By Jim Pressnell | Executive Director
These Numbers Have Faces believes strongly women are the secret weapon to fighting poverty. We work hard to make sure that at least half of the students in our University Leadership Program are women. Currently, 57% of our students are female. These young women are poised to lead their communities and countries to a new era of peace and prosperity. Through access to a university education, Leadership Development Workshops, and our women's mentorship program, we empower Africa's brightest young women to cultivate thriving communities. We also recognize that, if we are working to empower strong female leaders in a culture where gender roles remain very traditional, we must also work with the young men to learn how to work well with and alongside strong, empowered women. Joy is a wonderful example of the young women in our program.
Joy is the fifth born in a family of eight children. She grew up in a family and a community that simply expected everyone to pitch in and help one another. Growing up, Joy had the responsibility of getting her younger siblings ready for school each morning, as well as to clean the house. Joy felt it was a great honor to have these responsibilities because, in her words, “no one should just sit around and watch others working, without helping each other.” Joy is currently studying Software Engineering at the Adventist University of Central Africa – a field typically dominated by men. Joy dreams of being a successful programmer, developing programs that will make different tasks easier. For example, in Joy’s words, “When I think of walking forward into my future, I hope to develop software that locates the nearest pharmacies with the exact medication you need, instead of having to go from pharmacy to pharmacy searching for the medicine you need.”
We are also excited to share that all of our students, including Joy and the other young women in our University Leadership Program, have completed their Community Impact Projects for this past academic year. These Community Impact Projects are a key element of our success. These projects require our students to take what they are learning in their classrooms and what they are learning in our Leadership Development Workshops and then apply it to real-life needs within their communities. We ask all of our students to identify, plan, and then devote at least 50 hours each academic year completing a Community Impact Project that will make a transformational difference in their communities. This year, our 70 students impacted in significant ways the lives of almost 10,000 people! And over the past 5 years – even with a two-year pause because of COVID, our students have impacted significantly the lives of almost 30,000 people!
Here are just five examples of their projects: 1. Teaching female secondary students the importance of social justice through debates designed to encourage public speaking and critical thinking skills. 2. Teaching computer skills to young girls. 3. Teaching reproductive health to female secondary students to reduce the risk of early pregnancy and dropping out of school. 4. Working with vulnerable families to improve their nutrition through kitchen gardens. 5. Teaching female secondary students how to build an excellent career profile, including an effective CV, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, as well as teaching effective interviewing skills.
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