#DadsMatter: Celebrating Fathers Who Support Their Daughters

For Father's Day, we're celebrating the dads of the GGRF Athletic Scholars and the enormous effort they have taken to ensure that their daughters get the quality education they never received.

Noradine Demboba // GGRF Athletic Scholar Fatuma's Dad "I didn't have a chance to learn. I never went to school as a child. Today, I help my children to learn by being a daily laborer. I work very hard and my body is tired but I am happy to know that the little money I earn can help my children go to school." "In the Girls Gotta Run Program, my daughter gets additional education like life skills that I can't teach her and I appreciate that." "She has a good chance with this program. I am proud of her." Fatuma Noradine // GGRF Athletic Scholar in Bekoji, Ethiopia Fatuma is 13 years old and in 6th grade. She lives with her family in a traditional farm house that her dad built in Bekoji. Fatuma loves studying math, science and history. She hopes to be a doctor when she grows up. She is also a top athlete in her peer group and has potential to make a career of running professionally. "I am happy when I go to practice. I love the girls in the program. We help to advise each other and talk about how to do better in school during tutorial." - Fatuma

For Father's Day, make the inspiring dads in your life feel like heroes in someone else's life too. Give the gift of education in honor of your dad.

Celebrating Mothers as Changemakers in Ethiopia

"They are not only saving their money, they discuss how to change their lives." - Sukuare Nure, GGRF Program Manager To celebrate Mother's Day, we are recognizing and celebrating the enormous role that mothers have in the GGRF Athletic Scholarship Program all week long! You can, too. Invest in the moms of GGRF in honor of the resilient moms in your life. GGRF helps to establish savings and entrepreneurship groups with the mothers of the girls for whom we provide Athletic Scholarships. The aim of this project is to integrate a long-term sustainability plan for the families participating in the GGRF Athletic Scholarship Program by providing them with the tools they need to build successful, female-led businesses.WATCH the GGRF Mother's Savings Group Video to learn more about this program. This Mother's Day, help the GGRF mothers become equipped with the knowledge, tools and mentorship they need to build a better life for themselves and their families. Invest in the GGRF mothers creating change in Ethiopia today.

Whole Foods Releases Limited Edition Coffee in Support of GGRF

Now through February 28th, the Ethiopia Reserve Rocko Mountain medium-dark roast coffee supporting GGRF is available at Whole Foods Market stores. As part of this special offering, Allegro Coffee will make a $10,000 donation to GGRF through their Origin Direct Grant Program! Thank you to Allegro Coffee for choosing GGRF as their Origin Direct grant recipient. We are so proud to partner with Addis Exporter, Falcon Coffees, Allegro Coffee Company and Whole Foods Market to bring you quality Ethiopian coffee that invests in the GGRF Athletic Scholars. We hope you enjoy this coffee knowing that from tree to cup, you are investing in sustainable development, ethical business practices and the power of girls to transform their lives and communities. Grab a bag today at any Whole Foods store nationwide or at Allegro Coffee's online store and let us know what you think!

VSCO Presents BEKOJI Exhibit in Collaboration with GGRF

VSCO presents: BEKOJI - an exhibition by Knox Robinson, Joel Wolpert, and Kent Andreasen

VSCO, 31 West 27th Street, 10th Floor 

November 03 2016 

6 — 9pm

On Thursday November 03, VSCO presents BEKOJI — an experiential storytelling project curated by writer, runner, and coach Knox Robinson that weaves text, photography, film, and installation to consider the life of young women using the inspiration of world class running to escape the cycle of poverty in rural Ethiopia. The work explores running as a source of personal creativity for the young women; as a flashpoint for designing and realizing a self-empowered future — and as an avenue for reaffirming their human rights and redefining gender roles in the process. 

The presentation at VSCO’s New York space features a studio installation of a film by Joel Wolpert and a photography essay by Kent Andreasen shown in large scale format. Robinson will perform a reading and stage a Q&A on Bekoji with Kayla Nolan of Girls Gotta Run Foundation, the only charity operating in Ethiopia that provides academic and athletic scholarships for young women in the country. Catering of classic Ethiopian fare and a traditional coffee ceremony will be provided by Philipos Mengistu of NYC’s iconic Queen of Sheba restaurant.

3 Ways to Celebrate the International Day of the Girl with GGRF

VISIT THE GGRF PROGRAM IN SODO, ETHIOPIA FROM WHERE YOU ARE In celebration of the International Day of the Girl, we invite you to get to know the stories of the GGRF Athletic Scholars in a new way. Thanks toGetty Images, Lean In, Inspired Storytellers and Photographer Joshua Kristal, the GGRF Athletic Scholars are able to give a 360 degree perspective of what their lives are like in Sodo, Ethiopia. Sit in their classrooms, have a coffee with their families and stretch after practice with the GGRF Athletic Scholars by visiting the immersive Run with Us 360 video website built with Getty Images' first ever Lean In Grant for women and girls. RUN WITH GGRF FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL Join GGRF in raising funds and awareness for girls who are empowering themselves and their communities through running and education in Ethiopia by participating in our IDG 5K Pop-Up Run! Every dollar donated will go towards providing Athletic Scholarships for girls in Ethiopia. REGISTER: Grab your crew and register for the IDG Pop-Up 5K event by contributing $25 each towards providing Athletic Scholarships for girls in Ethiopia. RUN: Run a 5K with your friends October 8th-11th in celebration of the International Day of the Girl. SHARE: Share photos of your squad running the 5K and enter to win some free swag. Use the hashtag #IDG5K to participate in the global pop-up 5K event and tell us what you #RunFor. Happy International Day of the Girl from all of us at GGRF! Let's make today more than a hashtag by taking local action with global impact in support of girls.