Company Profile
Kira Cares, Inc. is a nonprofit, internationally based mission organization aimed at empowering children confined to the limitations of poverty and abuse on the island of Jamaica. Working together with communities, families, local institutions in Jamaica, particularly children’s homes, churches, and medical institutions, the organization aims to assist Jamaican children by fostering educational programs and medical initiatives. The programs are targeted at empowering children with tools that will allow for better quality of life when they become adults.
Kira Cares provides a community of care where children can learn civic responsibility, build on their personal strengths and work cooperatively to create a better future for themselves and others. Members of Kira Cares will practice social responsibility by returning to their communities the skills and lessons they have acquired through mentorship.
read moreOur Team
Each person in life will endure a struggle at some point or another. For some the struggle is a staple of daily life. Growing up between cultures has impacted Shikira Chang’s perspective on what it truly means to endure hardship. The ability to cross economic, social, racial, and even physical boarders has given Shikira an insight into the lives of people from all walks of life. Her desire to inspire, challenge and empower youth began in her adolescence through her relationships with inspirational women in her family, educators and mentors who inspired her and eventually through her studies at Binghamton University (SUNY) and career as an educator. The one thing she learned from her experiences is that education opens the door to so many possibilities, and with the right guidance we all can acquire the key to that door. Shikira currently holds a B.A. in English and an M.A.T. in Secondary Education with a focus on English. She will continue her education at Florida International University where she will focus on Public Administration.
Kerri Ann M. Smith
“Our young people deserve a future and I consider it the mandate of my ancestors to be part of the struggle to ensure that they have one.” This statement by Assata Shakur is the foundation of Kerri-Ann M. Smith’s commitment to serving the youth of the African Diaspora. Prior to migrating to NY in 1993, Kerri-Ann attended Manning’s School, where she learned that “Vita sine litteris mors est” or “Life without learning is death.” She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Binghamton University (SUNY) in English and Africana Studies and a Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies, and a Master’s degree in Secondary English Education at Brooklyn College (CUNY). Smith spent four of her most inspiring, uplifting, and joyful years teaching English at her alma mater, Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn, NY. Kerri-Ann M. Smith is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree and her main foci are urban education, international special education, and retention of black students in institutions of higher education.