Geraldine Mckibbin

Five years ago Geraldine and a group of girlfriends set up a charity (Global Give Back Circle) supporting disadvantaged girls in Kenya. Their aim is to encourage girls to attend high school, achieve a qualification, realize their potential and become economically self sufficient. They started mentoring girls in school who are often orphaned, or from single parent families, and do not have any female roles models to draw experiences from. Initially, they successfully found 25 mentors in UK and US and linked 25 girls who each correspond monthly about growing up, school, exams, future choices, even relationships. Since then the charity, GGBC, has successfully grown to 180 girls linked to 180 women.

Geraldine actively coordinates activities for the charity to ensure it maintains momentum and is personally responsible for keeping track of UK finances, maintaining accurate records of mentors/mentees, sharing success stories and ensuring that the mentors realise the value they are adding to the girls in Kenya so they honour their commitments. She maintains the momentum of the charity through her passion and energy.

Of the 180 girls 40 have now attended a 9 month computer course and got a Microsoft certificate, 30 have had some kind of work experience set up by the US/UK mentors and 33 are in University; something that they would not have been able to afford without GGBC. They are already better qualified with practical skills making them more employable in the job market.