This list represents a sample of past projects funded and is not meant to be all inclusive.
School for Life Foundation (Uganda) – Shining Light in Ugandan Classrooms: 2017
The project provided essential solar electricity to the recently-constructed Mbazzi Primary School and Secondary School. The system
covers 3 buildings across both of the schools. Over the next 5 years 1200 students will benefit from the use of the solar electricity. Having a consistent, renewable source of electricity increases capacity to sustain proper functioning of classes and to facilitate other projects such as meal preparation and running the onsite health clinic.
The Chain Collaborative (Nyamigoye Parish, Uganda) – Farmers Fund the Future: 2017
With grant funds from the Morris Family Foundation, The Chain Collaborative built a storage center for coffee in partnership with the social enterprise NAI in rural Nyamigoye Parish, Southwestern Uganda. The storage center allows farmers to increase their income from coffee, their primary crop. With this improved income, farmers will be able to send their children to school and focus on their future instead of daily hardships. 20% of profits from the center, which come from both the sale of coffee and rental income, support the functioning of Karama Education Center and its future educational goals.
Lwala Community Alliance (Lwala, Kenya) – E-Reader Library Project: 2016
Lwala Community Alliance (Lwala) is a community-led innovator operating in rural western Kenya proving that when communities lead, change is drastic and lasting. Lwala was founded by Milton and Fred Ochieng – brothers from the community – in response to the loss of their parents to HIV. They catalyzed their neighbors to build their community’s first hospital. From these humble beginnings, Lwala now supports people in their homes, fields, and schools to tackle the multidimensional drivers of poor health. Through their partnership with Morris Family Foundation, Lwala launched their E-reader Library Project in nearby schools. The objective of the project is to increase literacy skills and the overall academic performance among students in government primary schools – with a specific focus on girls. Girls face significant barriers to education; chief among them is lack of access to learning materials. Through increasing access to learning materials alongside holistic health and education programs, Lwala aims to boost literacy, national exam scores, and transition into high school.
Trek Medics International – “911 Where There Is None”: 2016
Trek Medics International is a nongovernmental organization that improves emergency medical systems in countries with unreliable access to emergency and transport through innovative mobile phone technologies. Trek Medics was awarded a grant from the Morris Family Foundation in 2016 to strengthen and expand their work with local emergency response groups in rural Dominican Republic. The funds from the Morris Family Foundation will be used to scale the use of their Beacon dispatching platform to new communities in the region, allowing community responders to be notified by text message of medical emergencies and then coordinating their actions to ensure patients with acute medical conditions are stabilized and transported to local health care facilities.
World Central Kitchen: Smart School Kitchen (Lusaka, Zambia) – 2015
World Central Kitchen’s Smart School Kitchen focuses on increasing education rates and providing a revenue-generating bakery at an orphan school in Lusaka, Zambia. The school initally served 100 students, but with the addition of the bakery expanded to 250 students. World Central Kitchen and the Chef Network trained 4 bakers on baking 3 different types of bread and rolls. The bakery not only provides jobs for the community and revenue for the school, but it also gives the bakers a sense of ownership and pride in their job.
Global Mobility: Guatemala 2015 Project (Antigua, Guatemala) – 2014
Global Mobility provides mobility, medical care, education, and advocacy to children and adults with disabilities throughout the world. Through the support of The Morris Family Foundation, Global Mobility’s Guatemala 2015 project will provide treatment, custom fitted wheelchairs, a comprehensive education program, and Guatemala-specific materials on lifestyle/cultural topics, including local resources for independent living, and information on international disability rights and empowerment.
Guyana Ministry of Health: Emergency Medical Systems Implementation (Georgetown, Guyana) – 2012
An emergency medical technician (EMT) course was developed for the newly-formed Guyana EMS. Additionally, the Guyana Ministry of Health purchased 7 new ambulances to distribute to 9 regions of the country. The long-term goal for the partnership is to implement EMS across the entire country.
Shining Hope for Communities: Kibera School for Girls Curriculum Kits (Nairobi, Kenya) – 2011
Shining Hope for Communities is a non-profit organization providing education, health care, and community resources to empower men, women, and children in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. Shining Hope’s innovative, community-driven model combats extreme poverty and gender inequity by linking tuition-free schools for girls to a set of accessible, comprehensive community services for all. Funds from the Morris Family Foundation were used to purchase and implement a new curriculum with a focus on STEM education and girls’ success.
Neighbors to Nicaragua: Yo Puedo Aprender a Leer (I Can Learn to Read) Adult Literacy Program (Pantanal, Nicaragua) – 2015
The mission of Neighbors to Nicaragua is to identify and alleviate problems resulting from severe poverty in Granada, Managua, and Ometepe, Nicaragua. The organization meets the educational and critical needs of 300+ youth and adults each year by providing food, shelter, transportation, clothing, and medical aid and services as well as year-round academic and tuition support. A grant from the Morris Family Foundation has enabled Neighbors to Nicaragua to expand its adult literacy programming in the community of Pantanal by increasing the number of students from three to thirteen and number of program days from one to four.
Sesame Workshop: Rechov Sumsum Website (Israel) – 2006
In 2006, Sesame Workshop’s Rechov Sumsum began broadcasting in Israel. The Morris Family Foundation provided funding to Sesame Workshop that enabled them to build a website to accompany the show. Abigail, the spokes-Muppet for the site and show, promotes girls and technology. Over the long term, Sesame Workshop hopes that Abigail and Rechov Sumsum will help promote self-image and cultural identity, particularly for girls; assist children in respecting others, including those with religious and cultural differences; teach children how to solve conflicts peacefully and fairly; and give children tools to cope with emergency situations and foster resiliency.