Basic Dignities Corp. is focused on bringing basic human rights such as clean water, education, health care, food, and shelter to underdeveloped communities around the world. Their focus is to raise the quality of life wherever they work and to create lasting change.
Basic Dignities projects
Basic Dignities has completed a variety of projects in the past, but recently they have been primarily focused on education and clean water. After spending years bringing clean water to a community in Uganda, founding members Brittany and Tricia noticed the strong correlation between clean water and education for young women. In areas without clean water, the brunt of the work of gathering clean water falls on young women, which inhibits their access to schooling because they may walk miles to access clean water. By focusing on both clean water AND education, Basic Dignities hopes to make the biggest impact in the communities where they work.
Basic Dignities supports women’s education
The Women’s Scholarship Program was created in 2021 to support academically oriented women who lack the means to financially continue their education in fields where Basic Dignities works. Scholarship recipients are chosen based on academic performance, financial need, and desire to make a lasting impact in their hometown. Scholarships are available to women studying medicine, engineering, or education at university. Once selected, students must maintain good grades, share their academic and personal progress, and remain in their home country for at least three (3) years after graduation. By carefully selecting women who want to make a difference in STEM fields, Basic Dignities hopes to create strong, independent leaders who can return to their hometowns and assist with educating the next generation of women, installing successful water systems and other infrastructure, and providing much-needed medical care to their community. Basic Dignities is currently sponsoring nine (9) scholars; three nursing students in Gabon, two nursing students in Uganda, two engineering student in Kenya, one education student in Kenya, and one nursing student in Malawi.
While sponsoring the education of young women across Africa, Basic Dignities is also preparing to install a clean water system for a small community in Soy, Kenya. This system will replace the community’s current drinking water source, a shallow river nearby that is used for bathing, animal husbandry, and other tasks that contaminate the small amount of water available.
For more information on their projects, team, or previous work they have done, please visit their website.
Spotlight welcomed the Basic Dignities team, Tricia Fragen, Treasurer & Co-founder and Brittany Sterling, President & Co-founder.
