Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need (KYGN) is a Tanzanian NGO whose aim is to improve the opportunities of young girls in the Kilimanjaro Region. What started as a small community project is now a registered school providing education, health care and safe house accommodation to some of the most disadvantaged children in Tanzania.

Annamaria Kanondo is the Founder and Project Director of KYGN. In 2006 she visited the Mabogini area and was struck by the conditions in which young children, particularly girls, were living.

In a country where most children attend primary school, Annamaria saw that many children in Mabogini, often girls, had no access to education at all. The extreme poverty in the area has also led to children facing severe neglect or abandonment, physical or even sexual abuse.

Using her own savings and money donated from her family and friends Annamaria set up a small school in the Mabogini area to provide primary education to children who would otherwise never receive it. The school quickly had huge demand. What started at 20 children quickly grew, and today KYGN provides education to over 900 students.

In 2016 KYGN opened a safe house where children can be offered a secure and safe home while a long term solution is found. Currently, around 60 children are seeking refuge at the safe house. 

KYGN's aim is to be a fully self-sustainable organisation providing education and welfare services for the children of Mabogini. GAGA has supported several KYGN projects and initiatives, and is proud to continue to contribute to their services until they reach their goal of becoming fully self-sustainable.