As world news continues to show stunning reports of extreme weather, it is sadly apparent that droughts, floods, and natural disasters disproportionately affect people at the margins, such as those whom our partners and we serve. Forced early marriage and gender-based violence are known to increase in times of weather-impacted food scarcity. 

Early September 2024, we shared the stories of Nanyori in Tanzania and Yolotli in Guatemala, two girls who are accessing education despite climate-related challenges. Here's a short recap: 

• In Tanzania, Nanyori’s father could not work due to an accident, so her mother worked to support her daughter’s education. Sadly, severe drought interrupted her ability to make a living on selling grasses. Her parents believed an early marriage was the solution. Luckily, Nanyori learned of our partner Eripoto’s safe house, where she could stay during school breaks from boarding school rather than being forced into marriage. Now, Nanyori is studying business in college.  

• In the Central Highlands of Guatemala, Yolotli’s farming family’s crops were destroyed by mudslides in the rainy season and drought in the dry season. She was planning to start a new life in the U.S. when she met an alumna of our partner’s WALC program, who told her about the opportunity to earn a school scholarship while gaining skills and knowledge related to sustainable farming. Yolotli participated in WALC (Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation), planted her own agro-forest parcel on her famiy's land, and sells bread to make extra money for her family. She has stayed in school and plans to study sustainable farming practices in college.  

Great news! Our September request resulted in 53 of you making donations totaling $25,878, which was matched $25,000, thanks to two former students of LPGM founder Gordon Olson, their spouses, and their parents.  We are so grateful for your response! 

Providing young people – especially girls – with what they need to stay in school helps them beat the odds and thrive.  

Thank you for being stewards of God’s creation and investing in the future of our precious planet by supporting students like these through our “Advancing Access to Education” Fund.  

Your generosity is not only shaping individual lives, but also rippling out to impact families, communities, and the world at large. 

It's never too late to make an impact! Support girls like Nanyori and Yolotli by giving to the  Advance Access to Education Fund today!