Linda Dominguez Foundation Reaches 2,931 Lives in Two Months, Launches 'Pad A Girl' Drive for 3,000 Girls and Free Online English Classes

LAGOS, Nigeria: The Linda Dominguez Foundation (LDF) has announced a major expansion of its SMILE Mission after reaching 2,931 children and family members in September and October. In November, the Foundation is launching a cross-border Pad A Girl drive to reach 3,000 girls with hygiene kits, alongside a free online English literacy initiative. The classes are already teaching 40 learners in Uganda and Mozambique and will reach Ethiopia in December. Also in December, a Christmas relief drive will feed and clothe less privileged families.

Hope Month: 1,729 lives in October

Under LDFCares Hope Month, the Foundation reached 1,729 people in October, 1,615 people through physical outreach across eight zonal regions and 114 people through six virtual events. Volunteers also distributed 6,260 sachets of pure water (313 bags) to internally displaced persons and children in orphanages. In September, LDF reached 1,202 children and families in underserved communities.

November: dignity for girls, English for all

• Pad A Girl: 3,000 hygiene kits for 3,000 girls, with menstrual health education, so that no girl misses school because of her period.
• Free online English literacy: Live classes via Google Meet are already under way for 21 pupils in Uganda and 19 learners in Mozambique. Pupils in Uganda are learning to read, write, speak and pronounce English with the help of an interpreter, while learners in Mozambique have started with greetings and saying their names. Ethiopia joins in December.

"Behind every number is a child or a family we have met, listened to and served," said Yetunde Olorode, Head of Volunteers and Director of Trip Mission at Linda Dominguez Foundation. "Our volunteers go where the need is greatest, and what we see on the ground continually drives us to do more. Reaching nearly 3,000 people in two months demonstrates what a committed team can achieve when people come together around a shared purpose.

"The dream is bigger than any one of us, and what keeps us going is knowing that there are still underserved communities waiting to be reached. With the support of the communities we serve and our network of volunteers across Africa, we believe we can extend our reach and deepen our impact. Ultimately, we want to see more lives transformed, hope restored, communities reached and children empowered to embrace literacy with dignity."

"Pad A Girl is about dignity and keeping girls in school every single month," said Stella Onuiri, Nigeria Country Director and PanAfrican Anglophone Coordinator. "Across Nigeria and our English-speaking partner countries, our teams are ready to deliver 3,000 kits with the education that goes with them, so that no girl has to choose between her period and her classroom."

"As Nigeria Country Director and PanAfrican Anglophone Co-ordinator, my mantra is : no child must be left behind and this aligns so well with the foundation's vision and mission (SMILE MISSION). We care that every child (girl/boy) gets access to literacy materials because quality education is a right and not a privilege. We uphold the vision of the UN on SDG4. Our goal is to make sure that the estimated 24million out of school children in Africa reduces significantly."

"Our mission does not stop at language borders," said Samuel Michael, Benin Republic Country Director and PanAfrican Francophone Coordinator. "As the English literacy classes grow, we are working to bring the same hope, hygiene support and learning opportunities to French-speaking communities, so that every child can read, rise and thrive."

"Through our recent mission engagements across Benin Republic, including outreach activities in Zongo communities, support visits to orphanages, educational engagements with children and youth, and a drug abuse awareness webinar, we have witnessed the transformative power of literacy and community development. As we prepare for our hygiene sensitization campaign this November, Literacy Development Foundation remains committed to empowering vulnerable communities with knowledge, essential life skills and opportunities that inspire lasting change across Francophone Africa."

"A child who can read and speak English can learn, work and speak for herself," said Linda Dominguez, Founder of the Linda Dominguez Foundation. "When I see children in Uganda and Mozambique say their names and form their first words in English through a screen, I am reminded that a volunteer with a laptop can open a door that stays open for life. Every meal, every hygiene kit and every lesson is part of one promise: Read. Rise. Thrive."

December: Christmas relief and Ethiopia launch

The Foundation's Christmas relief drive will provide food and clothing to less privileged families so that they can celebrate the season with dignity. December also brings the launch of the free online English classes in Ethiopia.

About the Linda Dominguez Foundation

The Linda Dominguez Foundation is a volunteer-powered non-profit spreading literacy, hope and dignity across Africa through its SMILE Mission. Guided by the vision Read. Rise. Thrive., it provides books, school supplies, hygiene sensitization, mentorship and support to children and vulnerable communities in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Cameroun, Zambia, Mozambique, Liberia, Togo, Ethiopia and beyond. The Foundation is registered in Nigeria (CAC 8632431).

Website: http://www.lindadominguezfoundation.org