Twice Upon A Dress: Scholar Stories: Nester

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Scholar Stories: Nester

Nester with Twice Upon a Dress Co-Founder Jody Stephenson

In the Western world, opportunities for education into adulthood are in abundance. In Malawi, the opportunity for secondary education is extremely costly and limited, especially for girls. In Malawi, fewer than 30% of boys and 16% of girls complete primary education. Only 7% of girls make it to secondary school, where risks of early marriage and pregnancy further reduce enrollment. When girls are unable to pay for secondary school fees, they often return to their villages with little to no hope for their future. Twice Upon a Dress focuses its resources on partnering with students and their families to pay for secondary education. We take your unwanted dresses, sell them and support scholars like our first, Nester.

Nester at right with friend Irene Banda

We are asking our scholars to commit to their scholarships as we have here with Nester.

In her own words,

"With my education from Aiskiana pa Ulendo (Girls on the Move School), I will"

1. Be a witness to my friends for what God has done for me in my life.     

2. Be able to provide for my son.

3. Lift up the name of God by doing a work for charities     .

4. Have a good relationship with people and family          .
5. Stand to be a witness to my friends for what God has done for me. According to Jeremiah 29:11 God plans to prosper us.

Your spare dress can help a student finish school and start a new life. Contact us at twiceuponadressglobal@gmail.com

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Our Story

Founders
Twice Upon A Dress was founded by Jocelyn Kumwenda and Jody Stephenson in 2013. Jocelyn and Jody had been partnering for years to support school fees and other educational expenses for a young girl in Malawi. In the process of her story, they discovered many other young girls and boys who were struggling to achieve their dreams.

Location
In a country where many people live on less than $2 per day, school fees can be too large of a burden to bear. High school in Malawi may cost $35-150 per semester and there are three terms per school year. These fees do not include the cost of transportation to and from school, mandatory uniforms, or expenses for basic necessities or examination fees. As a result, many students stop at Grade 8, leaving them unprepared for employment and life itself. Global unemployment rates for youth are at their highest. Continuing one's education opens doors to opportunities, whether it is in their rural home village or an urban city.

Purpose
Jocelyn and Jody decided to address the need for educational support with abundant existing resources. Many women have out of use dresses in their closets for years that are not given away because each dress comes with a story of a wedding, prom, holiday party or special evening. What if there was a way to remember them and then these dresses were given a chance for a second story? Donated dresses can be featured on our website and will create a promise of a future story, to be worn again, toward new memories. Twice Upon A Dress believes that these dresses not only offer a second life to another wearer but also bring young African scholars closer to completing secondary school and realizing the fullness of their potential.