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Impact mission projects
Educational Opportunity Program, Baltimore, Inc. (EOP)
The EOP is a program designed to address the problem of low high school graduation rates in Baltimore City public schools. EOP adopts, monitors, and ensures the graduation of 50 randomly selected 9th graders from a subject school.
Since 1986, the program has dramatically improved graduation rates climbing from a system-wide 38% low to as high as 79% at a single subject school.
As a large donor, Second Presbyterian Church will help ensure this organization’s continued success, and at the same time, provide us the opportunity to assist in the selection of subject high schools - like those which Guilford School graduates attend. For more information on this program, please call the church office.
Women for Afghan Women (WAW)
WAW Mission Statement
Women for Afghan Women (WAW) is an organization of Afghan and non-Afghan women from the New York area who are committed to ensuring the human rights of Afghan women.
WAW promotes the agency of local Afghan women through the creation of safe forums where Afghan women can network, develop programs to meet their specific needs, and participate in human rights advocacy in the international sphere.
WAW raises funds for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, particularly schools and health facilities for women and children. Recognizing that the ability to earn their living is fundamental to the empowerment of women, WAW supports the development of vocational training programs for women in Afghanistan who have been denied access to education and professional training.
The inclusion of women in all decision-making processes is a requirement of a democratic society. WAW advocates for the representation of women in all areas of life in Afghanistan: political, social, cultural and economic.
Impact Mission Project Update: Afghanistan
Second Funds New School Construction
Second Presbyterian is funding the construction of a school in the Logar province of Afghanistan, just south of Kabul. The school will consist of cement blocks, and will house 12 classrooms. It will be named Malalai, after an Afghani heroine known for her courage and inspiration. The building will have running water and generators for computer classes. It will serve 600 students, and offer 1st to 8th grade classes. There are plans to expand to high school in the future. Half of the students will go from 6 a.m. to 12 noon, and the other half will go from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. In the evening it will be used for adult literacy and vocational classes. The government is happy to provide teachers, but they cannot afford to build schools for all the girls who were able to enter school after the Taliban fell. We broke ground in May and we expect it to be finished in November.
Our school in Afghanistan is nearly complete!!
On Sunday, November 23, we will have an Afghani luncheon to celebrate the completion of our school!! We will have catered food from the Helmand. The menu is: Kabuli, the traditional celebration dish with rice, raisins, shredded carrots, and lamb, as well as Afghan bread, salad with pomegranate dressing, and a pumpkin-yogurt dish. Fahima Vorgettes will be the speaker and there will be Afghani crafts for sale. Cost is $7 per adult. Please RSVP to the church office at 410.467.4210 or click here to register online.
To read the latest letter from Fahima Vorgetts, please click here.
For more information on WAW, please visit their Web site at www.womenforafghanwomen.org.
CARES Career Connection: Caroline Center – GEDCO
Two successful nonprofits are seeking to combine their talents and resources in the service of low-income people in need of employment. At their CARES program, Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation (GEDCO) primarily offers emergency services, while Caroline Center helps people to grow beyond the need for such services through education and employment assistance. They plan to pair their skill sets in an exciting partnership to further benefit our neighbors in need of long-term solutions.
Last year, CARES provided nearly 6,000 units of service – helping men, women, and children within city zip codes boundaries as well as those who were referred by GEDCO Member Organizations, including Second Presbyterian Church.
Although CARES is designed to offer emergency assistance, many clients clearly could benefit from other services. While some help already is available CARES could increase its value by having the capacity to help people achieve self-sufficiency whenever possible. A primary tool for financial independence is learning good employment habits, developing solid, marketable job skills, and matching interests and abilities with actual jobs.
At the same time, Caroline Center’s mission is to assist unemployed and underemployed women to acquire the discipline, knowledge, and skills necessary to find work in a career with potential for growth and advancement, thus creating a future full of hope for themselves and their families. They have demonstrated their success in this work at their own sites, and now propose to reach out to the clients at CARES through a partnership with GEDCO. This could take many forms, from job readiness workshops to the creation of a small business; details are in development. In every case, this partnership will rely on volunteer involvement throughout the training and early employment of clients.
More information about each individual program is available at through following Web sites: