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6 Indigenous Women Artists We’re Obsessed With
If you know SKI Charities, you know we’re passionate about empowering women artists—especially our beneficiaries in Chile who keep their indigenous Mapuche heritage alive in their work. We’re proud to be part of keeping these vulnerable but essential traditions alive. In many indigenous communities and cultures, art is an enormous part of life. But many…
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SKI Charities in the News: What It Takes To Sustain an Impactful Charity
What does it take to start and sustain an impactful charity like SKI Charities? Between start-up challenges to growing pains, it’s easier said than done. In the past year, our founder Shyam K. Iyer has been asked this very question many times—here are some of his best answers: On starting a business on a budget:…
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Why Vaccination Is Key to Our Education Efforts in Zimbabwe
Though our primary focus is economic empowerment and early childhood education, we are invested in the greater prosperity of the communities we serve. Sometimes that means broadening our reach to tackle some of the other challenges Zimbabweans have been facing due to the economic crisis the country is experiencing. “Historically, Zimbabwe has had a very…
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8 Ways Parents Can Support Their Child’s Education at Home
When we’re choosing girls to participate in our scholarship program, one of the most important factors we look for is their guardians’ commitment to education. We seek out parents and grandparents who will not only support their child as they begin their journey in education, but will go the extra mile by supplementing that education…
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Here’s What You Should Know About the Indigenous Mapuche People of Chile
Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas—and throughout the world, for that matter—have had to face the brutal force of colonization for hundreds of years. The native Mapuche people of Chile, who we serve through our microfinance and creative arts programs, have been a model of resistance against colonization and oppression. Even today, those left in Chile…
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SKI Charities in the News: Our Founder’s Best Advice for Entrepreneurs
Our founder, Shyam K. Iyer, is often asked to share his expertise on everything from starting a nonprofit to managing a team. SKI Charities has been in the news so often lately that we decided to put all Shyam’s best pieces of advice in one place: On the book that taught him to take risks:…
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How Our Programs Help Single Mothers
There’s a lot of stigma around single motherhood—after all, many mothers today choose to raise children on their own. And in the U.S. studies show that children raised by single mothers aren’t necessarily at a disadvantage to children from homes with two parents. But in Zimbabwe, where there’s an ongoing economic crisis, the financial hardship…
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How We Ensure Our Microloan Beneficiaries’ Success
To this day, we’ve supported hundreds of women with microloans in Zimbabwe and Chile. And the results have been extraordinary: The women we’ve worked with have by and large paid back their loans and used them to grow thriving businesses. The secret to success? The drive, talent and hard work of these women. The other…
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Free to Play, Free to Learn
Part of what makes our scholarship program in Zimbabwe so successful is the quality of the schools we partner with. Without them, we couldn’t give our young scholars the education they deserve. We’re especially grateful that, like us, these schools believe that in addition to learning in the classroom, children need time to play. In…
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Why It’s Essential to Have Men on Board
When it comes to achieving gender equality, we have so much work to do. And as much as we believe that women should be leading the charge, we need the help and support of male allies. The #HeForShe campaign might be the most visible iteration of this idea, mobilizing everyone—not just women—to take action for…