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Mission

We collaborate with communities to expand opportunities in education and conservation.

Vision

Communities with the resources to achieve sustainable development.

Early childhood education students participate in a weekly soccer program managed by a high school scholarship recipient. Soccer provides a structured activity for students, encourages teamwork and communication, and fosters opportunities for older youth leadership. 

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Community Collaboration

Engage identifies community leaders who have developed creative local education and conservation projects, but who need additional support to achieve their goals. By working with experienced local leaders, Engage is able to maximize the impact of small donations and technical assistance. We believe that local leaders are best equipped to identify and articulate priorities and to create change that is sustainable and effective.

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 Organization Founding                

Establishing the New Beginnings school helped launch our partnership with community leaders in Ghana, and more recently in Costa Rica. 

As a former urban educator, Heather Heckel has long been committed to educational issues. Now, as an Assistant Professor with American University’s Washington Semester Program, Heather, has had the opportunity to study and observe global education and sustainable development programs in many countries.  Building upon these experiences, inspirational meetings with local community leaders, and growing recognition of the potential of ‘engaging globally’, Heather and her colleagues  established a non-profit organization. In the future, we hope that others will help us to identify and support additional communities in their efforts to develop sustainably.

Milestones

In 2013, Engage Globally funded the construction of the Beginner’s Academy, a community run pre-primary school that offers education to more than 40 children in the Taha village of Northern Ghana.  Students are also served a lunch each day that is prepared by community mothers. These students have all received their first pair of shoes and new school uniforms sewed by seamstresses trained in our vocational training program. The Beginner’s Academy also serves as a community center for after school tutoring programs, community meetings, soccer program, and a women’s literacy class.

​Our successful educational efforts have led to requests from over 120 more children to be able to go to  school. With donor support, Engage will open a second school in Kulaa and make the dream of attending school a reality for these children, while also creating a new community education center. 

Beginner’s Academy students, Mutia and Mujab are pictured here
​in their first pair of shoes and new school uniforms.