http://us.camfed.org/site/PageServer...ame=home_index
This site lets you donate money to educate a female in Africa. Sounds like it could be a match for what you're looking for. I have friends who donated last year, and they were updated with pictures, letters, etc. throughout the year.
She’ll be three times less likely to get HIV/AIDS, earn 25 percent more income and have a smaller, healthier family.