Ecole
Fondamentale de Vogokoro
Date of Completion: April 2001
The students in this remote village (pop. 850) used to study under the shade of a mango tree before BwB agreed to help them build a school. More than 30 miles from the nearest paved road, Vogokoro was part of a district in which there are 85 villages and only two public schools.
There are now three public schools, thanks to the community's dedication to education. They averaged more than 60 people per day on the work site, more than double the expectation. The adults in Vogokoro, nearly 100 percent of whom cannot read or write, benefitted immediately from their collaboration with BwB, enrolling in an adult literacy course sponsored by the organization.
Addressing the crowd at the inauguration, the village chief said, "I am 84 years old, closer to death than to birth. But even if I die today, my mind is at peace because my dearest ideal has been achieved thanks to the American kids and supporters. We will do all in our power to deserve this school."