Batonga Foundation

The Batonga Foundation
Founded 2007
Founder Angélique Kidjo
Type Educational Charity No. 501(c(3)
Location
Area served
Key people
Website www.batongafoundation.org

The Batonga Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to provide African girls a secondary school and higher education. It was founded by Angélique Kidjo in 2007 and is now working in five African nations: Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali, and Sierra Leone.

History

The organization was Founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo. Kidjo says the foundation's name was invented when she was taunted while attending school at a time when education for girls was not acceptable.[1]

The organization was launched with a trust fund donation of $300,000 and focused its efforts on assisting children from the poorest families, especially those affected by HIV/AIDS. In its first year of operation, the organization expected to provide scholarships to nearly 400 girls completing primary school.[2]

Work

The foundation is run by a board of directors, the members of which are Angélique Kidjo, her husband Jean Hebrail, Mary Louise Cohen and John R. Phillips.[3] The organization attempts to achieve its goals through granting scholarships to girls, founding schools, and improving teaching standards. The foundation also provides schools with supplies.[4] Batonga's current countries of focus are Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali and Sierra Leone.[2]

References

  1. Dannheisser, Ralph (2009-01-23). "African Diaspora Celebrates Obama, Promotes Global Change". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  2. 1 2 "Benin singer gives back to Africa". Al Jazeera. 2007-05-26. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  3. "Board of Directors". www.batongafoundation.org. Archived from the original on 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  4. "The Batonga Foundation: Supporting Education For Girls In Africa". www.ad4change.org. Archived from the original on 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-09-23.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.