Change

Begins

With Her

What We Do

Mercy Beyond Borders (MBB) forges ways for women and girls in extreme poverty to learn, connect & lead!

Operating in 5 countries of extreme poverty (South Sudan, Malawi, Haiti, Uganda & Kenya), this is what MBB does:

  • Primary level: Enhancing primary schools with resources like libraries, computer labs, on-campus nurses, nutrition programs, and solar power.

  • High school & university levels: Providing scholarships, monthly leadership training, and strong case management support.

  • Refugee women: Funding perma-gardening & small business training for women-headed households in refugee camps in East Africa.

  • Alumnae: Our ultimate goal is networks of confident, highly-educated advocates creating positive change in their home countries.

  • 52%

    of girls in South Sudan are forcibly marred as minors

  • 96%

    of grls in South Sudan never have access to high school

  • South Sudan

    has the world’s worst maternal mortality rate

Risking Their Lives for Education

These pre-teen girls in South Sudan are fugitives. They’ve run away from their villages in the dead of night to escape forced marriages. Their families had given them to old men in exchange for dowries of cattle.

They were desperate for freedom and education. There are now 70 such escapees among the 1,027 girls at St Bakhita Girls’ Primary, their safe haven and the only all-girl primary school in the country. Mercy Beyond Borders is their main support as they learn, make friends, and grow.

Forced marriage — a form of human trafficking — remains commonplace in South Sudan. These girls have no voice and are denied basic rights. Mercy Beyond Borders changes this narrative by promoting education and leadership among women and girls born into extreme poverty. Using a case-management model, we support girls from primary school through university. We invest in them for the long haul.

This approach works. Besides educating young women, it has other powerful impacts. Our grads will have fewer children, better nutrition, healthier families, paid employment, and higher standards of living. They will also prioritize education for their children, thus breaking the cycle of extreme poverty.

Education
Transforms
Lives

Don’t Just Take Our Word for It… Hear it From Them!

  • "This is such an important project for our community because there are so many parents like me who otherwise would have lost hope to educate our daughters."

    Linda, Mom of MBB Scholar, Haiti

  • “MBB changed my life. I was educated academically and educated in life skills. I don't have the words now, and I couldn't find the words to properly thank MBB for all it has done for me, even if I spent an entire year searching for them. Thank you feels too small.”

    Withmie, MBB High School Alumna, Haiti

  • "The most important things I have gained from MBB are my academic progress and the value of acting with compassion. I tell everyone, 'MBB is a miracle for me."'

    Mary, MBB Alumna & Civil Engineer, South Sudan

  • "MBB is the best place a young girl can grow up. You have made me the woman I am today."

    Manon, MBB High School Alumna, Haiti

  • “I am the first in my entire family to attend school. Thanks to Mercy Beyond Borders, I have improved my outlook on life and have hope for the future because I am an educated woman.”

    Esther, MBB High School Alumna, South Sudan

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