LPGM envisions a world where relationships transform boundaries and where all people have the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.
LPGM provides access to quality education for people at the margins – especially women and girls. We work together with global partners to listen, respond and bear witness to local needs and priorities.
Our global partners continued to do incredible work in 2023 in the face of climate change, persistent obstacles relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, and global political shifts. We were inspired by the tenacity, resilience, and ingenuity of our partners in Guatemala, India, Tanzania, and the Central African Republic (CAR), as they worked tirelessly to provide education to people - especially women and girls - at the margins.
Several accomplishments deserve special mention. In Tanzania, your gifts to LPGM helped fund the construction of an improved safe house facility for girls and children. Your support allowed our Tanzanian partners to engage hundreds of boys and girls in two peace club summits. In India, a library refresh provided hundreds of new books and library supplies for students at village schools and our boarding homes, including renovating a room at Melpattambakkam Boarding Home to become a vibrant reading haven.
Thanks to scholarships you've provided, our Guatemala partners saw past participants return to Women In Agroecology Leadership for Conservation (WALC) as interns, coordinators, and guest speakers, and they heard news of past participants earning degrees from higher education institutions. And in the CAR, a 2018 meeting of women leaders blossomed into a tangible plan for a literacy program to empower women and girls.
While LPGM generally focuses on deep and sustained partnerships, occasionally there are opportunities to assist with one-time projects. One of these opportunities arose in 2023, and LPGM was in a strong financial position - thanks to you - to bestow a grant to reopen a vital preschool in a rural region of Rwanda.
Challenges in 2023 mostly resulted from logistical hurdles, like weather and school calendars. For example, in the CAR, the rainy season and teacher training logistics delayed the launch of the pilot literacy program. On the other side of the world, an unusually long school year in Guatemala prevented Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) from moving ahead with its regular schedule for WALC. Instead of holding two sessions late in 2023, they spread the two sessions between 2023 and 2024.
While the work is never done, it's important to pause, reflect, and reevaluate each year. As always, in 2023 we were blessed to walk alongside such passionate, talented, and capable partners around the world. We are equally grateful for dedicated LPGM supporters like you who make this work possible through your financial gifts, prayers, and service.
students were supported through Project Education India (PEI)
boys and girls attended each of the two Peace Club Summits held in Tanzania
Q'eqchi' Maya girls from 39 villages participated in the WALC program in Guatemala
sponsored students graduated from secondary high school in India
women and girls were identified to participate in the pilot literacy program in the CAR
letters were sent by sponsors to students in India, and sponsors were delighted to hear back from their students
travelers and staff visited LPGM partner sites in Guatemala, India, and Tanzania
Every year during school break, CCFC runs the WALC program for girls and young women from the highlands of Central Guatemala, where most girls drop out of school after sixth grade. After completing the program, and establishing their own agroforestry parcel on their family's farm, participants receive financial support to make attending school for the next year possible.
Two back-to-back WALC sessions typically occur between mid-October and mid-December. However, in 2023, the school year was extended until the end of November, so only one WALC session happened. A second WALC session was scheduled for early January 2024. Between the two sessions, there were at least 153 participants from 46 villages. All of these villages were within the areas designated as important bird areas by BirdLife International.
During WALC, the participants took five primary courses and twelve practical courses including environmental ethics, agroecology, sustainable development, and health and life project. The girls learned to be leaders in their communities, and they were given tools to improve their families' livelihoods and protect their families' agricultural activities from the effects of climate change.
This work is more important than ever, as CCFC co-directors Rob and Tara Cahill note, "The year 2023 set a record as the hottest year since record-keeping began. The year 2023 set a record in Guatemala for human migration to the U.S. and Canada, with a 10% increase in migration over 2022."
Indeed, your support of WALC scholarships through LPGM is keeping girls in school, breaking cycles of poverty, and fighting climate change.
Total Program Expenses: $40,394
"We learned through one of the teachers that accompanied the kids that most, if not all of them, had ever seen a river or any body of water before. To be able to experience that sense of wonder with them for the first time was truly a privilege. I pray that sense of wonder continues to grow and leads these children to places where they can be agents of positive change for their communities."
