A Day of the Girl Child

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October 11 is the International Day of the Girl Child. It is a day to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The UN in their assessment states “There is overwhelming evidence that girls’ education, especially at the secondary level, is a powerful transformative force for societies and girls themselves: it is the one consistent positive determinant of practically every desired development outcome, from reductions in mortality and fertility, to poverty reduction and equitable growth, to social norm change and democratization.”

In Kenya, we partner with individuals to start businesses so that they can provide for their families and educate their kids-both boys and girls. Over 90 percent of those that we have empowered to start small businesses are women; it is our plan to see them thrive so they can be role models to their children and the society at large.

Join us and others who are working on removing barriers to girls’ success!

Potential Made Possible by You!

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There is a swahili saying that states ” haba na haba hujaza kibaba” meaning, ‘little by little fills up the measure.’ I use this saying to answer a question that I have been getting of late expressing willingness to help sponsor a project to empower a family out of poverty in Kenya.

Below are some examples on how to help Opening Village Doors Foundation empower more individuals through capital to start businesses, training and mentoring. Here are ways you can help.

  1. Does your business have a jeans day or sponsor projects? How about you team with your co workers and raise some money to sponsor a project and empower a family out of poverty by helping them start a small business to empower them for life?
  2. You can decide to sponsor a project as a family. Visit our website to find a list of projects.
  3. You can also donate any amount and we can pool it together with others to partner with more families and empower them to succeed for a lifetime.

We stand ready to work with you to partner together to empower one family out of poverty, one at a time. You can read more on some of the projects highlights on our website. Visit our website and click on sponsor a project page to select a project or simply donate.

Thank you!

 

Your Donation = A family out of poverty

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Help change small actions

into Big Steps!

A dignified and sustainable way of fighting poverty!

Join us

 

 

Counting our blessings!

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Thank you is a universal ‘magic word’ used in many cultures and languages in various circumstances to express that deep feeling in our hearts conveying gratitude. Today, as families gather to celebrate another year of goodness or milestone or life’s little moments that continue to glue the families together for another year, we at Opening Village Doors Foundation® are grateful for you and those that we serve in Kenya!

We are grateful for making it possible to give 100 students school uniforms, books and are now able to attend school not worried about missing class. We are thankful for the 17 projects going on in Kenya and as we look forward to starting 40 new projects, we hope that you can walk along with us in prayer, well wishes and support.

On this day, we raise our eyes above and pray that the Lord bless you and your family. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Idea+Training+Saving+Capital = Less poverty

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Starting a business or a project that generates income to sustain a family sometimes can be a daunting task even in developed countries where the access to capital is a little easier that developing countries.

I was explaining to some colleagues today, what Opening Village Doors Foundation does in Kenya. After talking for almost five minutes or so. One of the gentleman looked at me and said, so, what you do is ” A person who wants to start a small business comes to your team with an idea, she gets training on how to implement the idea, she is encouraged to save whenever small she has, after six months, she is given capital to start a small business?” I said, exactly!

As we both looked at each other in agreement, I added one point, ” this are individuals that banks cannot lend money to because they don’t have collateral” he nodded his head in agreement.

Removing Barriers

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The poor face a lot of challenges that confront them each day. It is only those with hope and determination that can see beyond the current challenges who thrive. On a given day, many families skip one or two meals a day because they don’t have enough food. Many families’ savings are wiped out or the only asset they had in form of livestock [cow, chicken, sheep, goat] is sold to meet a medical bill of a loved one, funeral expenses and tuition.. The same it true on education, as kids go without schooling or not having the needed uniform, books or school fees to continue with their studies.

The impact of all these challenges can lead to hopelessness and focusing on the present moment than looking at what tomorrow can bring and planning out the future.

All the families that Opening Village Doors Foundation® serves in Kenya are in these situations every day. What we are uniquely suited is that; we are a small non-profit organization that has built relationship with those that we serve. Our team in Kenya visits each family and knows where they live, the challenges they are going through and helps them to start addressing the barriers that face them so that they may succeed. In the midst of all these challenges Opening Village Doors Foundation® belief is; the individuals and families have potential within them, our role is to enable them to reach within their depths of being and stand strong again.

Our presence and support is a source of ‘strength and a ray of hope’ as one of the individual put it in the midst of the barriers that surround them.

Social Entrepreneurship!

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Social entrepreneurship is finally in the mainstream but with different meanings. The definition that articulates Opening Village Doors Foundation is what the Skoll Foundation aims for  and that is “ value in the form of transformational change that will benefit disadvantaged communities and ultimately society at large. Social entrepreneurs pioneer innovative and systemic approaches for meeting the needs of the marginalized, the disadvantaged and the disenfranchised—populations that lack the financial means or political clout to achieve lasting benefit on their own.” This  is not a simple goal rather, a journey that is taken over time, learning from mistakes and best practice models that exist.

Change doesn’t happen overnight, it starts with helping an individual start a small business, out of the business, they can support their family by being able to put food on the table to paying a child’s tuition. These are steps that build on each that eventually lead to sustainable change in an individual, village and eventually country!

What are your thoughts on social entrepreneurship?

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