WOGO’s mission is to Empower, Educate and Engage women and their larger communities in developing countries around the world. Engage – provide role models for girls and young women by promoting the importance of education and helping to expand their understanding of what a woman can accomplish. As part of our Engage program in Peru, we are working with the Santa Maria School in Lima.
This year we are working with nearly 400 students, including students at a new school in the jungle. WOGO will be building a computer lab, volleyball nets, soccer goals and basketball hoops for the students. We will be donating laptops, shoes, clothing, sports equipment, and of course soccer jerseys.
The WOGO team works with two great organizations as part of these school donations. This will be our third year working with Jerseys from Jersey to share soccer jerseys with the students. Founded in 2009, Jerseys from Jersey collects used, washed soccer uniforms and works with organizations to distribute them to children in Bangladesh, Ghana, and Kenya, Nepal, Peru and other developing nations.
Dr. Amanda Marshall and Dr. Robyn Hakanson present Jerseys from Jersey soccer uniforms to young girls who are part of the Little Sisters program in Kathmandu, Nepal during WOGO’s inaugural medical mission.
WOGO has also partnered with another non-profit organization, Soles 4 Souls. Soles 4 Souls collects shoes from donors, many of which come from large shoe manufacturers’ excess inventory, and then distributes them to worthy recipients. Last year was WOGO’s first year working with this organization and the partnership was a great success. Working with Soles 4 Souls we are able to bring athletic shoes to the students again this year.
Tiffany Johnson of Soles 4 Souls fits a student at the Bethancourt School in Antigua, Guatemala for a pair of athletic shoes. This was WOGO and Soles 4 Souls first trip together.
The Florida team has also collected clothing for the students. Working with Soles 4 Soles and Jerseys from Jersey, we have tons of fun and needed items for the kids we will meet. Every student at the Santa Maria School and the new school will receive shoes and clothing.
Our community outreach is a rewarding part of our medical mission trips. Each year the team looks forward to spending time in the communities we visit and meeting the smiling faces of the children we work with during our time in country. This year should be another great experience.
Dr. Jennifer Cook and the WOGO team arrived to great fanfare at the Bethancourt School last fall in Guatemala.
Comments are closed.