PORTSMOUTH, NH – The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (VGIF) has awarded Portsmouth based NGO Rain for the Sahel and Sahara (RAIN) a grant for $5,000 for a Girls Scholarship and Mentoring Program to be implemented in a partner school of the Tilaberi region of Niger, West Africa.
The grant awarded to RAIN is one of 30 grants awarded to projects around the world by VGIF. The program will include five mentors and thirty-five at-risk students, who will receive guidance, practical skills training, tutoring and health education as well as tuition and books. In addition, the funding will support the formation of a women artisan’s cooperative in the community.
Virginia Gildersleeve’s vision as an educator and her lifelong advocacy for women’s rights are captured in VGIF’s mission to provide support to grassroots projects that empower women and girls in developing countries. For over 40 years, VGIF has been supporting women with over 350 projects in 72 countries. For more information, visit www.vgif.org.
ABOUT RAIN
RAIN’s mission is to work with nomadic peoples of West Africa to improve their lives through education, water security, agriculture, and income-producing activities. These locally rooted programs promote literacy and empowerment while sustaining nomadic traditions throughout the Sahel and Sahara. For more information, visit www.rain4sahara.org.
