MEET YOUR NONPROFITS | This is the second in a series profiling the ongoing work of Yellow Springs-based nonprofit organizations.

By Alissa Paolella

In a village known for its progressive values and global outlook, a small, volunteer-run nonprofit is quietly reshaping lives thousands of miles away.

Enhance Worldwide, based in Yellow Springs, was never intended to become a traditional nonprofit organization. Instead, it operates as what founder Ashley Lackovich described as a “conduit” for directing support to girls’ education efforts in Ethiopia.

“We just wanted to do something meaningful and have it really go to the program participants,” Lackovich said.

With no paid staff and no overhead costs, every dollar raised by Enhance Worldwide goes directly to student support. Over the past decade, the group has raised more than $219,000 and supported more than 150 students — all of whom graduated — through secondary school, according to Lackovich.

The idea for Enhance Worldwide grew out of Lackovich’s career in international nonprofit work and her five years living in Ethiopia, where she built relationships that continue to guide the organization today. Rather than designing programs from afar, the nonprofit relies on a trusted team based in Ethiopia to identify students and assess needs.

“They select the students; they tell us what they need,” Lackovich said. “We’re not doing anything with programs. We’re simply sending resources.”

The organization focuses primarily on girls — about 95% of participants — reflecting persistent global disparities in access to education. An estimated 119 million girls worldwide are out of school, according to UNICEF, with poverty, gender norms and safety concerns among the most common barriers.

Those disparities have far-reaching consequences: According to UNICEF, girls who receive an education are more likely to earn higher incomes, delay marriage and make decisions about their health and families. Their children are more likely to attend school and live healthier lives.

Enhance Worldwide takes a direct approach to addressing disparities by aiming to remove financial barriers so girls can attend school. That includes covering tuition, uniforms and basic needs, along with modest support for families who take in children not living with their parents.

“Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective,” Lackovich said.

For older students, Enhance Worldwide also supports university education. Ten students have graduated from college with full support, and others have received partial scholarships through partnerships with local nonprofits, according to Lackovich. Today, the organization supports 15 students — eight in secondary school and seven in university.

Students also receive ongoing support from a local social worker who provides life-skills programming, health education and emotional support. She meets regularly with younger students collectively and conducts home visits throughout the year.

“The added benefit is the support that they have,” Lackovich said. “She really watches over them.”

Echoing the data collected by UNICEF, Lackovich said the impact of education for girls extends far beyond income.

“A girl who graduates from high school is less likely to find herself in a partnership with domestic violence,” Lackovich said. “She’s more likely to control the number of children she has and with whom she has those children. … Talent is universal, but opportunity is not.”

Though its reach is global, the organization remains rooted in Yellow Springs. Local support has included partnerships with groups such as Days for Girls, which has provided reusable hygiene kits, and fundraising opportunities through the Mills Park Hotel, where Enhance Worldwide has sold Ethiopian coffee during holiday events. The coffee remains the organization’s primary fundraiser outside of direct donations.

Lackovich said Enhance Worldwide has intentionally remained small, relying on a rotating group of volunteers rather than paid staff. Though she noted that the organization could broaden its reach if it operated “more like a standard nonprofit,” she said such a move would materially alter Enhance Worldwide’s established character.

“It would change the organic, grassroots, community-based entity that it is,” she said.

That philosophy extends to how the group measures impact. While its 100% high school graduation rate is notable, Lackovich pointed to what happens after — graduates supporting siblings, neighbors and others in their communities.

There has been some room for adjustment within the nonprofit’s operations, Lackovich said; during the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization expanded its work temporarily, raising $30,000 for an Ethiopian children’s hospital to fund heart surgeries through a one-time campaign. But education remains central to Enhance Worldwide’s mission.

“We’re living through incredibly dark times when we often feel like there is nothing that we can do,” Lackovich said. “But the truth is, there are small things that we can do that have a ripple effect, and truly do make a huge difference.”

For more information — including how to donate or volunteer — and to connect with Enhance Worldwide, go to http://www.enhanceworldwide.org

*Alissa Paolella is a local resident and freelance writer for the News.