Start a Preschool for 60 Children in South Africa

Need

In the region where our projects are based in South Africa, children and families are faced by both the longstanding effects of racialized inequality and poverty and one of the highest documented HIV rates in the world. In these circumstances, children need early interventions and systems of support to reach their developmental potential, to be successful in school, and to have a chance at a bright future.

Long term impact

Early childhood care and education is crucial for nurturing healthy, strong bodies and minds, preparing young people for school and for success in life. Programs like ours, which link the young child's cognitive, social/emotional, language, and motor development with stable and supportive caregiving, help break cycles of inter-generational poverty and inequality, particularly among children facing multiple forms of adversity.

About the Organization

Even Ground strives to help families and communities break the cycles of poverty and inequality by providing support to community-based programs that offer high-quality education and care to young people in Africa. We envision communities where all young people, regardless of their economic background, are given high-quality education and care to ensure a fair start in life and set them on the path towards a brighter future. UNAIDS estimates that to date, a staggering 14 million children have been orphaned by AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV in the world and by 2025, it is estimated that 40% of South African adults will have died of the disease. In Uganda, HIV infections increased by 30% between 2005 and 2011. Two-thirds of all South African children live in extreme poverty. 35% of Uganda's population continues to suffer from hunger. Even Ground currently supports over 700 children ages 2-24 at one site in Uganda and three sites in South Africa, in some of the poorest communities in these countries. Even Ground's projects address issues of poverty, poor-quality education, limited access to healthcare, malnutrition, food insecurity, drugs, and broken family structures. Our projects work hand-in-hand with local organizations in each of these communities to ensure that support is sustainable, locally-appropriate, and organic to the community. Together, we are transforming young lives that will one day transform the world. All of our project directors started their respective organizations when still students, and have continued to devote incredible personal energy to sustaining their programs, and expanding the number of young people we are able to serve. Our model has received much positive press for the energy and creativity of its many young founders and volunteers. Because the Even Ground officers fund 100% of our organization's administrative and travel costs, all donations made to Even Ground by foundations, corporations, and individuals go directly to educational support progams for the young people we serve.

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