Ask Elisante Loi Laizer what changes most in a girl at the MGRC ecoVillage, and he does not start with grades. He starts with small moments, a raised hand.

“Some arrive very quiet or hesitant to participate,” he says. “Over time, they begin raising their hands in class, expressing their opinions, taking on responsibilities, and speaking about their goals.”

As On-Site Director, Elisante sees that change up close every day. Ahead of this year’s holiday Education Fund campaign, we asked him what it takes to raise a girl from safety to self-reliance.

From a guest house in Arusha to the ecoVillage

Elisante’s path to MGRC began in hospitality. In 2016 he was managing a small guest house in Arusha when founder Rick Morro began staying there on supply runs for the center. Rick asked his advice on services and wholesale suppliers, and Elisante’s industry contacts helped him get things done faster and at lower cost.

What drew him in was the work itself. “I was very interested in the work MGRC was doing to help girls of my tribe,” he says, “by giving them an education that will help them become financially independent.” He began as a volunteer and joined the organization in 2021, bringing years of experience managing teams and budgets. Today he leads daily life and operations in Karatu and serves on MGRC’s Tanzania board.

He calls becoming director a natural progression. “More importantly, it was a responsibility I accepted because I believe deeply in the girls and in the mission of MGRC.”

Small moments. Being present.

His days run across the whole ecoVillage: checking in on girls and staff, school follow-ups, staff meetings, mentoring conversations, maintenance, and oversight of the ecoFarm and ecoLodge. He is clear about what matters most.

“A large part of my role is simply being present and available,” he says. “The girls need adults they can trust: someone who will listen, help solve problems, set boundaries, and celebrate their successes.”

He is quick to credit the people around him: House Mothers, social workers, teachers, and the older girls, who become role models for new arrivals.

One girl’s quiet turn

Asked for a story, Elisante describes a girl, unnamed here, who rarely spoke and avoided group activities. Through the patience of House Mothers and social workers and steady encouragement from teachers, she slowly opened up. She found a practical talent, grew more involved in school, and began helping younger girls.

“What touched me most was not one single achievement,” he says, “but the gradual change in how she saw herself. She began to understand that her past did not have to determine her future.”

Progress, he adds, “often happens quietly, through hundreds of small moments of safety, encouragement, and persistence.”

More than a classroom

That is why Elisante sees education as part of a whole environment. School gives knowledge and qualifications. Vocational training builds skills that can earn an income. House Mothers provide structure and belonging. The ecoFarm teaches food production, teamwork, and responsibility. This June’s Learn & Earn pilot put those lessons to work: 52 girls spent 30 days running four small enterprise teams, from baking to a plant nursery.

“Education is essential,” he says, “but education is most effective when a child also feels safe, supported, healthy, and valued.”

The goal, in his words, is for each girl to become “not only educated, but also confident, capable, compassionate, and prepared to make her own decisions.”

Honest about the work ahead

Elisante does not pretend the work is easy. Some girls carry deep trauma, and healing takes time and professional support. As girls grow older, the team must prepare them for life beyond MGRC: further schooling, employment, housing, and financial independence.

What gives him hope is the girls themselves. “Their progress is not always dramatic or immediate, but it is real,” he says. “Every new skill, every completed school year, every honest conversation, and every dream spoken aloud is a sign of growth.”

Coming this holiday season: Her Education, Her Choice

This holiday season MGRC launches Her Education, Her Choice, a campaign to build the Education Fund for 2027. The fund pays for the full 2027 learning year: tuition and tutoring, additional teaching staff, vocational training, Learn & Earn, life skills, and computer-lab systems. MGRC’s U.S. leadership is volunteer, and 100% of public and private donations go to the care and development of the girls.You can also wear your support this season with MGRC’s new holiday apparel collection, “Education Changes Everything.” Every purchase directly funds learning resources and student care.

The campaign’s invitation: this holiday, give a girl the gift of learning — school, a trade, life skills, and the chance to earn and lead — so she can choose her future.

Elisante puts it simply: “When people give to MGRC, they are investing in the potential of each girl and in the future of the communities she will one day help lead.”