[okfn-cz] 2013 Mentoring Opportunity (Beatrice Achieng Nas)

Wed Jan 2 21:01:00 UTC 2013

Thinking of tangible and direct impact in the world this NEW year?  Welcome
Rural Girl Child Mentorship Uganda (RGCM Uganda) Project! We are looking
for men and women across the globe willing and ready to mentor rural
Ugandan girls this 2013. This is the second phase of this project, the
second group of girls for mentorship.

They are 20 highly motivated rural Ugandan girls seeking education and
mentorship opportunities. In 2012, we matched 40 rural Ugandan girls with
38 mentors from across the globe; http://worldpulse.com/node/48881. This
NEW year, 2013, we are looking into connecting these 20 more girls with
mentors from across the globe; http://worldpulse.com/node/60951 .
719 girls applied for this opportunity since January 2012, we interviewed
60 of these girls in August 2012 but we are able to select only 20 highly
motivated girls.

For decades, 98% of the children and especially girls in rural Ugandan
communities have been unable to complete high school. Only 0.5% will
continue further for a tertiary training and graduate at a diploma level.
This is due to the effects of chronic poverty, HIV, cultural beliefs that
education is wasted on girls, and domestic violence.
Although these girls currently live in situations where they have little
hope for a future that doesn’t include poverty and/or marriage at a young
age, they have dreams of becoming educated, independent women who can
effect change in Uganda in a variety of ways.
Rural Girl Child Mentorship Uganda (RGCM Uganda) project is in place to
support these girls,a one on one girl-to-mentor global nonprofit mentorship
program which helps poor rural Ugandan girls attend school and work toward
achieving their dreams.
Each rural Ugandan girl will be connected to a single mentor who will help
nurture their vision for a brighter future. Our goal for 2013 is to find
mentors from around the globe for 23 intelligent and motivated rural
Ugandan girls [3 of them need new mentors, their current mentors are not
able to continue].

*Why this Girl Mentorship project?*

As the Founder of Rural Girl Child Mentorship Uganda (RGCM Uganda) project,
I have empathy for these girls. Ten years ago, I had little hope of
attaining an education or acquiring a decent job. After staying home for
two years due to a lack of school fees, I was extremely fortunate to find a
mentor in the United States. She helped me finish my high school education
and continued to support me in many ways while I pursued my dream of a
bachelor’s degree in Information Technology. Now that I have graduated, I
have a good job and am able to support my mother and now my 16 nieces and
nephews. I am also able to assist my community.

In 2011 I was selected by World Pulse to be one of the three world-wide
awardees to speak to audiences in five major cities in the United States.
World Pulse is an action media network powered by women from 185 countries,
with a goal to lift and unite women’s voices to accelerate their impact for
the world. My vision about girl child mentorship became clear and clearer
since then.

These personal experiences are why I feel so strongly about the value of
mentorship for promising Ugandan girls. I have seen first-hand what a
difference having a mentor can make, and want to make this opportunity
available to others.
I believe everybody has the potential to live a better life. Given
Opportunity, Education and Motivation, ANYONE can become someone admirable.
Nobody is a NOBODY; everybody is SOMEBODY.
Below are some of the links that would help you to know more about me.
• A podcast interview:
http://www.futureprimitive.org/?powerpress_pinw=2313-podcast
• A panel with Gloria Steinem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiiORDrgVJw
• Contribution to Women leadership: http://vimeo.com/m/31171945
• Blogs/blog: http://worldpulse.com/node/46561
• World Pulse tour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvg6Ybc-d-k&sns=fb

*Benefits/advantages of Girl Mentorship project;*

• One-on-one mentorship and sponsorship of a promising rural Ugandan girl.
• Helping a girl attain education she could not otherwise afford. This will
help prevent forced early marriages, and provide a pathway to the
achievement of dreams and career goals.
• This is an opportunity for direct involvement where the mentor is able to
easily see the impact of their support for the girl they choose to support.
• The mentor has the opportunity of visiting the girl and/or her family, if
they so wish (in a group with other mentors) once a year. Visits are not
mandatory.
•Networking with other women and men with similar vision and opportunities
for social economic development.
• There is direct communication between the girl and the mentor. Initially
this will be done through snail mail. However, in the near future, we will
set up a communications center where the girls will have access to
computers and the internet in order to facilitate communication with their
mentors through the social medias (emails, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, blogs,
etc.) At the moment we are limited by resources.

