Giving Tuesday: Making Real Change Around the World
As we get ready to prepare our turkeys, bake our pies, and prepare our lists of thankfulness in preparation for the Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S., there is another important day that should be remembered—Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday, November 30th, is a global day of giving where people around the world are encouraged to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. This day is an opportunity to harness the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in all communities. Participants are encouraged to donate their time, their resources, or their money to a cause that they want to support.
Giving Tuesday has become the biggest day around the world for philanthropic giving, and the weeks leading up to this day have become an invaluable resource for non-profit organizations to fundraise for their programs. And in the spirit of giving and thankfulness, why not make the Asherah Foundation the focus of your giving? Would you consider donating to the Asherah Foundation?
In 2016, our founder and CEO Heather MacCleoud founded the Asherah Foundation in response to a global issue: women around the world had huge challenges in accessing higher education for themselves because there was little to no funding to support them. Desiring to change this global trend, MacCleoud and her colleagues formed the Asherah Foundation, an organization that provides scholarships and support to women seeking a second chance through higher education and raises awareness of the global need for accessible post-secondary education. “[Since 2016] we have awarded scholarships to 9 women [in countries such as Burundi, Yemen, and South Sudan where education is harder to obtain]. We are hoping to dramatically increase that over the coming years,” said MacCleoud.
“By my own self I will not be able to conquer all these hurdles, thank God there are people like you who give me the hope to fight and never give up.”
Sound like a worthy cause for giving? Those who have financially contributed to the Asherah Foundation have been a part of transforming the lives of these women, often changing their lives and impacting their communities as well. Most of our scholarship recipients have encountered an overwhelming number of challenges on their journeys to pursing higher education. One scholarship recipient wrote in a letter to Asherah, “I wish to have the honor to conclude my doctoral thesis and hope to find in your esteemed institution the help I need to complete my mission…By my own self I will not be able to conquer all these hurdles, thank God there are people like you who give me the hope to fight and never give up.”
Participating in Giving Tuesday and donating to Asherah means that YOU get to be a part of the stories of these women. You become the helping hand that raises them up and allows them the chance to pursue a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities. “The more access to education a woman has, the easier it will be for her own children to access education also,” said MacCleoud. Giving women access to higher education doesn’t just benefit them personally, but it benefits their families and their surrounding communities. We believe in the power of women to be agents of change in their communities and on the world stage.
If you would like to be an agent of change and to be a part of bringing education to women around the world, please consider donating to the Asherah Foundation. A small donation can have a big impact. To donate, you can visit: https://www.globalgiving.org/donate/67604/the-asherah-foundation-inc/.
Every act of generosity matters, and every act makes a difference.