Our Impact
Today, there are over 260 million children around the world who are still not enrolled in school, many because their family can’t afford the $28 required uniform. They’re sitting on the sidelines, watching friends and other children pass them by on the way to class. They’re forfeiting their education – and with it, the pursuit of a better life.
We believe every child deserves to begin life on an equal playing field, and for us, it starts with a $28 uniform. A simple school uniform can not only change a child’s life, but also transform their family and community.
Projects completed
177
Children reached in 2023
27,270
Uniforms provided
185,941
To some it is just a uniform. To us it is a powerful agent of change.
Megan Kelly & Jessica Roy
Children
260 million children are not enrolled in school right now. Together we can change that with a simple school uniform.
In too many communities around the world, children are being left behind because they lack the basic resources needed to attend school.
When a child is in school, exposure to risks such as gang recruitment, kidnapping, child labor and trafficking are reduced. The ripple effect is clear. Receiving a school uniform changes a child’s life forever.
Schools or communities that received uniforms have seen a dramatic increase in daily attendance rates and decreased dropout rates. In Cambodia, uniform distribution helped the daily absentee rate decrease from 20% down to 6%; and reduced the drop-out rate from 4.5% to 2%.
Children in the proper school uniform do not fear being sent home and therefore are more likely to engage with their teachers and peers.
More engaged students = better learners.
Tailors
All of our uniforms are made by local tailors, earning fair wages. That means more jobs and opportunity in the communities we serve, especially for women.
In Nairobi, Kenya, the women who work for Halisi Creative Designs earn $5-8 a day, well above the area’s average of $1-2 a day.
In Kisumu, Kenya, Rose, who runs Faith Tailoring Center, hires local women and trains them for six months. At the end of the six month training she gives them their own sewing machine, enabling them to leave and start their own business.
In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, our supplier Kravan House is a social enterprise employing people with disabilities.
Schools
Our “Parent Contribution Fund” gives parents ownership in their child’s education while creating safer, cleaner, more technologically up to date schools.
At the time of uniform distribution, parents who are able, contribute $1-3. Once the funds have been collected, parents along with oversight from school leaders and our Partner organization, vote on how to allocate the funds to make improvements to the school.
Past projects include new latrines, installing electricity, laying gravel (to avoid flooding), constructing a hygienic trash pit, purchasing a pump and pipes to connect running water, fencing to keep livestock out of school yard, and fencing to separate school yard from unsanitary water.
Communities
Our “Parent Contribution Fund” brings the community together by making improvements to the school. Parents who are able, contribute $1-3 to a fund that is used to upgrade the schools. This gives parents ownership in their child’s education while creating safer, cleaner, more technologically up to date schools.
Schools, full of safe, confident and happy children along with local job opportunities result in hopeful and more prosperous communities.
Community Voices
A message from the founder of Halisi Creations and Designs, which produces the majority of our uniforms in Kenya.