What We Do

Words Into Deeds founder Gertrude Noden introducing the Sustainable Development Goals as part of a 2-day interactive professional development workshop for teachers. Sessions include principles of human rights and strategies for engaging students in outreach projects.

Young mothers receive 6-months of training as tailors, augmented with counseling and classes in business finances and computer skills. Graduates of the training program have formed a company at which they produce reusable feminine hygiene kits that are sold at local markets and also distributed to local schools. These annually enable over 1000 girls to attend classes during their menstrual periods. The photos show trainees at the sewing salon and local high school girls receiving their kits along with bottles of liquid soap.

These 2-day workshops provide students with understanding of basic human rights principles and skills in effective communication, and then guide them in designing and implementing community outreach projects in areas of their interest, based on the Sustainable Development Goals.The photo shows students at the UNIFAT Primary School in Gulu, Uganda holding their certificates of achievement.

Year-long in-school activities include studying the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals, followed by the design of community service projects. Planning includes meeting with community experts, and the outcomes are shared with international peers at youth conferences held at the United Nations. The photo shows Ithaca-area students, community health leaders, and (former) Ithaca Mayor Myrick (upper left) presenting the results of their Youth Voices on Substance Abuse project at an invited public forum at the United Nations.

Very few Ugandan schools have computer training capability.  Working at the UNIFAT Primary School during the pandemic, two rooms were renovated, 30 laptops were purchased, an IT instructor hired, and a solar power system was installed. Now teachers and all grade level students are learning basic computer skills, accessing educational materials, and interacting with global partners. Currently, this is the only elementary school in the region that provides digital literacy training.

Schools often lack basic resources to launch student outreach projects. Working closely with partners and community leaders, Words Into Deeds is launching training programs at 10 schools that are teaching students to make feminine hygiene kits and liquid soap, with the goal that these will become self-sustaining. During the pandemic, we provided mini-grants to one school that enabled teachers and student teams to plant vegetable and tree gardens, make traditional beaded jewelry, produce liquid soap, write an eNewsletter, and start a plastics collection project.

Words Into Deeds awards high school scholarships to students who have strong academic records and have participated in community service projects, and also vocational training scholarships to individuals who need support to acquire skills needed to advance in the workplace. None of these young people would be  able to continue their education without this assistance. The photo shows six high school scholarship recipients.