CONSCIOUS CONNECTIONS FOUNDATION
CCF's programs are Nepali designed and led with a particular focus on the advancement of women and girls. We are nimble and effective and we get things done!
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Going to school is just a dream for most girls in Nepal. School supplies cost money & in a country where 65% of the population is agrarian & lives on $2.50 a day, parents often cannot afford school or must choose which child will receive an education. Traditionally, male children are chosen first since they, most likely, will be living with & providing for the family in the future. Education lays a foundation for vibrant lives for girls & women, their families & their communities. Even with an education though there are barriers to girl's and women participating fully. Menstruation is a huge barrier and often keeps girls out of school or women away from work for a week every month. CCF is a champion for girls education & also works to educate communities about menstruation so that girls & women can overcome barriers that prevent them from receiving an education and income. CCF responds quickly when disaster strikes & through our long term relationships can provide direct relief.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Power of 5 Stipend for Girl's Education in Nepal
THE POWER OF 5
What happens when a Nepali girl isn’t in school? She is 3X more likely to be married before the age of 18, she stays home, she has children at an early age, and the traditional cycle of exclusion that keeps girls disengaged from leadership continues. A lack of education for these girls means a lack of options. LET’S GET GIRLS EDUCATED & GIVE THEM OPTIONS! To pursue children’s access to education, CCF partners directly with the Association For Craft Producers with the aim of helping children learn and thrive! We hope to encourage people to get involved and inspire a passion for making a difference in the world. Ultimately we want children to feel secure that they will receive a full education.
WHY GIRLS?
During their 30+ years of business in Nepal with their fair trade import company Ganesh Himal Trading, CCF chair Denise Attwood & husband Ric Conner witnessed first-hand the positive change that comes from empowering women and educating daughters. For this reason, Ganesh Himal made it a priority to support projects like the Association of Craft Producer’s (ACP), Girl Child Education Fund- a scholarship program providing monthly stipends to families as incentive to keep daughters in school.
WHY THESE GIRLS?
On a business trip to Nepal in 2012, Denise Attwood and Austin Zimmerman of Ganesh Himal Trading conducted a follow-up interview with two recipients of the Girl Child Education Fund. During this interview, they learned that sisters Heema (16) and Heena (10) were losing their scholarships before the end of the school year due to lack of funds. 180 other students faced the same fate. With Heema weeks away from dropping our of school to find a job, it was clear that more sustainable support was needed.
Determined to extend the girls’ scholarships, Ganesh Himal employees each donated $5-the cost of one month of school for one child- with the belief that by inspiring 2,000 other people to do the same, they could provide another year of schooling for all 180 students. With overwhelming support, the Power of 5 campaign was born.
GROWTH
In 2014, the Conscious Connection Foundation (CCF) was created to provide an avenue for greater fundraising for the Power of 5 campaign. Heema completed school and continued on to college with the help of CCF’s college scholarship program, the Joy Attwood Fund which provided tuition, room and board for grades 11 and 12.
The monthly amount provided for Power of 5 recipients has been increased to $10 and the length extended from three years in 2012, to four years in 2014, and now 6 years. With the hopes of securing financial assistance for all students in the future for all 10 years, CCF in partnership with ACP is building an endowment. Beginning in 2015, CCF has committed to raising $25,000 a year for four years to go towards this endowment.
Additionally, the Power of 5 has extended it’s monthly support to boys with the belief that every child should have access to quality education and to pursue their dreams. As of 2018 this program has enabled 653 children to stay in school!
Menstrual Hygiene Education and Reusable Kit production
CCF’s objectives in creating a Menstrual Hygiene Program:
To create employment for marginalized women by teaching them how to sew reusable cotton menstrual pad kits with CCF purchasing and distributing them,
To identify and train women who are leaders in their communities so they have the skills needed to educate other women and their communities about menstruation. Engage these women to help distribute reusable menstrual pad kits, evaluate their effectiveness and open up the dialogue and conversation about menstruation in their local communities,
To provide shorter ½ day (3 hour) trainings on MHM (menstrual hygiene) to women and girls who receive the reusable menstrual pad kits and to have them evaluate their performance using a questionnaire as a way to understand if this is a viable menstrual hygiene tool for women in both urban and rural areas.
Where we work
External reviews
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
CCF aims to create resilient communities in Nepal by empowering women and girls through education and healthcare. Our work to give women and girls the opportunity to have an education and participate fully in society by removing barriers such as misinformation about menstruation. With an education girls and women have smaller families, healthier children and more opportunities. Everyone benefits when women and girls are educated and have the ability to make informed decisions for themselves and their families. Women's and girl's education is vital to their ability to participate fully and have their voices be heard.
When disaster strikes, which it often does in Nepal, CCF also uses our close relationships on the ground to provide immediate and vital relief to marginalized communities, such as women and children, who often fall through the cracks.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
At the heart of CCF are partnerships—our Conscious Connections—that are powerful and through which our impact is multiplied. We are Nepali-led because the needs are best understood by its local people. CCF’s work is rooted in relationships built over more than three decades. Through collaborative partnerships, CCF brings input and resources while ensuring accountability and impact.
As a champion for girls education, CCF co-developed, with our Nepali partners, the following programs to help Nepali girls overcome barriers that prevent them from receiving an education.
GIRLS EDUCATION PROGRAMS:
1) Power of 5-CCF partners directly with a non-profit development project in Nepal and together provides stipends that help cover school fees that would otherwise prevent students—especially girls—from attending school. These stipends allow families to send their girls to school without drawing on limited family income.
2) Joy Attwood Scholarship Fund- provides merit and need based scholarships for girls who have come through the Power of 5 program to continue on to finish class 11 and 12. These girls then act as mentors to the younger students in the Power of 5 program.
3) Ghatbesi rural scholarship fund-Seeks to cultivate further opportunities for rural girls by working with the Ghatbesi secondary school to provide all girls graduating 10th grade with a scholarship to attend high school,
MENSTRUAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS:
CCF's Menstrual Pad Project (MPP) was developed to break down barriers for girls and women using three approaches:
1) CCF partners to train women to sew reusable menstrual pad kits creating jobs, providing income, and promoting skills development.
2) CCF organizes intensive leadership trainings for local women to become menstruation education trainers in their own communities,
3) CCF funds informational day-long menstrual education programs, led by Nepali women, for girls and women to discuss menstruation, sanitation, environmental issues, and the breaking of cultural taboos. Participants in these programs each receive a reusable menstrual pad kit provided by CCF and a CCF funded manual, written in simple Nepali with diagrams explaining menstruation.
RURAL HEALTHCARE:
In rural areas of Nepal the nearest treatment can often be a day’s walk or more away. In these cases even the simplest health issues have the potential to turn debilitating or fatal. In 2015 CCF rebuilt the "Baseri Clinic" in Dhadagaun Nepal after the April 15, 2015 earthquake destroyed the first one. This clinic provides primary care to over 3000 people in 7 surrounding villages annually.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
CONSCIOUS CONNECTIONS FOUNDATION
Board of directorsas of 10/21/2022
Ms Denise Attwood
Conscious Connections Foundation
Term: 2014 - 2022
Mr. Cameron Conner
Community Organizer Dallas Area Interfaith (IFA)
Term: 2014 - 2022
Cameron Norbu Attwood Conner
Community Organizer Dallas Area Interfaith (IFA)
Austin Zimmerman
Ganesh Himal Trading
Kim Maynard
Martha Newell
Saskia Peck
Colleen Cahill
Ric Conner
Golie Jansen
Retired professor EWU
Kesang Yudron
Founder Padma Knits
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as: