As COVID-19 ravages the world, our project partners and the secondary school girls that they educate are in danger. All students have been sent home, possibly to homes of abuse, trauma, and poverty.

This is just part of the barriers to education that BIPOC girls around the world face and have been facing disproportionately every day. Now, these barriers have been exacerbated by the economic and biological fallout of COVID-19, and in the face of a global pandemic, Circle is inspired by their resilience and dedication to achieving an education. From radio classes to worksheet packets, girls' schools in developing countries are coming up with creative ways to ensure their students can study. However, many students do not have access to the technology necessary to attend online class, and poverty and violence threaten their capacity to continue education.

These girls need immediate relief to ensure their well-being and continued education—any dollar donated right now can have life-long impacts. Here are their stories, and how you can help:

Project Daraja Academy, Kenya

Daraja Academy is temporarily closed in wake of COVID-19, and the girls have been sent home. Teachers assign a daily problem for each girl to complete, through WhatsApp. However, 30% of the girls do not have access to a smartphone. The total need is listed in the table on the right.

Circle is committed to helping Daraja fundraise for one complete class set of phones (plus airtime). We believe supplying the girls in Form 4 (their final year) with phones provides the greatest impact, as these phones will allow the girls to study for and take their national examinations, allowing them to graduate secondary school on time.

Please join us in reaching our goal of $1,520 for 20 phones. Donating $76 means the difference for one girl's future.

Project Orkeeswa School, Tanzania

Orkeeswa School is temporarily closed in wake of COVID-19, and the girls have been sent home. Teachers write weekly education packets on each subject for the 320 students to complete at home. Most girls devote the daytime to helping around the household, leaving only the nighttime for schoolwork. Many, however, do not have light.

Circle is committed to fundraising for solar lights (shown on the right) so that each Orkeeswa student may study at night. These lights mean the difference between a girl continuing her education during COVID-19 versus having to pause her education—increasing dropout risk. Orkeeswa is in need of a total of 320 solar lights, at $15 each.

Your donation of $15 buys one solar light. Halfway across the world, a girl will thank you as she studies by light at night.

Project Wema, Kenya

Students at Wema have been sent home, while those in extenuating circumstances have been given permission to stay in the dorms. These girls are being sent back to communities that do not understand the seriousness of COVID-19, making transmission much more likely. Students are also in danger of malnourishment at home, so Wema is taking steps to combat that by giving out food. Girls can pick up food and lesson plans by coming to school.

Project Wema needs your donation so that they can keep printing lesson plans for their girls and keep donating food.

Project APU, Malawi

All students have been sent home, and while some students can continue their studies through e-learning, many scholarship students who live in rural areas cannot. APU is dedicated to helping its students, especially the ones on scholarship. Thus, passionate teachers are crafting written lesson plans for girls to pick up every two weeks. These girls brave the long journey to school in order to pick up these packets and continue their education. We are deeply inspired by these girls’ dedication, and they need your help so that remote learning can continue.

Project Sacred Valley, Peru

The pandemic has barred students from starting school this year—the academic year starts in March. Unfortunately, there is no possibility of a physical lesson plan. The government is broadcasting lesson plans on the radio, but only in Spanish. Most of the younger girls at Sacred Valley speak Quechua and thus cannot listen in. These girls are facing the possibility of abuse and violence at home, in addition to household chores that will prevent them from learning. These girls are strong, but the sad reality is that they may not be able to come back to school once the dust has cleared and COVID-19 has revealed the full extent of its damage.

We need your help to sponsor a girl’s return to school with a donation of $2200. We also need your help of $1200 to pay for tutors given the considerable academic disruption caused.

Our History

For the past decade, Circle of Women 501(c)3 has funded active, sustainable secondary schools across nine different countries: Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan, Tanzania, Peru, Uganda, and Guatemala. We work with local community members and analyze educational and national trends to find high-impact, sustainable projects to support. Circle of Women is committed to a standard of research and selecting the most high-impact and sustainable projects. We are honored to have received a 2020 Best of Cambridge award.

If you specify a particular project to donate to in the message section of your Givebutter, we will apportion 100% of your donation to that partner. All other donations will apportioned across the schools appropriately to meet partner needs.

From all of us at Circle, thank you for your generosity.

COVID-19 International Girls' Education Immediate Relief

Due to COVID-19, 10 million more disproportionately BIPOC girls could have their secondary education permanently disrupted. Our project partners need immediate relief in the face of the pandemic to ensure remote education for girls worldwide.

Team Members