Launching Tailored for Education

Hello Coffee, Tea and Thee readers!

I am not sure how I can follow up such a fabulous introduction by my amazing Fairy Godmother, but I am extremely honored to share my new venture with you today. Suzanne, my fairy godmother, has been right beside me (physically or virtually) for every important moment of my life (and some not so important fun ones as well) so it is very fitting that I am guest blogging on the same day I launch a project that is very near and dear to my heart, Tailored for Education.

After completing graduate school, lucky to have a job I love in a big city I love even more, I needed to do something to help someone other than myself. While discussing this feeling over dinner, my friend Elaine casually asked if I knew about the minimal cost ($16- $22) needed to provide a child in Tanzania with a school uniform. My mind raced the next day as I researched and learned that in a number of countries around the world children are required to wear a uniform to school and that it is one of the only things their family must pay for. I was shocked to learn such a small thing could keep a child from being able to attend school. I had certainly taken for granted the 12 years I spent putting on my plaid uniform each morning and going to school. After telling Jess, my close friend and colleague, we decided to see what we could do to fix this problem. We were about two weeks into our search for information and schools that might be in need when I read this post this post of Suzanne's. Instantly, I knew we were on the right track.

Now seven months, several IRS forms, hundreds of emails and conference calls later, here we are officially launching Tailored for Education. We are now a 5013c registered charity with a mission to provide children with uniforms in order to increase enrollment rates in schools globally. All of the uniforms we provide are made in the local country in an effort to increase jobs and vocational training. We have learned a lot, first and foremost that there are over 100 million children not enrolled in school worldwide, with a majority of the these children living in war- affected, poor countries. We have also learned that for a minimal cost we can change these statistics. We all know the impact education has had on our lives, but for a child in a poverty stricken area it might be their only hope at breaking the cycle of poverty. Studies have shown that women who receive an education are less likely to become mothers too early and more likely to prevent the transmission of HIV.


As a test run we funded our first school back in August and provided 200 children in La Vallee, Haiti with uniforms for this school year. As you can see in the picture, it was a success. Since then we have developed partnerships all over the world, working with other nonprofits to provide uniforms. At this time we have identified almost 30,000 children between Haiti, Cambodia, Rwanda, El Salvador, Congo, Lesotho and India that could benefit from Tailored for Education. Our goal is to provide at least half of these children with uniforms for the 2012 school year.

I can not tell you how excited I am about this project and the impact I know we can make on the lives of countless children. As you saw by yesterday's post the bond I have with my Fairy Godmother and her daughters is beyond wonderful and today like many other days, I have been carried by their love and support!

If you are still reading, thank you. You are all troopers! Feel free to take a look and see what we are up to. Please like us, follow us, blog about us! Anything to help us spread the word!

Suzanne, thanks for being the author of this fabulous blog which is a calm during many stormy days, thanks for inviting me to guest blog today and tell MY story and most of all thanks for loving me and being the BEST fairy godmother!

xo, Megan