People occasionally ask me “Why Africa?” It is a valid question. Surely there is enough suffering right here in the U.S. and to be fair in every corner of the World. I have had the pleasure of traveling to Africa over the past few years. I originally went as a contract photographer but on the most recent trips I went to research and seek out the needs of the women there. What I discovered among the great suffering by the women and children was a surprise. In abject poverty and under the most unrelenting challenges for survival, there was joy and gratitude. The women I met asked for no handouts or charity. They sought to work and to support themselves and their children. They desperately wanted employment. Some of these women walked two hours each way just to meet with me. They sang and prayed and showed me their crafts. I left them knowing I could only learn from them, not the other way around. I saw gratitude and courage and unimaginable strength. My eyes were opened and I am no longer able to forget or turn away from the struggles of my sisters.

            The JMB Foundation was founded to help the women of Africa. We are not a charity. We are a non-profit that seeks to lift our sisters up and to help them to change the face of their countries through our support and encouragement.  We support them, love them and let them know they are not alone in their struggle. I named the Foundation after my father, James, who loved Africa. He was a strong leader who valued hard work and commitment. He promoted women to leadership roles at a time and place when that was not the norm. He was the hardest working man I ever knew and an inspiration to me now.

            The JMB Foundation has a clear vision for our work. We seek to inspire women and to empower them. Our long-term goals include scholarships for vulnerable young women coming out of orphanages and in need of financial help through university. We also seek to support groups that are training women with marketable skills and we seek to connect these workers with global markets so they can become self sufficient and self-sustaining. The LIFTE Project has grown out of the last focus and is dedicated to creating a market for the products women are creating in East and West Africa. 

            Yes, there is suffering and need everywhere. War, poverty and famine cannot be fixed with just humanitarian support. Changing the face and future of Africa could be possible if we empower and support the women there. Small actions could have huge long-term effects. By empowering these women and giving them the tools and opportunity to earn a living and to educate their children, by helping young ladies graduate universities, by creating markets, we give them a LIFTE up and offer them a better future. 

Thank you for your support of the JMB Foundation, the LIFTE Project, and most importantly, the women of East Africa.

Heather Boice 

Founder of the James Montgomery Boice Foundation for Women