Ashley Andersen traveled to Guatemala in July 2023 on an LPGM transformational travel trip with a group from Our Savior's Lutheran Church (Faribault, Minn.)
Q'eqchi' Maya girls who participated in the December 2023 WALC program are more likely to stay in school than their peers. They'll also improve their families' agricultural practices to be more economical, nutritional, and environmentally friendly.
As a young girl, Laura participated in CCFC's Kids & Birds program in 2012-2015. During her middle and high school years, she participated in CCFC's WALC program from 2016-2018, and again from 2022-2023.
Laura, now 21 years old, plans to attend university to pursue a nursing degree. Her sister Teresa (WALC 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2023) just completed her second year of university, where she studies nursing.
Lidia is a true WALC success story. In 2011, after completing 6th grade at San Pablo Xucaneb, Lidia participated in the WALC program for the first time. She continued her WALC participation from 2012-2015 and completed the WALC teaching internship at CCFC in 2016.
While Lidia didn't participate in the program in 2016 or 2017, she stayed connected, and later returned as a WALC teacher. In 2022, she even visited WALC as a guest speaker.
In the fall of 2023, Lidia became a WALC coordinator. Lidia is now almost 26, and is married with a one-year-old son. She studied environmental education at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) and nursing at Universidad Panamericana.
“The achievements of 2023, from mentoring 1,980 girls to sheltering 22 girls and four children, represent steps toward a more empowered future... Looking ahead, our priorities are clear. The safe house construction completion and land acquisition are significant milestones toward comprehensive support. Our 2024 plans outline themes of social-cultural transformation, economic empowerment, infrastructure expansion, and organizational effectiveness.”
Esuvat Lukumay
Founding Director, Eripoto for Girls & Women, Tanzania
In 2023, Eripoto's Safe House Program, which protects survivors of harmful cultural practices, sheltered and supported 22 girls and four children. With your help, Eripoto also finished building a new safe house facility to house up to 25 survivors. It includes bedrooms, offices, a kitchen, fences, and a gate. The new building offers improved living conditions and enhanced security for survivors.
Additionally, LPGM helped Eripoto purchase more land in 2023. Their 10-year strategic plan imagines building a larger safe house on the new land with a health center, nursery school, playground, vegetable garden, workshops, dining hall, and conference hall.
Educating children, parents, and the community at large is a crucial prevention strategy for child marriage and harmful cultural practices. This year, Eripoto provided life skills training in four schools, reaching 1,980 girls and 155 boys. Eripoto also trained 190 men and women in 2023.
While LPGM's partnership with Mwangaza - the Swahili word for "light" - began in 2018 with a Safe School/Safe House initiative, Mwangaza has been operating for 27 years.
Currently, Mwangaza staff works with 9,000 students across 10 government boarding schools to provide professional development for teachers and Peace Club for students. This is possible thanks to your support.
Peace Club teaches students about non-violent communication techniques, and in 2023, two Peace Club Summits were held. Three schools participated, and the students performed dances, skits, and songs.
In September, LPGM travelers visited Kipok and Manyara government schools, where they heard from principals, teachers, and students about the positive impact of Mwangaza training on their schools.
Total Program Expenses across Tanzania: $86,224
"Eripoto gave me more
than just a safe place to
stay; it gave me hope. I'm
back in school now, and I
have dreams for my
future."
-Anyoe, Survivor
"The life skills training at
Eripoto changed my
perspective. I learned that
I have a voice, and I can
stand up for my rights."
-Timanoi, Mentee
"The safe house was a
refuge for me. It provided
more than just shelter; it
was a place of healing and
support."
-Saibulu, Survivor
The idea for a CAR literary pilot program came from a meeting in Cameroon in October 2018, which was attended by a mix of women representing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the CAR (EEL-RCA), LPGM, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The attendees were Pastor Rachel (EEL-RCA), Pastor Antionette (EEL-RCA), Catherine (EEL-RCA), Anne Langdji (ELCA), Valerie Thorin (DEFAP), and Mary Peterson (LPGM).
