FLYING HIGH

How many lives has the FMF impacted? Under our scholarship program, we started with 10 girls supporting them with everything they need to stay in school. We currently have 25 students being sponsored. We work with over 4500 girls under our SRHR/MHHM program, 52 young women under our economic empowerment program, and we’ve impacted over 8,500 girls and boys through our work collaboratively with our community partner, Msisune Primary School, which is located in Bayamoyo, increasing enrollment by 85% since 2015, and significantly decreasing the school dropout rate. I’m so grateful I get to serve in this capacity. We have reached over 60,000 people through our programs and we hoping to expand our programs to other communities across the country.

What has been the biggest challenge in the pursuit of reinforcing education? There are so many challenges. Specifically in Tanzania. The biggest challenge, however, is poverty itself. Coming from an underserved community presents high risk of dropout due to early marriages, early pregnancy, gender-based violence, cultural taboos — especially around the education of girls. Communal economic empowerment is extremely important. Supporting and educating the community and family helps to transform traditions and culture that can sometimes be an inhibitor of progress. That’s why we invest heavy in communities through dialogues with parents, teachers, cultural and religious leaders. It takes years to change minds, and change takes time, so we focus on one step at a time.

What can be done amongst the global community to help overcome it? Go deep, instead of going wide. It’s not just about the numbers. Impact matters most. To ensure sustainable growth doing one-off community engagements doesn’t bring about true change. Most funding is going to larger organizations, and many times they aren’t connected to the grassroots organizations who are on the ground effectuating real change. Overcoming the increased challenges requires an expansion of capacity. Supporting grassroots organizations allows for greatest impact because those grassroots organizations live among the people they are impacting.

The African proverb

If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far go together” ensures our impact stretches across generations and reaches places we only imagined.

FLYING HIGH

Meet Nicole Smith-Ludvik: Professional skydiver, stuntwoman, and inspirational speaker.

rofessional skydiver and stuntwoman Nicole SmithLudvik gained international attention when she starred in Emirates Airline’s recent viral ad campaign in August 2021, standing atop the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Soon after, Nicole’s image was painted on four of Emirate’s flagship Airbus A380’s, the world’s largest passenger airplane, inviting people to visit the world’s greatest show, Expo 2020 Dubai.

January 2022 saw Nicole standing on top of the Burj Khalifa once again for another edition of the campaign, this time taking it one spectacular step further with a guest appearance from the iconic Expo 2020 Dubai A380 itself.

Originally from a small town in Georgia, U.S., Nicole is as well-rounded as she is fearless, with a remarkable life story and impressive resume that includes a successful corporate career, professional skydiver, yoga instructor, social media influencer, stuntwoman, and all-around adventurer.

Before her newfound stardom, Nicole was married in her early 20s, and life took an unexpected turn when she was widowed at 25. After much soul searching, she decided to follow her passion for adventure and became a skydiver. Soon after, Nicole was involved in a car accident that killed her skydiving instructor. Nicole was critically injured, and doctors were convinced she would not survive with a broken neck, back, tailbone, a punctured lung, two broken ribs, four pelvic fractures, and two brain injuries.

Not only did Nicole make a full recovery, but she also went on to conquer the world, becoming one of the world’s most inspirational skydivers and a stuntwoman.

With her unique life story, Nicole has drawn on her personal experiences and unexpected personal life traumas to become a popular motivational speaker. She regularly speaks at events about overcoming fear and facing adversity and how perseverance, determination, and drive can bring success.

Through her speaking engagements, Nicole aims to inspire others with her message of hope, positivity, and encouragement, to support others in overcoming their fears and finding some light in their darkness.