Serena Williams is one of the world’s most talented and successful tennis players. Since the beginning her career in the late ’90, she has ranked number one in single matches eight times. When she’s not on the tennis court swinging a tennis racket with all her strength, Williams is using her resources to do great things for those with very little. Adding Philanthropist to her resume, Williams has her own non-profit organization called the Serena Williams Fund, which is intended to encourage and promote fairness in gender equality and improve educational environments.
The Serena Williams Fund Builds Schools In Kenya
Before her matches, Williams reads and writes affirmations out loud from her diary about wanting to help people, kids and work in Africa. Through the Serena Williams Fund, Williams dedicates her off-season time improving access to education by building schools in underprivileged areas of the world. In November 2008, Williams teamed up with Hewlett-Packard and the Build African Schools Initiative to build a secondary school for both boys and girls in Makueni County, the Eastern province of Kenya.
The school was provided with an immense amount of amenities such as electricity, computers and important teaching aids. The Serena Williams Secondary School was named after Williams during her three-day visit to the official opening of the school. It was mostly built to promote further education, but it was specifically placed in the Makueni county due to its high rate of high school dropouts. The schools built with the Serena Williams Fund must keep the ratio of boys to girls at a 40:60. Williams would prefer the ratio to be equal because of her concern about the number of girls who will be forced to drop out of school to due to carrying the burden of household chores.
Building Schools in Other African Countries
Serena Williams has built schools in other countries, including Uganda, Zimbabwe and Jamaica. Williams and her non-profit organization teamed up with Helping Hands Jamaica to help open up a new primary school called the Salt Marsh Primary School. In this case, Williams was more hands-on and more involved in the actual building of the school by hammering indoors and painting walls herself. The mission behind this particular build was to, “help individuals or communities affected by senseless violence and ensure equal access to education.”
Williams is showing what it takes for someone of her status to separate themselves from what they do in the spotlight to portraying a well-rounded philanthropist and helping those who in need. Williams not only builds schools but also make sure they have amenities and other teaching aids needed to improve educational environments.
Serena Williams has done extraordinary tasks using her own resources and through partnerships with the Serena Williams Fund and other foundations dedicated to providing and improving education for those in difficult conditions or developing countries. Her active role has notably left a mark on those who have had their lives changed significantly through this act of kindness.
– Jessica Curney
Photo: Flickr