Sister school programs are established through a competitive selection process in high schools throughout the United States. Each group of American student leaders chooses a Nigerian student initiative to work with. The sister school students then find ways to assist in all stages of project implementation.

Students in our Reisterstown, MD, sister school found a Nigerian water purification proposal particularly compelling. They did research and planning which helped our Nigerian team revise the program design to make it more sustainable. Other sister school students have designed innovative local fundraising initiatives which provided vital start-up capital for entrepreneurial endeavors in Nigeria.

Our sister school program furthers our core mission in two complementary ways:

By inspiring and coordinating the efforts of young leaders in American high schools, Leadership Initiatives expands leadership capacity on a local and regional level throughout the United States.

American student leaders are paired directly with individual Nigerian program participants, thus fostering cross-cultural collaboration that strengthens developing leaders in both nations.

Click on the photo for a video introduction to our 2008-2009 sister school program in Reisterstown, MD.

Now in its second year, Leadership Initiatives' sister school program continues to provide young leaders in American high schools with opportunities to build meaningful connections in their own communities while supporting the efforts of our leadership trainees abroad. Our two original schools in Pennsylvania and Delaware have been joined by seven new schools in New York, Maryland, Texas, and Colorado. Each of these programs is now fully operational, with student leaders across the United States working in direct support of specific participants in our development initiatives in Bauchi, Nigeria.

The map below highlights our current sister school locations. Click on any state for a brief description of the programs it hosts and an opportunity to click through to each program's individual web page.