buildOn Global
Education Is a Vital Human Right
We believe the best way to end poverty is by ensuring everyone has access to quality education. That’s why buildOn partners with rural communities in economically developing countries to empower local residents to build schools, re-enroll children, and educate adult learners.
Global Impact
Schools built in low-income countries
Children and adults attend buildOn schools
Volunteer work days contributed by community members
Where We Build
We build schools in eight of the economically poorest countries on the planet, providing access to education to hundreds of thousands of children, parents, and grandparents.
Burkina Faso
The average child in Burkina Faso will attend school for just 1.5 years, and more than half of people over the age of 15 are illiterate.
The Facts
Schools built
Students enrolled in school
After my studies, I want to become a teacher, in order to help my community. I am very happy to have new classrooms. This year will not be like any other year, as we will be very comfortable in our school. So, I want to say thank you to buildOn, for helping us build these classrooms and for believing in our potential.
Learn More About Burkina Faso Programs
Our Global Movement
Education is a vital human right, yet most of the world’s people living in extreme poverty lack basic education. We’re committed to changing that. In the world’s economically poorest countries, buildOn empowers local residents to take the lead in bringing education and opportunity to their communities.
buildOn works in eight different countries across four continents to build schools with villages that lack adequate classrooms. Oftentimes, students have been learning in huts or under trees in all weather conditions, or they’ve been forced to walk several miles every day to the nearest school. Many have never set foot in a classroom.
Before breaking ground on their school, every community member signs the buildOn Covenant—a solemn promise between buildOn and the village outlining our contribution to the project. We contribute engineering, materials, and skilled labor. Each village provides land, local materials, and the weeks of labor it takes to build the school. Every village also promises to send girls and boys to school in equal numbers.
Once a school is complete, buildOn staff closely monitor and evaluate its success. Communities that continue to honor their Covenant—through a proven commitment to cooperation, education, and gender equality—are considered for second schools.
Our sustainable approach ensures that schools are built with a community, not for a community—because the people we work with are true partners, not recipients of aid.
Our Global Programs Need Your Help
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The Key Pillars of our Methodology
Our Commitment
Before breaking ground on their school, every community member signs the buildOn Covenant—a solemn promise between buildOn and the village outlining our contributions to the project. We contribute engineering, materials, and skilled labor. Each village provides land, local materials, and the weeks of labor it takes to build the school. This approach ensures that schools are built with a community, not for a community.
Stories That Inspire
