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.

“You shall raise up the foundations of many generations”
–Isaiah 58

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. 

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

Literacy Program Overview

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: 80 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