The EEL-RCA women leaders in the group explained that women's literacy is a top priority in the CAR. Prioritizing literacy for women and girls enhances their quality of life by creating income-generating opportunties and by promoting dignity.
Anticipated participants: 180 women and girls
Geographical areas: Bouar, Gallo, and Baboua. The program areas were chosen based on where women and girls involved in the Village Savings and Loan program - which LPGM helped start - currently live and work.
Training Languages: Sango and French
Project Length: 12 months per session
Pictured above (left to right): Catherine, Valerie Thorin (DEFAP), Pastor Antionette, Mary Peterson (LPGM), Pastor Rachel
The launch of the literacy program was delayed in 2023 due to timing with the rainy season, which is not ideal for learning because women are busy with farming. Instructor training began in fall of 2023 in both Bouar and Bangui.
Total Program Expenses: $12,066
"We sincerely thank you for your spiritual, material, and financial support and ask you to carry us in prayer in order to accomplish this mission entrusted to us for the development of women and girls"
Jean Paul, EEL-RCA
Nibakure Community Village (NCV) is a non-profit based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It runs a community center outside the town of Nyamata in Southeast Rwanda. Since 2016, the Community Center has provided an Early Childhood Development Center (ECD), vocational training center, a working farm, and agricultural education opportunities in this highly impoverished rural area.
The ECD is an important part of NCV, because it is conveniently located, provides healthy meals and education to young children, connects local families to resources, and empowers local community leadership. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NCV closed ECD in 2020.
In December 2023, LPGM stepped in and provided a grant to reopen the ECD. This grant was recommended by LPGM's program committee as an investment from LPGM's Mission Development Fund. This is a board-designated fund that helps LPGM invest for the long term. LPGM has used these funds to invest in new programs and partnerships, respond to immediate needs that arise, and even fund projects that LPGM and partners viewed as critical, but didn't catch the imagination of donors.
Total Grant: $10,000
"It is again a special day for Nibakure Community Village (NCV). After many years of waiting (COVID and construction), the Early Childhood Development (ECD) school started again. [After] weeks of preparation - setting up the classroom, daily schedules, gathering the appropriate materials, technical inspection of the building and surroundings, refreshing the playground, meeting with the parents - the classroom was waiting. Parents bring their children to their school. Co-workers are already there with the breakfast. So, we first enjoy a healthy drink, [and] then we get organized in the classroom. Happy teachers with eager-to-learn children. Let their futures begin!"
Floriane Marie Nibakure, Founder/CEO of NCV
In 2023, LPGM continued to work with partners in India to support education access in a variety of ways:
Total Program Expenses: $416,575
LPGM continued our long-standing partnership with the ALC in 2023. The ALC is a Dalit-led church, for Dalits (formerly called "Untouchables" in the Hindu caste system). Most Dalits are born into poverty and work as day laborers or migrant farmers, doing the dirtiest of jobs. They experience a high degree of discrimination. To be born female and Dalit is two strikes against a girl. Early, arranged marriages are commonplace.
Thanks to many sponsors like you, however, students receive safe shelter, nutritious meals, medical care, spiritual enrichment, and access to quality education. Students across the four ALC boarding homes benefited from your support in 2023.
December 2023 - Celebrated Christmas with chicken biryani, sweets, and Christmas outfits.
Student Spotlight - Santhosh graduated and is pursuing a B.S. in chemistry at the Periyur Arts and Science College in Cuddalore.
April 2023 - All 64 students in 12th grade passed the board exam!
Staff received a four-day training on child psychology, child rights, counseling, and spiritual values.
January 2023 - Celebrated Pongal with early morning celebrations, poetry, and folk dancing.
November 2023 - Celebrated Children's Day with singing, speaking, and competing in essay and drawing contests.
May 2023 - English+ staff helped match students with books in their reading level.
Kavi Bharathi started attending Melpattambakkam Boarding Home when she was in 7th grade, and she is now in 11th grade. At first, she struggled to adjust to classes taught in Tamil, because she was previously enrolled in an English Medium school. She also missed being with her family.
