Ashley Holmer '02

Psychology major. Traveled to Tanzania in 2005 and taught English/coached soccer for Maasai children for a year. Motivated by the knowledge that Tanzanians often can't afford to send their children to secondary school, Ashley co-founded the Indigenous Education Foundation of Tanzania (IEFT) in an effort to provide quality, affordable education to children in rural Tanzania.

In 2008, she opened a school serving 80 students, and this number has grown to over 250. Following the construction and opening of a second school in 2012, as executive director of Red Sweater Project, half of Ashley's time is spent traveling the world speaking about how education is one of the best tools for alleviating global poverty; the other half is spent in the Tanzanian bush, speaking Swahili and Maa with local traditional tribal elders, coaching and playing soccer with Maasai boys and girls, and teaching reproductive education to girls dealing with FGM and other conflicting issues.

For more information about Ashley's organization, visit www.redsweaterproject.org.

Willamette University

Alumni and Parent Engagement

Address
900 State Street
Salem Oregon 97301 U.S.A.
Phone
503-375-5304 voice
503-370-6830 fax

Back to Top