*Criteria for Mentorship – The Mentors;*

• A minimum of one girl per mentor.
• A minimum of one mentor per girl (A family or group can support one girl
or more)
• The length of the mentorship shall be left up to the girl and her
sponsor, although it is hoped that it will last throughout her education.
Either can terminate the relationship with proper notice if necessary.
• A mentor shows commitment to provide the girl with emotional and
financial support, and to provide guidance and suggestions to assist her in
achieving her goals.
• Both the girl and her mentor may blog or share their experiences, stories
and successes using the social media.
• The mentor is able to cultivate the girl’s talents and creativity.
• Anyone from across the globe can become a mentor as long as they are able
to mentor and educate the girl with strategic leadership knowledge and
skills.
• A mentor can come from any country in the world.
• A mentor may involve her/his family and friends during the mentorship
period (a group can mentor one girl)
• A mentor may select up to 5 girls, ranked in order of preference, in case
their first pick is already taken.
• A mentor commitment form shall be provided upon selection of the girl to
be mentored.

*Criteria for Mentorship – The girls;*

Only girls from rural, impoverished families are considered. The following
will guide the evaluation of the applicants:
• Each girl will write a short essay on their current life, explain how
they’ve overcome roadblocks thus far, and identify their dreams and goals.
Here are the essays: http://worldpulse.com/node/60951
• Joining or in high school level
• Promising performance in class and may also be participating in sports
activities.
• The girl under normal circumstances may live with her parents/caretakers
while attending a day school, but in many cases a boarding school may be a
better choice due to safety concerns and distance.
• Be willing to communicate to their mentors as often as possible.

For both parties, there shall be a yearly evaluation of what’s been
accomplished.
We suggest that mentors provide school fees for the girls and the
parents/guardians shall be responsible for scholastic materials, the
feeding of their children and meeting their basic needs. This is to involve
the parents/guardians in the girls’ education and personal development. It
shall be my responsibility to receive and document the money submitted for
each girl, and to pay their school fees. This will ensure that the money is
used for the purpose it was provided for.

*How the mentor-ship starts:*

Step one: Select a girl from the available list at
http://worldpulse.com/node/60951 . A brief history of each girl is
provided, along with their dreams and visions.

Step Two: You may select up to 5 girls, ranked in order of preference, in
case their first pick is already taken

This a temporary starting point but you may find this social media site
useful for the purpose of sharing stories and ideas with the world.

Step three: Contact me at biitry at gmail.com and exchange snail mail contacts
and for the next steps. You could also see how much it costs to mentor a
girl in the document here attached.

Deadline
The deadline for selection of a girl by a mentor is January 19, 2013.
School starts on January 30, 2012.

For further information about the Mentorship project, please visit and
"like" our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RGCMUganda ,
https://www.facebook.com/notes/rural-girl-child-mentorship-rgcm-uganda/voices-o
f-promising-rural-ugandan-girls-seeking-mentorship-in-2013-please-take-t/476167275754814

OR send an email to biitry at gmail.com

Thank you, Happy New Year!

*Kindly,

Achieng Beatrice Nas*

*Founder and Chief of Party,
*

*Rural Girl Child Mentorship Uganda (RGCM Uganda) project

Email: biitry at gmail.com , info at pce-foundation.org
* *
Skype: achieng.nas
* *
Cell.  256 782 970355 <%2B256%20782%20970355>
* *
P.O.Box 28643, Kampala,
Uganda *
*http://pce-foundation.org
*
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