Building Urban Promise from Urban Poverty
Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) combats gender inequality and extreme poverty in urban slums by linking tuition free schools for girls to holistic social services for all.
It Starts with a School for Girls
Educating a girl in urban slums means she will earn more and invest 90% of earnings in her family, be three times less likely to contract HIV, and have fewer, healthier children who are more likely to reach adulthood. However, the lack of access to quality healthcare and resources often prevents girls from staying in school. The lack of value placed on women and girls means many of the most vulnerable girls never start school at all.
The SHOFCO model is centered around a school that provides a superior education with free healthcare, food, and psychosocial services. The school gives students the support they need to complete their education and the tools to find a path out of poverty for themselves and their families. Our girls are tomorrow’s leaders.
The School Is Linked to Holistic Social Services
From the school, SHOFCO extends holistic community services beyond the families of students to the entire community. We identify the services people value most, like clean water, quality health care, and economic empowerment opportunities.
SHOFCO raises the overall health of the community by providing access to free health care, clean water, sanitation education and toilet facilities. We empower the community through valuable public resources including computer and library access, adult education, and group savings and loans. We foster community fellowship though soccer teams, youth programs, and women's empowerment groups. Today, these integrated services transform urban communities.
The School Becomes a Portal for Social Change
By linking community services with a school for girls, we show that girls and their education are part of an ecosystem of value, and we invite the whole community to participate. Placing schools for girls at the epicenter of our programing makes schools portals for large scale social change. This approach enables both genders to be part of the solution and builds a community invested in its own future—ultimately, transforming the face of urban poverty.
Today Communities Flourish; Tomorrow Girls Become Next-Generation Leaders
The SHOFCO model elevates girls while connecting community transformation to women's empowerment. Our ecosystem of services enables everyone to reach their full potential.
Our holistic services change communities today: we improve health, provide economic opportunity, end gender-based violence and create sanitation systems that offer dignity. Tomorrow, our girls will become next-generation leaders, disrupting the systems that hold poverty in place.
