Hello everyone! We hope it’s starting to look like Spring where you are; it’s still snowing in Flagstaff! We have some news from our friends in faraway places; some happy, some less so, but all of it important.

To start with the less happy news, Roshani from Nepal has left the program – hopefully only for the year, but we will have to wait and see. Our contact tried for months to get in touch with her. He contacted her school and found out that her attendance was so poor that it is likely she would not pass the year. The school had called her and she didn’t respond. Subash finally talked to her mother, who wants us to continue her scholarship, but Roshani has not contacted Subash to explain. She has definitely had some family challenges, and we understand that. But our concern is less with missing school (which we acknowledge happens), but with her lack of communication and explanation. So we have offered her this: if she goes back to repeat Year 11 on her own, and communicates with Subash so he can communicate with us, we will consider awarding her a scholarship for a repeat of Year 12. We asked Subash to explain that it is less about her missing school and more about the lack of communication. If she is having problems at home with family members’ health, we would like to know that it is causing her to fall behind in her studies. Perhaps we can help, perhaps not, but at least Subash needs to have some contact. We hope she will go back to repeat Year 11, and we can talk with her about helping her with Year 12.

Next, and on a bit happier note, our contact Shannon just returned from a visit to Kenya, and she sent us some wonderful photos and information about our newest student, Mercy. Please check out her page for her updates!

Also, this is the final week for our online fundraiser through GoFundMe, which ends March 31. We hold this every March, which is the anniversary month of our founding, Women’s History Month, and the month of International Women’s Day. We are only about $1200 away from our goal, and we hope you’ll pass the word along to people who may not know about us to donate. Even $25 helps a lot! You can access the fundraiser here.

Finally, we are preparing for our annual in-person fundraiser, the Global Market for Girls’ Education, on April 30. This is a really fun event, which will include music, dancing, and art for sale made by local students and teachers from Flagstaff schools. There will be ceramics, wood pieces, items for the home, paintings, bedazzled items, and much more. It is really fun to be able to do this event with so many different schools and teachers: Coconino High School, Sinagua Middle School, Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy, Mountain Charter School, and several others. The art is wonderful, the music and dancing are wonderful, and the event is free and perfect for families. We hope you’ll join us that day if you are in Flagstaff: 10 am to 4 pm in downtown Flagstaff’s Heritage Square.