Blog

This spring, School-to-School International and the Alcoa Foundation transformed a temporary school into an established structure in Kabata, Guinea.Read more

In 2016, we published A Holistic Approach to Girls’ Education, thanks to support from the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative. The case study captured our innovative efforts to help girls and inspired us to do more, including inviting Guinean women to share their career stories so girls could broaden their professional interests. Our girls’ educationRead more

Although the links between girls’ education and improved quality of life and economic growth are well known, school-age girls in Guinea continue to face conditions that limit school success—from systemic impediments, such as shortages of qualified teachers, to cultural factors, like the practice of early marriage. As a result, many female students leave school beforeRead more

Dear School-to-School International supporters: Three years ago, I met a fourth-grade student named Fatoumata Diouf at STS’s partner school in Filimia in the Boke region of western Guinea. She was an ideal candidate for the girls’ scholarship program. In addition to meeting all the scholarship criteria, Fatoumata showed exceptional promise and enthusiasm for learning whileRead more

Dear Girls of Guinea, For the past three years, I have had the honor of working in Guinea to make schools better for you—to make the physical spaces of school safer by installing wells and latrines and to make the culture more welcoming by working with your teachers, parents, and communities to change the socialRead more

Dear Girls of Guinea, I write to thank and congratulate you and your families for your commitment to continuing your education and learning. I know that school itself can be challenging, and that finding time and space to do your homework and study for exams requires hard work and creativity every single day. Finding theRead more

Dear Girls of Guinea, I know how hard you work every day, not just in the classroom, but also at home. I realize fetching water from the well or helping to cook a meal may seem more important in the eyes of your family and your community, but I hope you realize what’s most important—yourRead more

Dear Girls of Guinea, Congratulations, you are halfway through the school year! Thinking back to when I was a girl around your age, I remember the excitement that the half-year mark brought: I was now one of the older “cool” kids at school and that much closer to the next grade. But I know thereRead more

Dear Girls of Guinea, You inspire me. Since 2002, you have been a driving force for me each day—your education, your wellness, your potential. Through presidential elections and a coup, strikes and massacres, even Ebola, you remain strong. I worry that you feel like you’re doing it alone. I know you face some pretty seriousRead more