Whanyinna: A floating school defying odds to educate Makoko's waterfront children

The Center for Children's Health Education, Orientation and Protection, or CEE-HOPE, works to address the challenges young girls growing up in poorer neighborhoods face, including lack of education and skills development and high child marriage rates. The organization helps these young girls access education and shelters for those experiencing abuse, helping to better themselves and turn them into advocates for other young girls.

Tat Sat Kasasa Secondary School (TaSKA) is making education more accessible, affordable and inclusive for youth in rural communities, particularly young girls. As of March, TaSKA serves 120 students, 64 of which are girls. Along with education, the school also provides meals, medical care, extracurriculars and access to financial services to create a holistic educational experience.

Pioneered by Be Strong Families, Parent Cafes offer safe spaces for parents and caregivers to discuss the highs and lows of raising children. The cafes offer guidance and a sense of community, as parenting can feel lonely and isolating. Parent cafes have reached thousands of people since emerging in 2007, and 96% of participants say the cafes feel like safe places where they can learn.

Lumen High School enrolls pregnant and parenting teens, providing a “learn-as-you-go” approach to learning that makes it possible for them to parent and stay in school. The school provides full-day child care, free baby supplies, mental health counseling and other supports to help get students to graduation day. All the Lumen High School students who graduate have been accepted into college, with 95% enrolling or choosing to start working within the six months after graduation.

Building Ukraine Together (BUT) gathers volunteers across the country to help rebuild homes, cultural centers and repair public facilities that were damaged or destroyed as a result of the war with Russia. With a team of more than 6,000 volunteers from several walks of life, BUT has repaired or created comfortable, safe living conditions for more than 5,000 people impacted by the war.

The Sebastian Indian Social Projects (SISP) works with socio-economically disadvantaged communities, providing social services like healthcare and employment assistance with a primary focus on educating youth. SISP has focused on educating the local female population, which has helped empower them economically and led to several women receiving jobs outside of their village. SISP has also educated several students who were forced to drop out of traditional school and provides supplementary activities along with their standard education, such as skating and coding clubs.

School-based health centers provide free services including flu shots, physicals, contraceptive care and reproductive education, talk therapy and behavioral health care to students. Research has found that these school-based clinics boost vaccination rates, reduce hospital visits, lower rates of teen pregnancy and depression and improve grades and attendance levels, all while reducing disparities and making healthcare more accessible.

In an effort to help lower student debt while benefiting the community, the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps program provides 3,200 students with service jobs and pays them $700 a month.

The Transitional Learning Center provides children ages four to 14 with free education, school supplies, and one meal per day to not only encourage school attendance but to also address the issue of malnutrition. The beauty of the Center is that it’s a semi-permanent structure that can be moved to different locations where there may be school children in need. Since the Center was formed, over nine million students from 54,619 schools have benefited from the program.

Chess in Slums Africa uses chess to provide education and enrichment for marginalized children. The program typically lasts for about two weeks and consists of chess sessions, mental math, and discussions to get to know the children intimately. Then, some of the children are placed in shelters or reconnected with their families. The organization then pays scheduled visits to ensure the child’s needs are met. So far, the organization has helped 976 children across the state.