United Initiatives for Peace, Newark, New Jersey

United Initiatives for Peace (www.unitedinitiatives.org) partnered with SHARE in Tanzania in March 2009. Diesa Seidel, founder of UIP, spent one week introducing basketball to the SHARE girls at the Kiteyagwa Primary School. SHARE built the school's first basketball court, and UIP donated balls, hoops, nets, and school supplies. UIP's vision is to promote higher education, offer creative recreational programs, and encourage grassroots social reform through female empowerment in communities worldwide.

The UIP web site reports:
"UIP, in partnership with SHARE, manifested it’s first ever Court Quest initiative at Kiteyagwa Primary School in Bukoba, Tanzania. This was a historical moment for UIP and sets the foundation for many more Court Quest initiatives in Tanzania and worldwide.

Bukoba is an economically challenged small town on Lake Victoria in northwest Tanzania where recreational opportunities and facilities are rare. In November 2008, UIP met the founder of SHARE, Shannon McNamara, at a fundraiser and started planning their collaborative female empowerment ideas for the girls of Bukoba. SHARE (SHannon’s After-school Reading Exchange), is an English reading group for girls. SHARE’s vision is to create a literary environment that inspires girls in East Africa to reach their highest potential. When girls have a safe place to meet and learn they can thrive – and when they thrive, everyone around them thrives too."