By Merritt Frey, Executive Director

Without teachers, a school is just a building. With our supporters' help, we invest in teachers to make sure schools can deliver on the promise of education. A volunteer, Lawrence, recently made us a great video highlighting our teachers and the work we do to support them and I wanted to use this chance to share more information about this important project.

In a nutshell, teachers are what make a school a school. They transform a classroom into a life-changing experience and lead our students toward their futures. But teachers in Mali face many, many challenges. These include class sizes of 100 or more students, a nearly complete lack of teaching tools such as textbooks, remote placements in tiny villages far from family, a lack of professional training, and unreliable payment from the government.

We can’t solve all of those problems, but with your help we try to mitigate some of the troubles. For example, we provide professional development training, Peer Meetings where teachers help each other, a WhatsApp forum for sharing ideas and challenges, annual awards, and more. Learn more about the Teacher Project here, or check out Lawrence’s short video below.