Education & Scholarships
We empower students with schools and scholarships, breaking barriers to higher education.
Education is the key to breaking cycles of poverty. We provide financial support and educational resources to underprivileged students so they can pursue higher learning.
- 58
- Students when the community school opened in 2011
- 332
- Students today — 166 girls and 166 boys
- 99%
- National exam pass rate
- 54 mi
- Distance students used to travel to secondary school
Our goal is to eliminate barriers to education and give students the tools they need to succeed academically. By investing in education, we are investing in a future where everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential.
School project · Côte d'Ivoire
Groupe Scolaire Agbé, Lakota
The communities we serve are part of the 62.4 percent of Ivory Coast's rural population living below the poverty line. For their children, the only option to access elementary education was a daunting 25-mile walk — a distance that shut out the youngest children entirely.
In 2011, community members and their church built a school of clay and wood. It was a start, but it was neither safe nor nurturing: run-down, unhygienic classrooms and broken plywood walls. Global Approach To Development stepped in to build a school that offers a secure learning environment and quality education.
The original school started with 58 students. By 2015, GAD completed a new primary facility that today serves 332 students — 166 girls and 166 boys — across the equivalent of kindergarten through 5th grade. With a national passing rate of 99%, we are proud to nurture the brightest futures for children who might otherwise have been limited to roles as farmers and housewives.
Before · 2011After · 2015
2011 · The original clay-and-wood classrooms (grades CP1 to CE1, the equivalent of kindergarten to second grade).
2015 · The new primary school, completed in 2015, serving kindergarten through 5th grade.
- 2011Community opens a clay-and-wood school with 58 students
- 2015GAD completes the new primary school
- 2016Construction of the secondary school begins
- 2019Secondary school completed — middle and high school in Lakota
Groupe Scolaire Agbé Secondary School
After the primary school opened, we discovered that students had to travel 54 miles to continue to middle and high school. GAD recognized they needed to pursue their education beyond grade 5 within their own community, started construction of a secondary school in 2016 and completed it in 2019. The new school sparked enthusiasm across the whole community.
School project · Mali
Our work in Sikasso, Mali
Mali is the largest landlocked country in the Sahel region of West Africa and one of the poorest in the world, with an annual GDP per capita of about $660 in 2012 (World Bank, 2014).
It began in 2010 with one girl. During a visit to Sikasso, a member of our group enrolled her niece in a primary school. Like other students she walked many miles to class — and her fluent French, the official academic language, made an impression on classmates who were taught in their local dialect. Two of them asked her to teach them French. She said her uncle had taught her, so the girls walked home with her and asked him for help.
One after another, more than 50 children ended up coming to his house to learn. For many, it was their only way of receiving an education. We divided the children into two groups — ages 2 to 9 and 10 to 16 — and offered two sessions per week.
Seeing the growing need, we expanded to the villages around Sikasso, including Zandjougoula, Kozansso-dioula and Zanadougou. Lessons are taught through sketches, stories and songs. Children who participate receive small rewards; after each course they take a comprehensive exam and receive school supplies and monthly financial support of $2 according to merit and need. When children come home with these small gifts, parents let them keep attending — and the attention they receive gives them hope for a brighter future.
What we offer in the villages
Children's Clubs
A safe space where students interact, learn, innovate and express themselves. We encourage creativity and critical thinking.
Literacy Courses
Courses designed to improve children's ability to read, write and count using written materials and sounds, so they can expand their skills and excel.
Art Education
Dance, drama, music, drawing and painting to improve academic performance, build self-esteem and enhance communication.
Your help is needed
We need a school building
We do not yet have a building in either village to house these activities. Despite classes being held outdoors, the children zealously attend every session. Your donation will help these children succeed in life — you will contribute to their future and put a smile on their faces.
Help build the school
Reach out to us now
Join us in making a difference by supporting crucial initiatives that provide education, healthcare and clean water to underserved communities.