This spring, CAF America sent 14 of our colleagues to eligible charitable partners around the world for the 2024 annual Site Visit program.
Our staff engage in these nonprofit site visits to gain local context to tailor grant strategies effectively, enhance risk management and compliance efforts, and foster trust through personal relationships with grantees. They also help monitor and evaluate grantee progress and impact, ensure funds are used as agreed and outcomes achieved, and strengthen their organizational expertise and knowledge to help make informed recommendations to donors.
Jeffrey Lewek (Officer, External Affairs) and Elizabeth Baden (Officer, Team Lead, Grant Services) spent one week in Malaysia visiting three nonprofit organizations. Learn more about their experience visiting YWCA Kuala Lumpur below:
YWCA Kuala Lumpur’s Mission
At Young Womens’ Christian Association (YWCA) of Kuala Lumpur (KL), works for the development of women and girls irrespective of race, religion, culture, language and socio-economic circumstances to help them to recognise that they are of equal value with the potential to contribute to society, enable them to achieve self-determination and self-reliance in all areas of life, motivate and enable them to achieve their full potential physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, develop their leadership and moral courage to take responsible action towards improving their status.
Since 1953, YWCA has provided educational opportunities and employment connections for young women through their Vocational Training and Opportunities Center (VTOC). Participants have the opportunity to learn skills including fashion design and tailoring, culinary arts, beauty and body care, and early childhood education with a national partner. They also participate in a two-month internship with local employers in their chosen subject area. For example, a culinary student could have the opportunity to work in a bakery or restaurant. The goal for the students is to learn a skill that allows them to support themselves while giving back to their local communities. YWCA KL also provides safe and affordable accommodation in the heart of the city during the year-long, on-site program.
The organization’s VTOC focuses on disadvantaged girls from the B40 (bottom 40% of income earners), providing them with essential skills and second chances for education. The staff at YWCA have many connections across Malaysia to encourage young females to attend their vocational programs in the form of local pastors in tribal communities, past participants, outreach programs, and employee opportunities announcements.
Why Visit YWCA Kuala Lumpur?
In December 2023, Jeffrey and I began the process of hand selecting organizations in Malaysia and Thailand to visit during our site visit. One of the factors we considered is CAF America’s funding by Sustainabilities Development Goals (SDGs) by region. We quickly realized that Southern and Eastern Asia falls behind in funding compared to other areas of the world, and the social landscape is highly impacted by the SDGs Quality Education, Child and Youth Development, and Economic Empowerment. Upon further research, YWCA Kuala Lumpur fit all the SDG goals noted and held a long-standing partnership since 2015 with CAF America.
Partnership with CAF America
Since 2015, CAF America has supported $378,609.52 of funding across nine grants to YWCA KL. Grants mainly support the needs of the VTOC vocational training program, offering skills in Culinary & Bakery, Hairdressing & Beauty Care, and Sewing & Tailoring. They also go towards holistic development programs at the center, including work readiness, entrepreneurial knowledge, and information technology skills to boost confidence and communication. Counseling is also provided to prepare trainees for the workforce, addressing barriers from poverty and dysfunctional family backgrounds. Any leftover funds have supported teaching materials and operational costs, including covering salaries of principal, teaching, and support staff that managed the center’s financial operations and maintained cleanliness to comply with COVID-19 protocols.