Edward was excited to come for his first term visit with his friends and teacher. He participated fully and was very keen to show what he was reading to Tapela, yet he remained isolated.
Through ups and downs
Over the past 10 years, we've walked alongside Fountain of Life School through joys and struggles. Unfortunately, wavering between seasons of growth and attrition is typical in community schools. And the past few years have been discouraging for Priscilla and Magret at Fountain of Life. But... they never gave up hope, they persevered through the challenges, and they implemented best practices along the way.
When one teacher changes everything
After years of attending school, the door to reading has finally been unlocked for Helen. Despite attending class on a regular basis, she struggled to grasp what was being taught, and she was too shy to approach the teacher to ask for help. So year after year, she went through the motions without ever learning how to read fluently. And as the years passed, it became more and more embarrassing for her to see how far behind she was falling.
But her 6th grade teacher changed it all.
A dream come true!
We opened our initial library in 2018, and within the first year of operations, it was already clear that we would need more space. The community interest in our Library was growing each week, and our small room couldn’t accommodate all of the children who would come. We also knew that some day, we would expand our program into more schools and be more serving more children and teachers on a weekly basis.
So the dream for a bigger Center was planted in 2019,
And the journey begins
The Ripple Effect
Technology is rarely used in community schools. So when the parents at Joy Grace saw the teachers on tablets and smartphones during class, they thought they were neglecting their children and just playing on social media. They began to complain to the school’s director who had to call a school-wide meeting and explain to the parents that the teachers were using educational apps to help their children learn.
For one parent, that wasn’t the end of the story.
Passion + Skill = Impact
When you walk into Memory's classroom, you can tell she loves teaching. Brightly decorated walls, a beaming smile, and joyful noises are all evidence of that. But dig a little deeper into her own story, and you're even more convinced that nothing can keep her from her calling as a teacher.
Memory has always dreamed of teaching children. She enrolled in a local college to see that dream come true, but unfortunately she had to drop out after just a few months because her parents weren't able to pay the tuition fees.
But instead of giving up, Memory pressed on to follow her heart.
Phase 1 of Expanding our Center
We are in the process of inviting more schools to join our program. And in order to serve them well, we need more space at our Center to accommodate more students, teachers, and educational resources. Having purchased land back in 2019, the time has finally come to begin our expansion project.
This month, we launched Phase 1 of our project. The goal was to demolish the old structure and lay the foundation for a new one.
Fun and Learning
Brotherly Love
It's easy to tell these two are brothers because they look so much alike. Anthony is the eldest and is a very strong reader. By 5th grade, he was already reading our highest level books, which is rare within community schools. But just a year ago, his younger brother, Emmanuel, could hardly read at all. Their mom noticed that Emmanuel was struggling and she asked Anthony to help teach his younger brother.