We’re delighted to announce the 2022 winners of our Maya Ajmera Sustainability Awards, Achievers Ghana and Organization for Youth Empowerment, and the winner of our Robert D. Stillman Dignity Award, Center for Girls Foundation!

Maya Ajmera Sustainability Award

Each year, Global Fund for Children gives out the Maya Ajmera Sustainability Award. Named after founder Maya Ajmera, the award is granted to our partners who exemplify exceptional success and commitment to long-term change.

This award, which has been given to 167 community-based organizations since 2005, provides an investment in the winners’ long-term stability at a critical stage in their development. The winners can use the awarded funds to promote their sustainability – whether that means establishing a reserve fund, investing in human resources, or implementing creative revenue generation activities.

Meet this year’s Sustainability Award winners:

Achievers Ghana

Accra, Ghana

Achievers Ghana is an organization that runs a holistic education program for girls in low-income neighborhoods, specifically those who are at risk of, or have experienced, child marriage. The organization uses a participatory approach and strong community outreach activities to advocate for girls’ protection and education.

With this award, Achievers Ghana plans to support administrative, operational, and staff capacity development costs. Specifically, the funds will go toward the cost of keeping the office open, providing additional staff development to help staff grow professionally, and covering travel expenses to help staff and volunteers travel to rural communities to reach more girls.

“The changes we have been able to achieve for the past 11 years have been due to little-by-little support from people and organizations across the world. With these supports and donations, we have been able to reach over 10,000 girls across the country through various programs and outreaches,” said Amadou Mohammed, the Director and Co-Founder of Achievers Ghana. “This award gives us a chance to make further impact in the lives of girls in communities such as mine, especially coming back from the recent pandemic.”

Organization for Youth Empowerment

El Progreso, Honduras

Organization for Youth Empowerment (OYE) builds socially conscious youth leaders and encourages high academic achievement through a competitive scholarship program and community engagement projects that include public art, video production, and graphic design.

“At OYE, we strongly believe that empowerment comes from within, and that what young people need to reach their full potential are opportunities,” said Rocío Mendoza, OYE’s Executive Director. “Our model focuses on their leadership and trusts in their power to transform not only their own lives, but also the people and world around them.”

OYE plans to use the award to carry out an impact study of its scholarship program, which has supported more than 450 young people, and to strengthen its ambitious income generation initiative, a graphic design and production studio. “This award means a lot to our organization, both as a show of confidence and as an opportunity to fully invest in sustainability initiatives that are too often sidelined when faced with day-to-day needs,” Rocío said.

Robert D. Stillman Dignity Award

GFC began offering the annual Robert D. Stillman Dignity Award in 2020. This award recognizes organizations that advance the dignity of young people by providing critical services such as shelter, refuge, and humanitarian aid; fostering economic empowerment; and/or promoting welcoming communities through social inclusion programs.

This award was established to honor former GFC Board Chair Bob Stillman and his commitment to improving the lives of the children and youth who are most in need. It is made possible thanks to the generous contributions of Bob’s family and friends.

Meet this year’s winner:

Center for Girls Foundation

Chiang Rai, Thailand

Center for Girls Foundation works for gender equality in Thailand, preventing the exploitation and trafficking of children and women along the Thailand-Laos border. The organization also conducts workshops for children to provide support and teach life skills, and trains schoolchildren and teachers in children’s rights.

With this award, Center for Girls Foundation plans to provide six training workshops for its staff on monitoring and evaluation, facilitating workshops, basic finance, intercultural skills, English language skills, and fundraising.

“Through the establishment of Center for Girls Foundation, we are committed to being a part of fighting trafficking and helping exploited and trafficked children,” said Executive Director Nunnaree Luangmoi. “We will continue to fight against the injustices that children face and build a safe and equal society where children can thrive.”

The Sustainability and Dignity Award winners were chosen by previous Sustainability Award winners as well as representatives from GFC’s Youth Leadership Council through a participatory selection process.

Learn more about the Maya Ajmera Sustainability Award and the Robert D. Stillman Dignity Award.

Header photo: Young people participating in an Organization for Youth Empowerment program. © OYE