ENJOY THIS GREAT STORY FROM the girls gotta run foundation newsletter
Girls Gotta Run Foundation's (GGRF) mission to empower girls to stay in school and avoid early marriage closely aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which all contribute to SDG #1 — No Poverty.
GGRF programs enable our Athletic Scholars to stay engaged with education — key to economic success and avoiding poverty — and both immediate and longer-term income-generating activities. In addition, the Mother’s Savings Groups, through financial training and micro-loans, empower the mothers of our Athletic Scholars to earn money to feed and support their families, leading to better economic outcomes for the greater community.
Take the story of Aster Lencha and her daughter Nigat Kuma, a Soddo GGRF Athletic Scholar (see photo above). Last summer, Aster launched a small business preparing and selling the traditional Ethiopian spices berbere and shiro. She started by borrowing 1000 birr (about $18) and now her business is doing so well, she is applying for a second loan from the Mothers' Savings Group to expand. She told us that just one year ago, she felt constantly worried about providing for her four children, and that being part of the Mothers’ Savings Group as well as having a successful business has brought her “incredible peace of mind.”
Aster is proud of herself and proud of Nigat — as you can see in the photo of them together. Nigat enjoys studying science and hopes to become a nurse or doctor. She is especially grateful for the provision of school supplies and the running practice sessions of Girls Gotta Run. Nigat also said she now sees her Mother in a new light — as a role model, income earner, and entrepreneur. Her mother's peace of mind has spread to Nigat and the whole family — and changed the image of a female's role and capabilities.
We are honored to have played a small role in their story, which will have a positive, lasting anti-poverty impact on the family's six members, as well as other relatives and the next generation of this family.
So, like the UN community in 2012 when they set the goal of No Poverty, we are not shying away from big goals.
