Remember Niger Coalition

What Remember Niger Coalition does

Remember Niger Coalition is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, headquartered in Holland, Michigan, focused on expanding quality educational opportunities in Niger, West Africa. Founded in 2009 by Kara VanderKamp following her dispatch through the Presbyterian Church, the organization operates through five core programs: a Student Sponsorship Program ($35/month or $420/year), a Girls' Advancement Scholarship Program ($600/year or $50/month), a Health & Wellness Program (school meals, gardens, latrines, wells, and Youth Running Clubs), Infrastructure Support (classrooms, resource centers, latrines, and wells), and a Teacher Training Program delivered in partnership with the Niger Ministry of Education.

The business model is a recurring-donation nonprofit: the organization collects individual sponsorships, scholarship contributions, and general donations (processed via Network for Good), supplemented by dedicated fundraising campaigns such as the RISE Fund and the Laying the Foundation campaign running through 2026. Service delivery is executed through on-the-ground partnerships with Nigerien churches, religious organizations, and nonprofits, with a Country Director (Ibrahim Abdou) overseeing field operations. Cumulative reported impact includes 90+ classrooms built or supported, 5,000+ students served, 300+ active sponsors, 10,000+ meals provided, and 700+ students in Youth Running Clubs as of end-2023.

The leadership team consists of a small US-based staff (1-10 employees) — Founder/CEO Kara VanderKamp, CFO Linda Haveman, Director of Development Julie Frye, and Director of Sponsorships and Scholarships Karen Pepin — supported by a Board of Directors. The organization's competitive position rests on its multi-year relationships with Nigerien partner institutions and the Niger Ministry of Education, which together create a localized operating footprint that is difficult for new entrants to replicate absent similar field presence.

Name

Remember Niger Coalition

Legal name

Remember Niger Coalition

Website

https://rememberniger.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Remember Niger Coalition is a Holland, Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers educational programs in Niger through student sponsorships, girls' scholarships, infrastructure, teacher training with the Niger Ministry of Education, and health and wellness initiatives, serving 5,000+ students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (611710), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs (BPADABAE)

Keywords

• Education sponsorship
• Nonprofit charity services
• International education programs
• Student scholarship programs
• Teacher training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Holland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Sponsorships: The organization generates revenue through individual donations, monthly sponsorships ($35/month or $420/year per child), and one-time gifts from donors. Donors receive student photos, progress reports, and hand-made cards from sponsored children. The organization processes donations through Network for Good platform.
2. Girls' Secondary School Scholarships: Specific scholarship program for girls in secondary school at $600 one-time or $50/month, providing tuition, books, supplies, meal programs, uniforms, and medical assistance.
3. General Donations and Fundraising: The organization receives general donations and contributions through its website and various fundraising initiatives including the RISE Fund and Laying the Foundation campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Remember Niger Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that mobilizes individual donors and resources to expand quality educational opportunities in Niger. It operates five interconnected programs: Student Sponsorship (matching individual children with donors at $35/month or $420/year), Girls' Advancement Scholarships (secondary education for girls), Infrastructure (classroom and sanitation construction), Health & Wellness (school meals, gardens, Youth Running Clubs), and Teacher Training (in partnership with the Niger Ministry of Education).

Product overview

Remember Niger Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating five interconnected programs focused on expanding quality educational opportunities in Niger. The core Student Sponsorship Program matches vulnerable children with sponsors to enable school attendance. The Girls' Advancement Program specifically targets secondary education access for girls through scholarships. Infrastructure Support builds classrooms and sanitation facilities. Health & Wellness addresses food insecurity and includes Youth Running Clubs. Teacher Training provides professional development in partnership with the Niger Ministry of Education. Together, these programs work toward the organization's vision that every child in Niger has access to high-quality education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Sponsorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 90+ classrooms built or supported, serving 5,000+ students with 300+ sponsors and 10,000+ meals provided
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Niger Ministry of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Niger Ministry of Education for teacher training programs. The organization provides 'Teach-the-teacher' annual training for teachers, directors, and administrators in partnership with the Ministry. Training includes workshops for administrators and middle school teachers, focusing on administrative and property management of schools and developing skills in oral and written comprehension.
• Presbyterian ChurchminorOthersThe Presbyterian Church sent founder Kara VanderKamp to Niger in 2007 as an educational consultant, where she worked with community leaders to start schools. This initial partnership led to the founding of Remember Niger Coalition.
• Nigerien partner organizations (churches, religious organizations, associations, nonprofits)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRemember Niger partners with Nigerien organizations who own and operate their schools, including churches and religious organizations, associations, and nonprofit organizations. Local architects, laborers, construction firms, educators, organization and community leaders, and parents all contribute to school projects. The organization builds and supports schools only as the need is identified and articulated by Nigerien partners.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• World Vision: Major international development NGO with child sponsorship programs and education infrastructure in Niger. Closest direct comparator in terms of sponsorship model, though operating at vastly larger scale.
• Save the Children: Large international NGO with active education programming in Niger. Operates alongside Remember Niger Coalition in the same geography, sharing donor bases and benefiting from similar Ministry-level partnerships.
• Catholic Relief Services: US-based international humanitarian agency with faith-rooted Niger programming. Similar faith-based foundation and donor base to Remember Niger Coalition, with overlapping education and partnership models.
• Plan International: Global NGO with significant West Africa education and girls' equality programs. Addresses the same beneficiary populations (vulnerable children, girls' secondary education) in overlapping geographies.
• UNICEF: UN agency with a global education mandate and active Niger country office. Operates as a peer in the education-sector funding ecosystem alongside smaller nonprofits like Remember Niger Coalition.

Emerging players

• Malala Fund: Nonprofit advocating for girls' education in developing countries including across the Sahel. Comparable mission focus on girls' secondary education in low-income countries where completion rates are very low.
• Whole Child International: Nonprofit operating caregiver and teacher training programs in developing-country contexts. Comparable model of partnering with local institutions to improve educational outcomes through capacity building.

Direct peers

• Pencils of Promise: Nonprofit building schools and supporting education in developing countries. Directly comparable model (school construction, sponsorship, teacher training) operating in similar low-income contexts.
• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and girls' education in low-income countries. Comparable to Remember Niger's integrated sponsorship and girls' advancement model, with a similar multi-country program portfolio.

Regional players

• African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA): Africa-focused educational and informational capacity building organization. Relevant regional peer for organizations advancing education infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-remember-niger-coalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Remember Niger Coalition