GTL began when a young woman in Kenya told Roger Whiting how she longed for higher education and how hard that was for women to obtain. Most children in East Africa cannot advance beyond primary school unless their families can afford a private boarding school. Many have lost their families to AIDS, and even in families boys come first. Whiting resolved to create a scholarship program for girls. In 1997, he established GTL and lined up local coordinators—in Uganda, Kenya, Dar es Salaam, and Arusha, Tanzania—to screen the applicants, help select appropriate schools, and forward their applications. Once chosen by GTL, girls receive help until they graduate—so long as they remain in the top quarter of their class. Some continue on to post-secondary training in areas like teaching, nursing, and computers. All gain the power to improve their lives and contribute to their families and communities. So far, 529 scholarships, at a cost of $350-500 each, have been awarded to girls who would have faced bleak futures without them. The wrinkles have been ironed out, the system works, and now it needs to be scaled up. Talk about growth investment!