Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) combats inter-generational cycles of poverty and gender inequity by linking tuition-free schools for girls to essential social services for all. In its innovative, two-step model, women and girls are placed at the center of community development in places of extreme poverty. First, Shining Hope builds tuition-free schools for girls, which give the neediest and brightest girls the education they need to become the engines of economic prosperity and social change for their communities. The second step of the model provides the community-at-large with tangible benefits through integrated social services operating adjacent to the school. These social services include a community health clinic, clean toilet initiative, youth and community education, and economic development. By investing in health and economic success through a school for girls, SHOFCO demonstrates that benefitting women benefits the whole community, cultivating a community ethos that makes women respected members of society. The future of women in impoverished and patriarchal environments depends on concrete, integrated links between education and community elevation.