Building and Learning Through a Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This March marks a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading throughout much of the world with devastating results. But in the face of unprecedented challenges, buildOn partner communities in rural areas of the eight developing countries where we work refused to give up. They continued to build and learn in buildOn classrooms, while deploying innovative practices to keep students and our local volunteers safe. Check out some of our favorite photos from an unprecedented year when learning and building looked much different than ever before.

In the spring of 2020, community members in buildOn partner countries worked together to make over 48,000 masks to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

A woman in Senegal proudly displays the masks she made from beautiful traditional fabric. Community members in Senegal made over 16,000 masks that were distributed in 26 different villages where buildOn has constructed schools.

To help ensure social distancing community members in Diero, Mali, signed the buildOn Covenant in small, socially distanced groups.

Dedicated community members in Guatemala continued to build schools for their children while also practicing social distancing on the worksite.

Women in Nerane Diarrere, Senegal, used buildOn seed money and business skills gained during their Adult Literacy Program classes to make soap in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Community members in Mba Tig Yiri, Burkina Faso, designed their own innovative hand washing stations on the school building worksite.

Community members like this woman from Soroni, Mali, knew that their children's education couldn't wait and worked hard to safely construct much-needed schools.

Masks made through buildOn's Make Masks Save Lives project played a vital role in keeping community members safe on the worksite.

In the fall of 2020 buildOn students in Nepal began returning to school with safety and social distancing practices in place.

As COVID cases decrease in our partner countries, thousands of children are thrilled to be using their new buildOn schools for the first time.

Children in Nicaragua enjoy safely learning in their new buildOn classroom while wearing masks made by the men and women of their community.