#ekari

lil oc comic strip

So I'm guessing you haven't heard of them before and that's fine. The reason for that is they're a small organization based in Phalombe, Malawi. And they may be little but they do a LOT.

Malawi's education system is less than ideal. It's difficult to afford the materials for school, teachers are often stretched thin or missing, and a student's admission to college is based entirely on an exam taken their senior year. Drop out rates are very high due to poverty and teen pregnancy (only 18% of children recieve a high school education), and 50% of the students who make it to the college entrance exam fail it due to inadequate preparation. And then for many, college is too expensive for them to attend - and we're not talking American amounts here, college in Malawi is about $400 a year. But in a place where many live on $1 a day, that's an impossible sum.

The EKARI Foundation is working to change that. They provide tutoring programs to help students prepare for their exams, help students pay for college applications, run mentorship programs, provide meals to students, supply textbooks, and much more. And that's only what they do for the students - they also support the community with programs in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, adult literacy, and small business support.

EKARI does an incredible amount for one organization. They bring in less thatn $150,000 per year - for some comparison, more well known organizations like Susan G. Komen are working with dollar amounts in the hundred MILLIONS. (also unlike Susan G. Komen, EKARI is very clear that 90% of their funding goes straight into their programs, with only 10% going to overhead costs and advertising).

So hey, the holidays are coming up. Maybe you're looking for a cool new charity to support, maybe you just want to learn more about EKARI. Here's their site. Here is their financial information and an article to give you more ideas about Malawi's school troubles. Here's where you can donate.

A fantasy adventure series following the exploits of the wild young princess, Bold Riley, as she explores the world of The Coin.

Otherworldly Videos: Transmission Series #afrofuturism

Ekari (Ashleigh Ekari) is developing a series called TRANSMISSION: Afrofuturism as an Archive as part of her senior capstone project for the class Re-Imagining the Archive.She describes it as “exploring the ways in which speculative fiction, namely…