Filling the Gap

We have big news! Starting in January 2022, we are entering our third public-private partnership with the government to run Oldeani Primary School. As a school with over 700 students and only 6 teachers, the need for resources and leadership is significant.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Oldeani Primary School to assess the school’s needs and strategize our future investments. After meeting with members of the school community, I went around to take a few photos to document the school’s infrastructure.

In an effort not to thoroughly disrupt a lesson in progress, before entering the classroom pictured below, I hovered in the doorway trying to spot the teacher to get permission to come inside. I soon realized that due to the shortage of educators, there was no teacher in that classroom. That this group of young students was simply packed into their desks, staring at their mostly empty notebooks, without any instruction.

The scene proved just how important it is that we intervene at Oldeani Primary School. And not just because a 10-year-old eager to learn should never be stuck in a classroom without a teacher.

Since joining the TCF team, one of the many lessons I have learned is that solving one problem can often expose a new challenge. Through our success in co-managing Gyetighi Primary School, students are graduating with a level of education that dramatically differs from the other primary schools that feed Oldeani Secondary School. It creates a gap so significant that teachers at Oldeani Secondary School struggle to cater to both student groups.

We are going to fill that gap. We are going to fill it by hiring 14 teachers, building over 200 desks, purchasing 1,200 books, and by providing Oldeani Primary School with the leadership and daily support it needs to give students the education they deserve.

We need your help not only to take on this exciting new venture to operate three schools serving over 1,700 students, but also to ensure the vitality of our other impactful programs.

Whether it be $60,000 to build a classroom, $2,500 to fill our Health Clinic with medical supplies for one month, $825 to provide one child at RVCV with nutritious food for a year, or $125 to help a local entrepreneur open a small business, your gift is what creates change. Your generosity is what fills the gap.

I hope you join us for the next chapter.

With gratitude,

Ali Carey, Managing Director