Chicago, IL

Drop-out rates have remained staggeringly high in Chicago for decades. According to longitudinal studies conducted by the University of Chicago, only half of the city’s high school students have received diplomas over the last 30 years. buildOn runs 29 programs in 24 high schools, many of them situated in Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods, like Englewood, South Chicago, and Gage Park. Students in these programs are striving to revive their troubled districts by volunteering at senior centers, working in urban greenhouses, and restoring local parks, among other initiatives.

Detroit, MI
Despite a steadily declining crime rate, the Detroit metro area has one of the lowest graduation rates in the country, with 20% drop-out in the city proper and 22% in Pontiac. buildOn runs 17 afterschool youth service programs in 13 high schools throughout the Michigan metropolis. Students from these programs regularly volunteer in their communities, revealing to themselves and their surroundings the impact that reaching out can have. On-going service includes projects like breaking down generational barriers to engage with the elderly at St. Patrick’s Senior Center, working with young at-risk children at YWCA’s Camp Cavell, and feeding homeless veterans at the Detroit Veterans Center.

New York, NY
By national standards, New York City’s public high schools are experiencing a truancy and drop-out epidemic. In the Bronx, which is the poorest congressional district in the US, only 36% of entering freshman continue on and obtain degrees four years later. buildOn’s 40 afterschool youth service programs in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn focus on engaging students in their own struggling neighborhoods and showing them the limitless opportunities for success in their paths. Some of New York’s ongoing service projects include mentoring disabled children served by the organization KEEN, and spending time with seniors at Pelham Parkway Nursing Home. Using a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service, buildOn has also integrated service learning ciricullum into classrooms through the buildOn Youth Engagement Zone at Banana Kelly High School. We have additionally joined Mayor Bloomberg’s anti-truancy task force and working with him to revive schools in some of New York’s toughest districts.

Oakland & San Francisco, CA

Even by the standards of the nation’s inner-city environments, many public schools in the Bay Area have suffered from dramatic graduation rate downturns in the last 5 years: in Oakland, for example, only 53% of students are obtaining diplomas in 4 years, and 37% are dropping out before they become seniors. buildOn runs 19 afterschool youth service programs in 16 high schools in and around the Bay Area. Service projects set to restore the Bay’s problem areas include, but aren’t limited to, an arts and crafts volunteer partnership with Oakland Public Libraries, public education projects at the San Francisco Zoo and on-going environmental outreach through Visitation Valley Greenway.

Philadelphia, PA

Students in Philadelphia’s school system graduate at a rate just barely above 60%, but a recent longitudinal study much more alarmingly showed that only 10% of freshmen from the late 90s have gone on to obtain college degrees. buildOn runs 11 afterschool youth service programs in Philadelphia high schools throughout the city. Students strive to address Philly’s specific needs with their outreach. Some projects include tutoring 2nd graders at a local elementary school every Tuesday and Thursday, and preparing meals at the MANNA kitchen for individuals with HIV, cancer, and other terminal illnesses.

Southwest Connecticut

High school students in cities like Bridgeport, Connecticut face some of the highest crime rates in the country, and drop-out rates, though comparatively better than those of other inner-city areas, have shown that between 30-40% of these students are not obtaining degrees. buildOn runs 19 afterschool youth service programs in 11 high schools in and around Southwest Connecticut in an effort to engage students with their community in a productive fashion. On-going service includes projects like volunteering at shelters and half-way houses for the homeless and returning veterans, as well as participating in food and clothing drives for those in need.

Haiti

The UN’s Human Development Index ranks Haiti as the poorest country in the western hemisphere. 80% of the population lives below the poverty line of US $1.25 a day. buildOn has built 32 schools in Haiti since 2001 that are steadily improving opportunities for those living in rural areas. During the disastrous earthquake of 2010, many of these schools were used as shelters. We were fortunate to have a team working through the emergency that was able to provide immediate assistance to this nation’s overwhelming need. The same team remains in Haiti, constructing classrooms and bettering lives.

Malawi

Consistently ranked among the world’s 20 least developed countries on the UN’s Human Development Index, the Southeast African country of Malawi has long been challenged by economic stagnation and a lack of access to education. Over 50% of the country’s population lives below the poverty line of US $1.25 a day, and epidemics of AIDS and malaria have further slowed progress. In 1994, the Malawian government abolished school fees in an effort to provide every Malawian child with access to education, and development has since increased. Helping Malawians in rural areas take the first steps out of extreme poverty, buildOn has constructed 54 schools in the country since 1993. These schools have improved the lives of villagers by promoting gender equality and providing literacy, health, agriculture and income-generating classes to adults through the Community Education Program. Our schools additionally offer education to children orphaned by disease. buildOn has also partnered with Madonna and her nonprofit Raising Malawi to construct ten schools in the country during 2012.

Mali
The 5th poorest country in the world according to the UN’s Human Development Index, Mali also suffers from one of the globe’s lowest literacy rates at 26.2% overall and only 18% for females. Economic development has been a challenge due to the abundance of subsistence farmers in the nation whose livelihood is continually threatened by draught and wavering crop prices. buildOn’s efforts to educate Mali’s people and stimulate its economy by expanding the realm of its population’s possibility have led to the construction of more than 175 schools since 1998. The rural regions of Sikasso, Kalikoro, and Segou now have access to 480 classrooms and 320 latrines. Collectively, buildOn’s Mali schools have the capacity for roughly 24,000 students annually, as well as adults who participate in literacy, health, and income-generating classes through our Community Education Program. buildOn’s students from the US have embarked on more school building trips to Mali than any other country where we work.

Nepal

Although Nepal’s ranking on the UN’s Human Development Index has steadily improved over the last ten years, more than half of the population remains below the poverty line of US $1.25 a day. Ethnic conflicts and the lack of a skilled workforce have posed obstacles to developmental attempts. buildOn has a powerful connection to Nepal extending back to the organization’s roots. It was while backpacking through the Nepalese mountains that our founder and CEO Jim Ziolkowski stumbled upon the celebratory completion of a new school in a rural area, and became inspired to dedicate his life to service and education. Since then, we’ve worked closely with those known as “untouchables” to build 83 schools in hill and terrain areas including Bardiya, Banke, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Siraha, Goarkha, Nuwakot and Sindhuplanchok. buildOn’s schools are transforming both children and adults in Nepal with gender-equal primary classrooms and Community Education Programs that offer health, literacy and community development instruction to parents.

Nicaragua
Despite enjoying growth in regards to health and economy over the last twenty years, according to the UN’s Human Development Index Nicaragua remains the second poorest country in the western hemisphere (behind Haiti). 79.9% of the population earn less than $2 per day, and a disproportionately large number of those living in poverty are women. The country has a rich passion for literature — many of the Sandinista revolutionaries were also poets, and the government has successfully implemented a number of programs to improve literacy rates. Partnering with local mayor’s offices and a number of local NGOs, buildOn has constructed 75 schools throughout the regions of León, Chinandega, Nueva Segovia, Esteli, Matagalpa, and Madriz. These schools have harnessed Nicaragua’s love of poetry to build a new generation of readers and writers with limitless opportunities. The classrooms also double as hurricane shelters during Central America’s rainy season.