For immediate release
INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Building Tomorrow announced plans to embark on its most ambitious project in its eight-year history, Educate51k, a $12 million plan to provide a quality learning environment for nearly 51,000 out-of-school children in rural Uganda by 2019.
“There are 31 million kids in sub-Saharan Africa who aren’t in school and more than 250 million kids worldwide who’ve spent a thousand days in school and still can’t read, write or do basic math,” explained George Srour, BT Founder and Chief Dreamer. “Thanks to our supporters and partners, we’re $3 million away from fully funding Educate51k and providing a life-altering education for tens of thousands of tomorrow’s leaders.”
Educate51k unites Building Tomorrow’s two key programmatic focuses: access and quality, and leverages the support of a network of partners: the Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sports, more than 300 rural villages across Uganda, and an international community of donors.
Access: Primary School Construction
By July 2019, Building Tomorrow will open 60 new community-built, locally-sustained primary schools; scaling construction to break ground on a new school every three weeks.
Building Tomorrow partners with communities where at least 300 children (ages 4-14) are out-of-school; no formal and accredited primary school exists within a 2.5 kilometer radius; and parents and families make a financial and in-kind commitment to support the education of their children.
Each primary school will have seven classrooms, meeting space, latrines and a field for play; providing learning space for up to 315 children. Over five years, Building Tomorrow’s school construction program will enroll 12,780 new students.
Quality: BT Fellows
By July 2019, Building Tomorrow will recruit and train 150 Ugandan college graduates as BT Fellows, providing direct support to at least 450 rural schools. BT Fellows will connect head teachers and locally-based school management teams with academic resources and peer networks to operate and sustain top-quality schools. Over five years, Building Tomorrow’s Fellows program will grow enrollment by 38,200 out-of-school children.
About Building Tomorrow
Based in Indianapolis, Building Tomorrow catalyzes communities and individuals to provide access to quality education in East Africa.
Building Tomorrow does this by empowering young people to invest their time, talents and resources in support of new educational opportunities; facilitating the construction of community-built, locally-sustained primary schools; and building the human capacity and leadership of locally-based school management teams.
Prior to the launch of Educate51k, Building Tomorrow had 20 schools either completed or under construction.
For more information visit buildingtomorrow.org
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Media Contact: Katie Zarich | katie@buildingtomorrow.org | 317-632-3545 ext 303 or 317-491-8488
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