And, as I like to say, “Never doubt what can happen when a Ugandan nun and a Jewish mother put their heads together.”

Our partnership has developed Sister Ernestine’s small health clinic into a fully equipped hospital where over 200,000 people in the district of Luwero, Uganda now have access to quality healthcare. More than 13,000 mothers have received critical medical services since 2006, increasing maternal and newborn health in this rural area. Over the years, JLMC continued to collaborate with communities to improve their children’s access to education, create microenterprise opportunities for families, and increase knowledge about human rights. As a result, thousands of people now have the tools to create a better future for their children.

Just Like My Child Foundation has evolved into a learning organization. Sustainable development is never a straight line and while we are fiercely committed to protecting children, we are equally committed to measuring and evaluating the progress we are making as we fine-tune our approach.

Through the years, we’ve invested in many sustainable programs. However, what we have observed is that unless a girl can be empowered to stay in school and avoid the obstacles that make her vulnerable, it is as though we are mopping up the floor while the sink is overflowing. A girl can easily succumb to the pressures of poverty and culture, drop out of school early to be forced into child marriage and early pregnancy, and she is highly susceptible to sexual and gender-based violence. It’s easy for girls to remain stuck in the cycle of poverty rather than become the brilliant solution that uplifts families and entire communities.

Our development of the Girl Power Project® was in response to the issues we’ve seen girls face in central Uganda. These issues aren’t unique to Uganda. Global research shows that educated girls are the greatest resource for changing the cycle of poverty. Through a passionate community of supporters and alongside local leaders, the Girl Power Project is planting the seeds for a sustainable movement of change in Luwero, Uganda by equipping girls with the tools to navigate adolescence successfully.

Our vision is to create a dramatic improvement in the world’s health, economic stability, and environment by empowering vulnerable adolescent girls to achieve their full potential. I know that I speak for so many people when I say that all children are Just Like My Child. Let’s close the great divide.