IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL IT’S DONE

In 2005, when Ashley Holmer committed to teaching and coaching soccer for a year in a rural village in Tanzania, she had no idea it would be a life-altering move.

Over the course of the year, she lived and worked among the Maasai people. Living with no running water or electricity, she learned local customs, attended tribal rite of passage celebrations and ceremonies, and became fluent in Swahili.

“Why do this work? Because if you can, why wouldn’t you?”

—Ashley Holmer

She also saw the inequality between boys and girls, specifically in education. When 82% of Tanzanian families can’t afford to send their children to school, those who can often prioritize educating their boys because the girls are seen as more valuable staying at home and preparing for marriage. That not only hurts girls’ prospects for the future, it slows an entire community’s progress.

As a U.S. college all-star soccer player, Ashley quickly earned the respect of the local men and boys on the pitch. Coaching and playing alongside boys where girls are often not allowed, she demonstrated how women could not only participate, but also compete.

Her leadership as a teacher and an athlete earned the respect of local leaders as well. By the end of 2005, Ashley was asked to start a school in a nearby community. Coming from a family of educators, she understood the exponential benefits of a good education. She said yes.

WORKING TOWARD A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

The reality of a level playing field for girls in Tanzania and other East African countries was aspirational at best. But Ashley took on the community’s ask, raising funds to build and open Orkeeswa, the first secondary school in Lashaine Village, in 2008.

And she knew one school wasn’t going to be enough.

There’s an entire generation of children being left behind in Tanzania. Providing high school education and support—particularly for girls between the ages of 11 and 17—improves individual lives and entire families. Even more important, it has more impact in changing the next generation for the better than any other cause.

That’s why Ashley founded Red Sweater Project in 2011, with the goal of putting as many kids in school as possible. In 2012, Red Sweater Project opened the Mungere School, which welcomes a new class of students each year. The organization is dedicated to developing quality, sustainable, and accessible schools for East African children. And we’re just getting started.