200 mile radius. Jane was among our very first recipients.

After successfully completing secondary school with Foundation donor support, Jane hoped to pursue a career in public health. She took a job as a shopkeeper and saved enough both to provide for herself and apply to Mount Kenya University to study Animal Health and Production. We are delighted to announce that as our first recipient of the Jeannette Goldstein Scholarship, Jane’s college fees, rent, food, and laptop are now sponsored. She is performing incredibly well.

Thank you for your generous support of Grand Circle Foundation, and the trust you place in our team to ensure your donation is used as intended.

Because all administration costs are funded by the Grand Circle Corporation, 100% of all donations are tax deductible and returned to our partner sites.

If you made a donation to support a specific project and would like an update on how the funds were used, please feel free to contact us at: [email protected], or call 1‑800‑859‑0852.