Expanding Lives supports the education of West African young women who are among the first in their families to attend high school. Strong, intelligent girls who are proving themselves against daunting odds are offered short-term, highly structured conferences in the United States. The conferences focus on bringing broader solutions to local problems. Expanding Lives is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 organization, founded in 2008. We act on world-wide research which shows that strengthening girls education is the best return on a development dollar. We put our resources into building skills in young women from Niger and allow them to determine how they will lead their community into the future.