Barbara's fundraiser for A Child's Notebook

I am currently serving as the Interim Executive Director at A Child's Notebook (ACN). ACN provides access to education for children in rural Laos by building schools, dormitories, and latrines and by providing scholarships and after-school programs. 

There are three aspects of A Child's Notebook that are particularly inspiring to me: 

1) ACN creates opportunities for local empowerment. We partner with village leaders to plan and build schools that best address their needs. The schools are built using local materials thereby supporting their economy, and villagers volunteer their time to build the structures. 

2) ACN places emphasis on educating girls. In Laos, girls usually encounter significant obstacles in accessing education, particularly in rural areas where limited educational opportunities and infrastructure challenges exist. Moreover, entrenched gender norms favoring boys' education perpetuate enrollment and completion disparities, with girls frequently relegated to household roles, impeding their educational access and perpetuating cycles of poverty and oppression. 

3) ACN provides outreach and scholarships to girls' families to attend vocational school. Financial support through vocational scholarships alleviate economic constraints, covering tuition fees and other expenses, thus making vocational training more accessible to girls from rural communities. This inclusivity, combined with practical skill development in fields such as agriculture, healthcare, and technology, provides opportunities for girls to secure higher-paying jobs and achieve economic independence, contributing to gender equality and social change. Ultimately, access to vocational education not only breaks down barriers to education but also empowers girls to become agents of change, breaking the cycle of poverty and oppression and fostering a brighter, more equitable future for all.

Please join me in donating to A Child’s Notebook to help make education accessible for these children. Every donation made through this fundraising campaign, up to $5,000, will be matched by a generous donor, thereby doubling your gift.