Press Release:
A five-year partnership to make girls’ dreams come true
Be That Girl Foundation (BTG) and Mothers Without Borders (MWB) are joining forces to support girls in rural Zambia to live a self-determined life.
Founded by Kathy Headlee in 1989, Mothers Without Borders is currently improving the lives of more than 600 schoolchildren and provides over 150000 meals a year. Beyond providing basic education for children, MWB puts a particular focus on the personal growth of young women, thus unleashing their potential for a self-determined life.
An innovative development framework, experienced local leadership and close cooperation with respective communities ensure long-term sustainability of initiatives. MWB considers individual mentoring of women and girls during their secondary- and tertiary education to be an indispensable tool towards long-term individual success. As a principle within all MWB initiatives, scholarship and mentoring is dependent on school grades and other, non academic measures of individual motivation, teaching young people that personal success goes hand in hand with personal commitment.
Be That Girl Foundation has committed to a five-year support package worth USD 750k. Those funds will go towards a dedicated Be That Girl program run by Mothers Without Borders. It will support and expand the education and personal growth and development of hundreds of girls in rural communities near Zambia’s capital Lusaka.
Explaining her reasons for partnering with MWB, BTG Founder Cornelia says: “The board of Be That Girl Foundation is very proud to partner with an organization that sees the importance of nurturing girls’ personalities and give them the confidence that everything is possible – this goes one crucial step beyond the usual development aid pattern which tends to neglect soft factors and social skills in educating young people. It fits very well with BTG’s approach”.
Kathy Headlee, founder and CEO of MWB, adds: “In the 30 years that I have been working with vulnerable women and girls around the world, the most critical factor in their success is dependent upon a deep-seated belief that their dreams are possible. We have found that inspiring this belief in women and girls allows whole communities to transform. We are excited to see thousands of dreams become a reality thanks to the generous commitment of the Be That Girl Foundation to our work.”
Follow this link to read an interview with Kathy and Cornelia.
About Mothers Without Borders
Mothers Without Borders offers hope in developing countries by strengthening local communities in their efforts to: 1) nurture children in crisis by providing a safe home, access to caring adults who invite healing from trauma, clean water, nutrition, and education, and 2) empower women and girls with literacy and business skills. We teach principles of conscious living, personal growth, and self-reliance to inspire each individual to be the best version of themselves.
About Be That Girl Foundation
Motivated by the success of her documentary film “That Girl”, Cornelia Gantner established Be That Girl Foundation (BTG) in September 2020 in order to empower girls and women to lead a self-determined life. For this purpose, BTG runs its own #RoarGirl social media campaign and works together with a select few innovative partners. www.bethatgirl.org
Notes to editors:
For more information, quotes or pictures, please contact tanner@motherswithoutborders.org or sandro.gruenenfelder@secondmile.ch
