Project Title: Girls Gotta Run Foundation Athletic Scholarship Program

Location: Africa → Ethiopia

Grant Amount: $40,000

Grantee Website: girlsgottarun.org

Mission of Girls Gotta Run Foundation
Girls Gotta Run Foundation invests in girls who use running and education to empower themselves and their communities in Ethiopia.

Summary
This grant supports a holistic, community-rooted program that provides full academic support (tuition, uniforms, tutoring, supplies); weekly life-skills sessions (including reproductive health, leadership, and financial literacy); daily lunch to support nutrition and attendance; health support and hygiene kits; sports kits; coached running; and opportunities to participate in local and regional races.

Mothers will play a central role: they will be employed to prepare meals (creating income and ownership), invited to participate in savings-and-loan cooperatives that promote entrepreneurship and household stability, and offered vocational skills training.

This project will address the root causes of dropout (poverty, early marriage, and lack of support) and keep girls in school while strengthening families and community resilience.


Why We Love This
We love this project for its whole-girl, whole-family design: academic support, nutrition, health education, and sport are woven together with mentorship to keep girls in school and thriving. It is authentically community-led: female coaches from the local community, employed mothers, and savings groups create trust and shared investment. The program tackles root causes of early marriage and dropout, and its outcomes far exceed national averages, demonstrating a proven, scalable model.