The Global Uplift Project passes 3 million mark of people helped
TGUP builds small scale educational infrastructure projects in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Such projects include classrooms, libraries, science labs, playgrounds, latrines and other projects that improve children’s capacity to learn.
According to Freeman, the 3,000,000 milestone includes those people who will be helped by TGUP projects over their full duration. “Some projects, such as sanitary pads for girls, have a short duration: three years. Others, such as classrooms, have a long duration: 30 years. The sum of all projects’ impact is how TGUP gets to the 3,000,000 figure,” he said.
The nonprofit was formed in 2007 as One Dollar For Life (ODFL). It invited high school students to donate one dollar and used those funds to build classrooms in Kenya, Nepal, Nicaragua, and other countries. In 2020, when COVID shut down schools, ODFL changed its name to The Global Uplift Project (TGUP) and opened its offering to adults.
TGUP has completed 143 projects in Kenya, the leading destination country for its aid. Behind Kenya is Nepal, with 82 projects and Guatemala/Nicaragua with 54 projects. Other top countries include Uganda, Tanzania, and Cameroon, all in Africa.
The organization’s work is growing rapidly. In 2022, it completed 71 projects. Last year, the number was 93. This year, 2024, TGUP is on track to complete 120 projects in 10 target countries.
In addition to the work, itself, TGUP claims one special distinction. It has raised funds from private foundations which cover its operating costs: literature; web site; travel; etc. As a result, according to Freeman, “Ever dollar donated by an individual donor goes into their intended project. We don’t know any other organization that can say that.”
In addition to its work building structures, TGUP also produces its Save a Girl ™ (SaG) product. Save a Girl ™ is a washable, reusable sanitary pad that helps adolescent girls manage their period so they can stay in school. They are given free of charge to the girls. TGUP has made and distributed more than 90,000 SaG kits to girls in 11 countries.
The TGUP volunteer who invented Save a Girl ™, Brenda Birrell, was recently profiled in AARP Magazine. AARP-M is the highest circulation magazine in the U.S. According to the story, “Girls dropping out of school because they can’t manage their period is the greatest preventable human tragedy in the world.”
TGUP works with partner organizations in developing countries to carry out its work. These Non-Governmental Organizations, or NGOs, are themselves nonprofits and have expertise in the areas that TGUP works. Many of its NGO partners have completed dozens of projects in their home countries.
Additional Resources:
• TGUP Media Backgrounder
• Think Piece on the deep rationale for TGUP’s Save a Girl ™ program
Robert Freeman
The Global Uplift Project
+1 650-575-3434
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Short (1 minute) video introducing TGUP