JANUARY 10, 2020
Dear friends,
As Caravan to Class starts our 2nd decade of investing in literacy through our work in education in one of the world’s most interesting yet underserved places, (Timbuktu, Mali), I reiterate my gratitude to you for joining me on this important journey! With your support, over the years, we have been able to provide the opportunity for thousands of children to attend French-based schools through our main “school construction and support program.” More recently we have added a Female Adult Literacy program for mothers in the villages where we work, to teach basic literacy in the local language. Last year, we launched our “Bourse Jackie” program that very selectively provides scholarships to female high school graduates, from Timbuktu, to attend university in Mali's capital of Bamako. I personally met with these incredibly bright young women in Mali in February 2019. I was so impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication of three of these women towards learning English, that Caravan to Class funded an intensive English language course for them this summer in Accra, Ghana. Caravan to Class is currently working on our 14th school construction project, in the village of Bokoi-Koiria near Timbuktu.
In this May 5, 2019, INTERVIEW with Pencils for Africa, Executive Director and Founder Barry Hoffner tells of his lifelong wish to visit Timbuktu, and subsequently, how Caravan To Class came about and the motivation behind the organization's work.
Whenever the question pops into my head about how long I might continue to move Caravan to Class forward, a day like today answers the question very easily. It is no exaggeration to say that my favorite day of the year is the day I spend touring the villages where Caravan to Class has built schools. Today, on Valentine’s Day, I did just that. Specifically, I visited the village of Nanga where Caravan to Class just finished building our 13th school, and also the village of Bokoi-Koiria where Caravan to Class plans to rehabilitate a school in 2019.