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Nonprofit She's The First To Honor Champions Of Girls' Right To Education

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Only 30% of girls in the world receive a secondary education. And while there are many reasons why this is so -- many girls must work to support their families, or are socially stigmatized by their communities, or can’t make the long trek to school safely, or don’t have access to basic resources like sanitary napkins and other school supplies, or are forced into an early marriage – the outcome is usually the same in the poorest countries where a girl is least likely to attain an education: instead of gaining the skills necessary to lift themselves out of poverty, the cycle continues.

But She’s the First, an award-winning, internationally-recognized nonprofit dedicated to sponsoring the education of girls in low-income countries, is trying to rectify those statistics, one education at a time.

Wednesday, She’s the First marks its fifth anniversary by honoring women making a difference in the world – whether through their support of the organization or for being the first in their families to graduate from high school.

The Mentor Breakfast will honor fashion designer and long-time supporter Nanette Lepore; Jennifer Buffett and Paula Shifman, both of the Novo Foundation; former U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer Nicole Wong and graduated She’s the First scholars from India, Maheshwari Raja and Prathibha Reddy.

Over its five-year history, She’s the First has raised over $1.3 million to fund educations for 400 girls in 10 countries, and boasts 117 fundraising chapters at colleges across the country. Tammy Tibbetts, founder and president of She’s the First, said each woman being honored represents a different type of mentor integral to the success of providing girls around the globe with a quality education.

Because the organization directly allocates 100% of donations to girls’ scholarships to its scholars, the Mentorship Breakfast will also act as a fundraiser to support the internal operations of She’s the First.

“What you learn in the classroom is absolutely instrumental to putting you on the trajectory to graduate and get a job and contribute to society, but what happens in the classroom in and of itself is not enough,” Tibbetts said. “It’s important that (the mentee) has a woman she looks up to in her community that understands the problems that she’s facing.”

Tibbetts said mentors – such as Lepore and Wong – often inspire their mentees to make a difference in the world. She spotlighted Mayra Reanda, a graduated She’s the First Scholar from Guatemala who is now the breadwinner of her family and runs an artisan management business, as a prime example of someone who was able to flourish with this basic support from other women.

“I think it lights the fire inside of people to want to pay it forward,” she said. Reanda will also be at the event, calling on others to help support women’s education. “There is a whole community working on this, and that’s why this excites me,” Tibbetts continued. “It’s the chance to honor some really amazing women from all different walks of life and industries.”

Follow me on Twitter: @AliciaAdamczyk