Shukuru

Shukuru is a San Francisco-based, 501(c)3 nonprofit to help orphaned and vulnerable girls in sub-Saharan Africa to afford a secondary education through a comprehensive microsavings model. It does this through a unique program that provides girls an opportunity to earn income, establishes protected microsavings accounts, and matches their earnings with donor contributions to pay for four years of secondary education.

Due to the costly transition from primary school, four out of five girls in sub-Saharan Africa fail to enroll in secondary school. Of all the inequalities girls face, the drop out rate between primary and secondary school is the most critical. Girls who drop out of school continue the cycle of poverty and dependency.

Shukuru’s program is a direct response to help reduce the critical drop out point between primary and secondary school by offering a unique microsavings model that enables girls to earn money and rewards them for investing it in their own education. It focuses on the most disadvantaged children in developing countries: orphaned and vulnerable girls. They will be put in charge of their own future with opportunities to earn while incentivizing them to save via matching contributions. An investment in a girl’s education becomes an investment in economic development and public health.