By Tara Abrahams, Board Chair of She’s the First
Officially Registered!
Elsie Chacha, Board member, and Kate Kiama, Director of Programs & Impact, hold our Kenyan registration certificate in the She’s the First Nairobi office (May 26, 2023)
The She’s the First Board of Directors is delighted to announce a key milestone that creates an exciting pathway for our future: in addition to being a reputable 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States, we are now officially a registered nonprofit (NGO) in Kenya!
Registering in Kenya is part of our strategy to shift our grantmaking and programming for grassroots organizations to the Global South, to be proximate to the girls and mentors we serve. This offers a host of benefits in terms of strengthening our employment and banking opportunities.
The Board deeply appreciates Kate Kiama, Director of Programs and Impact, who spearheaded the registration process with support from our co-founders Christen Brandt and Tammy Tibbetts.
Our vision is to remain an integrated global organization, with Kenyan board members serving on our global “501(c)(3)” board. To that end, we happily announce the appointment of Mary Murigi, Grants Manager at Co-Impact, to the Board of Directors. She also serves as Treasurer of the Kenyan Board.
Additionally, to add further support to our strategic goals for the next two years, Ezinne Okoro (Global Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, Wunderman Thompson) is stepping into the position of co-Vice Chair with Harish Nataraj (York Capital, Managing Director) on our Global Board.
In closing, we pay tribute again to Mercy Nzioki, a devoted Board Member we lost earlier this year. In the final days of her life, Mercy pushed our application for NGO status across the finish line. We forever honor her as we bring to life the vision she created with us to be a “dual-national” organization serving girls globally.