How the Little Sisters Fund Improves the Lives of Nepalese Girls

Thursday, May 19, 2016

How the Little Sisters Fund Improves the Lives of Nepalese Girls

Cissy Lewis is a distinguished educator who previously held the role of interim head of school at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. In addition to her current work as an independent educational consultant, Cissy Lewis supports the Little Sisters Fund.

Founded in 1998, the Little Sisters Fund aims to help economically disadvantaged girls in Nepal rise above their conditions of poverty and oppression to make better lives for themselves. To avoid the all-too-common traps of child marriage, trafficking, and labor, the fund offers girls several different programs, such as long-term scholarships to pay for school uniforms, books, supplies, and their full tuition at private schools. Other initiatives include awareness-raising campaigns and instruction in proper hygiene to maintain health.

The Little Sisters Fund also partners with 70 government-operated and semi-private schools throughout 18 districts of Nepal, enabling them to cover school costs for underserved girls. Currently, over 1,500 girls are enrolled in this program.

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About Me

Cissy Lewis, an award-winning educator, has been involved in schools all of her life. As an eleven-year-old, she started her first school in Santiago, Chile, teaching reading and writing to children who had no school options. She comes from a line of educators – her mother earned a Ph.D. in political science in an era when few women were earning advanced degrees, and her grandfather taught Greek and Latin.

She started her teaching career at The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas, where she taught English in both the Upper and Middle Schools. At The Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, Tennessee, she was honored with the Best New Teacher award. At the Castilleja School, she twice received the Distinguished Teacher Award.

Cissy Lewis held leadership positions at The Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and at The Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. At Baylor, she joined the administrative team, initially as Dean of Girls and then as Assistant Head of School, to help the school implement the transition from an all-boys school to coeducation. At Castilleja, she was academic dean, Head of Upper School, Assistant Head of School, and interim Head of School. Her responsibilities included oversight of the daily academic operations of the school, and coordinating the recruitment and hiring of new faculty. She also oversaw curricular review, the faculty evaluation system, and faculty professional growth.

Ms. Lewis attended Mt. Holyoke College and subsequently received bachelor’s degrees in both biology and English cum laude from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. She pursued graduate studies at The Bread Loaf School of English where she received her M.A. and was honored as Class Marshall. She also earned an M.Ed. at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where she was influenced by Carol Gilligan’s groundbreaking research as reflected in her seminal work In a Different Voice, and focused on the psychology of adolescence and the education of girls.

Ms. Lewis has served on the Board of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California, and The Carey School in San Mateo, California. She enjoys reading, hiking, yoga, and travelling.