By Mark Caracciolo
The Giving Genie, a charity founded by Maria Camila Medina, is unlocking a brighter future for women and girls in Mozambique through transformational educational programs.
“From 2013 to 2015, I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique. Living there, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would start a non-profit to help the people of Mozambique,” Medina said in an interview with Around Wellington.
After returning to America to work in disaster management, she later moved into the nonprofit sector. Following her marriage and the birth of her children, she faced a new challenge.
”I had to find my own space as a working mom because I found out that some companies don’t value or accommodate mothers.”
Facing the challenges of motherhood in 2022, she decided to seek a new path, driven by the unwavering belief that her true calling was to help others.
With a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from Louisiana State University of Shreveport, Medina founded The Giving Genie, channeling her expertise into an organization that provides tuition assistance to youth in Mozambique.
The Giving Genie operates by partnering with local organizations and volunteers to achieve its goals. Funds from donations and business sponsorships are used to support its diverse programs, which provide education and resources to underprivileged communities and students in Mozambique.
A place such as Mozambique is often subject to natural disasters, particularly tropical cyclones that ravage the land. Their huts are often torn to shreds.
Medina’s master’s degree in disaster management and experience responding to federally declared disasters in Louisiana and Florida inspired her to create the Genie Corps Emergency Response Program (G.C.E.R.P.).
Designed by Medina and conducted by local partners like Grupo T4S, the Genie Corps Emergency Response Program (G.C.E.R.P.) trains students in Mozambique with crucial skills, from CPR to psychological interventions. The program provides them with certifications accredited by ANEP (Autoridade Nacional de Educação Profissional), which is the National Authority for Professional Education in the country. This official recognition empowers them to become community leaders.
As a woman and mother, Medina understands the struggle that girls go through. Seventy percent of those that The Giving Genie certifies are women. They don’t just certify for disaster management, either. Through their initiative, Empower Her, they help young women get an education in entrepreneurship as well as trade certifications.
“We work with women who want to be entrepreneurs or want to be in business or have a business, and we educate them on how to do a startup, [like] how to register their business, how to come up with a name, how to do a marketing plan, how to do a business.”
Through partnerships with educators and local NGOs in Mozambique, The Giving Genie provides women with the tools and mentorship they need to become entrepreneurs. At the program’s conclusion, these women will pitch their business ideas to an audience of donors and partners with the goal of securing investment.
Despite all the charity that The Giving Genie has done, there is still one major hurdle that it must clear.
“Most of the grants, when you go and look for the funding, they want that tax exemption.”
Due to the current status of The Giving Genie not being tax-exempt, it hasn’t been able to secure grants and funding it otherwise would be able to. Most of their funding comes from a partner brand, Chakalaka Hot Sauce, where one dollar per sale goes to The Giving Genie.
“If I want to help all these people, I need to have funds, and donors are going to want to make sure that my organization is tax-exempt.”
They filed in February for tax-exemption, but it can take up to a year for an organization to be fully deemed a non-profit.
If you would like to donate to The Giving Genie, you can visit their website, https://www.thegivinggenie.org/donate.
“Countless women face expectations and limitations around the globe, but I am a firm believer that we are not defined by them. We can, and we will, create our own experiences and forge our own way, proving that our greatest strength lies in our ability to define ourselves.”
Connect with Camila:
| Camila Medina Founder/ Chief Technical Adviser, The Giving Genie |
| 2395951297 | www.thegivinggenie.org Camila@thegivinggenie.org or info@thegivinggenie.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegivinggenie/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/TheGivingGenie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-giving-genie/posts/ |