YILMEH ACADEMY

aka No   |   Los Angeles, CA   |  http://yilmehacademy.com

Mission

Yilmeh Academy aims to purge child poverty by making education accessible to underprivileged youth in Liberia. We design curriculum models that students can adapt to their needs. As graduates of Yilmeh Academy, alumni will enter the world having developed problem-solving, critical thinking, and self-sustainability skills, thereby preparing them to be a valuable asset to their communities.

Notes from the nonprofit

Yilmeh Academy is a small organization created by its funder on a school teacher's salary since its beginning. We strategically financially take small steps to keep the organization function and keep the children in school. Ms. Makor donated the organization's initial funding, but it was all embezzled by a member she had in charge. Now, she works with 2 volunteers and 3 board members to keep the organization running. And all paid employees work at the school. We run the organization on very little money and have managed to build the second school in another village with over a hundred students. We do not have any external assessment, accreditations, or affiliations of any type because, as I said, we are tiny organizations that are determined to give disadvantaged children in rural and remote villages in a country like Liberia a chance to a better feature through education despite all the setbacks and difficulties.

Ruling year info

2014

President/CEO

Ms. Waa Gormai Makor Ms.

Co Principal Officer

Jane Blake

Main address

3756 W. Avenue 40, Ste K #486 Los Angeles, CA 90065 1015 Farnam Street

Los Angeles, CA 90042 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Yilmeh Academy

EIN

26-1852502

NTEE code info

Primary/Elementary Schools (B24)

Citizenship Programs, Youth Development (O54)

Agricultural, Youth Development (O52)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Our organization thrives on empowering young girls through education to change the projector of generational poverty in their community. Schools in these villages give young people the voice to speak to their parents. They prefer education over forced marriage and child pregnancy while keeping the young men challenged and engaged through education that provides skills for sustainable living, steering them away from arm conflict.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Yilmeh Academy1

Yilmeh Academy started as a K-6 elementary school focusing on basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. We were forced to modify our curriculum and adjust our lesson plans as both pre-school aged children and teenagers started to enroll. The older students learn high school subjects and vocational skills that they can apply in thir communities while the younger students continue the standard elementary education.

Yilmeh Academy is in Samco Town, Totota, magibi, Liberia. Besides the standard required curriculum, Yilmeh Academy offers vocational courses such as green construction, horticulture e, and other skills-building education as tools for sustainable living in their communities.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
At-risk youth
Economically disadvantaged people
Unemployed people
Victims and oppressed people

Yilmeh Academy2 is an elementary school that provides education for underprivileged children who otherwise will not have access to schools in the villages they live.
The school is in the Northern part of Liberia, Toquah Town, Bong County. Children who attend the school come from two other neighboring villages called Farvey and Danena.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of children who have access to education

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, People of African descent

Related Program

Yilmeh Academy1

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We added a second school with 125 students while maintaining a total of 83 students.

Number of graduates enrolled in higher learning, university, or technical/vocational training

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Adolescents

Related Program

Yilmeh Academy1

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We had 6 graduates who transfered to other schools. Ten students progressed to middle school.

Number of schools built

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Women and girls, Men and boys, Children and youth

Related Program

Yilmeh Academy1

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We converted an unfinished building into a schoolhouse in 2013. This building was the school until 2017 before we lost the lease on the land. We are still looking for construction funding.

Number of teachers trained

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Men and boys, Adults, People of African descent

Related Program

Yilmeh Academy1

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We have 8 trained teachers.

Number of students who demonstrate the desire to succeed in the academic setting

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Women and girls, Men and boys, Children and youth

Related Program

Yilmeh Academy1

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Most of the children enrolled during the year came to school with the desire to learn and they succeeded academically.

Number of teachers who demonstrate effective teaching practices

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Men and boys

Related Program

Yilmeh Academy1

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We had 2 trained effective teachers and the improvement the children made in both literacy and math was an indicator of the effectiveness of these teachers.

Number of students who demonstrate improved overall literacy

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Women and girls, Men and boys, Children and youth

Related Program

Yilmeh Academy1

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

All of the children made some improvements in their literacy skills. Two students didn't complete the school year in 2016. Seventy out of seventy-eight students made progress in 2019.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Yilmeh Academy's long-time goal is to craft proficient graduates ready to enter the job market.
As graduates of Yilmeh Academy, alumni will enter the world having developed problem-solving, critical thinking, and self-sustainability skills, thereby preparing them to be assets to their communities.

We will encourage parents' involvement with school activities and their children's learning through parents meetings. We will educate parents on why it is essential to keep their children in school for the entire school year during these meetings. And why it is counterproductive to take their children out of school for some reasons such as Coming-of-age school, helping with farm work during planting, and harvest seasons during the school year.

To have classrooms to accommodate the numb of students enrolled in the school and accommodation for youth in neighboring villages waiting for enrolment space.
We will continue to keep our donors and supporters informed on the development of our students and their progress.

Informed and dedicated teachers are the means to achieve our goal of educating Yilmeh Academy youth. We already have the experience of a positive impact one skillful, talented educator can make to motivate and inspire students at one of our schools. And on the same hand, without the financial support to keep these special, skillful teachers and staff working to keep the students engaged and learning the school will not exist and our students will lose the chance of education.

Progress: a) Proof of progress for the organization is our first graduates who have moved on to other schools of higher grade level. b) The school has continued to educate some of the destitute children of Liberia keeping the girls from early pregnancies and keeping the boys from violence and criminal activities in the communities they live in.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Community meetings/Town halls,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    Like all small nonprofit organizations, Yilmeh Academy is consistently seeking financial assistance. The board decided to hire a grant writer with a reputable, successful record of the grant awarded. But Instead of hiring someone who the organization would have to compensate with money it didn't had, the board members conferred to using the Library to research grantmakers. Another way we get feedback is by employing town hall meetings. To make sure every penny of the money donate to the school is used wisely and efficiently, I take a visit to the school on the ground. While I'm there, it is a tradition to have the once-a-year town hall meeting. The school community is invited and note is taken and presented to the board for addressing.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,

Financials

YILMEH ACADEMY
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

YILMEH ACADEMY

Board of directors
as of 3/9/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Jane Blake

Yilmeh Academy

Term: 2014 -

Davilla Davis

Yilmeh Academy

Pia Robinson

Yilmeh Academy

Evelyn Gramajo

Yilmeh Acadmy

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 02/03/2022

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American/African
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person with a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Asian American/Pacific Islanders/Asian
Gender identity
Female
Disability status
Person with a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 10/11/2020

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.