However, after some time, she started enjoying her new life. She enjoys yoga, karate, drawing and crafting, and she is grateful that her friends and teachers encourage her hobbies.
She is thriving academically. She received good grades in 10th grade and is currently working on a mathematics major in 11th grade. Her dream is to become an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. The IAS is an administrative wing of the civil service sector of the Indian government. She is grateful for the support from her sponsor and her boarding home community.
English+ staff continued to train elementary-level ALC school teachers on how to easily instruct classes in English. They also completed year 3 of the 3-year library refresh initiative, launched in 2021. The initiative provided new books and training to library staff and teachers at numerous schools each year. In 2023, the final 25 ALC elementary school libraries were refreshed. This initiative's success wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of the English+ staff, as well as the generous support of donors like you.
"The dedication of the [English+] teachers and students to the goal of education was incredible to witness. Extra special for me coming from a family of educators."
Nancy Bruch traveled to India with LPGM in February 2023. Here, she meets her student Sandhiya's mother and brother.
Timothy Center supports marginalized women and children through education, skill development, and environmental advocacy initiatives. In 2023, Timothy Center staff visited children who had dropped out of the program, with the goal of reengaging them. Center activities included tutoring, a bridge course, gardening, carpentry, and tailoring.
This year, the community college had four vocational programs: mechanics, tailoring, nursing assistant, and refrigeration/AC technician. Enrollment in each program fluctuated throughout the year, but accomplishments were achieved by students.
The Wish List program provides the four ALC boarding homes with special supplies and treats. In 2023, two boarding homes received a smart TV and projector. The boarding homes also received sports equipment, maps (world, India, and Tamil Nadu), an atlas book, and study guides. Wish list funds also provided students with ice cream parties and laddu (a sweet treat) at Christmastime.
Students celebrate Pongal at Melpattambakkam.
VBS kids at Oak Hill Church (CLB) in Bloomington, Minn. raised offerings to purchase library books for students in India.
Dr. DeAne Lagerquist connected with Women of the ELCA at the "Just Love" Triennial Gathering in Phoenix, Ariz. in September.
Longtime PEI sponsors gathered for a Sponsor Dinner hosted by Flaschs and Moes at Our Savior's Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Neenah, Wisc. on May 23.
Bethany Krepela visited with parishioners at St. Luke's Church (LCMC) in Garfield, Minn. on September 17.
Linda and Al Behrens of Bismarck, N. D., longtime PEI sponsors, traveled to India with LPGM in February.
Friends at 7500 York Cooperative (Edina, Minn.) chatted with Naomi Staruch at the Spring Social hosted by LPGM on June 5.
Bethany Krepela
Development Director
Mary Peterson
Program Director
Daniel Ruth
Executive Director
Naomi Staruch
Managing Director
*As of Dec 31, 2023
‡Executive Committee
Contributions of Financial Assets | 1,063,031 |
Contributions of Nonfinancial Assets | 43,888 |
Investment Income | 19,501 |
Total Support & Revenue | $1,126,420 |
Program Services | Management & General | Fundraising | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Personnel Expenses | 157,615 | 72,531 | 93,463 | 323,609 |
Program Expenses | 556,691 | 556,691 | ||
Rent | 14,096 | 14,096 | ||
Professional Services | 525 | 11,248 | 23,396 | 35,169 |
Conferences & Events | 1,294 | 1,305 | 2,599 | |
Printing, Copying & Mailing | 971 | 4,508 | 3,925 | 9,404 |
Other Expenses & Services | 8,455 | 18,695 | 13,944 | 41,094 |
Total Expenses | $724,257 | $122,372 | $136,033 | $982,662 |
Cash & Cash Equivalents | 188,561 |
Prepaid Expenses | 9,112 |
Investments | 781,655 |
Right of Use Assets/Lease | 46,033 |
Total Assets | $1,025,361 |
Accounts Payable & Lease Liabilities | 68,829 |
Undesignated Net Assets | 60,004 |
Board Designated Assets | 647,160 |
Net Assets with Donor Restrictions | 249,368 |
Total Liabilities & Net Assets | $1,025,361 |