World Education Feature Stories

Feature Stories

Africa: Educating and Inspiring Girls in Africa
"The scholarships have encouraged us to study! We used to be behind the boys, now we're ahead!" commented a 13-year-old girl in Timbuktu, Mali's poorest and most isolated region…

Benin: Batonga Girls' Education Program
"I really like school and now I have what I need with the Batonga program. I am so happy and know that if I work hard, my life can change. I really like math and science. Our mentor helps us with our studies, which is good because sometimes it's hard!"…

Benin: Breaking the Silence in Schools—HIV and AIDS Activities in Benin
The HIV pandemic was relatively slow to reach Benin, but has recently made alarming gains. The percentage of people living with HIV in Benin is now estimated at over 4%, with some areas estimated at almost 10%…

Cambodia: Rural Communities Take Charge of Children's Education
In the remote regions of Cambodia, some of the country's poorest communities have limited access to schools, teachers, or educational support…

Cambodia: Using Education to Combat Child Trafficking in Cambodia
Life changed for Chhiv Ya when she was separated from her family during a community celebration. "There were hundreds of people from outside our village at the celebration and I got separated from my family," relates Chhiv Ya, a 15-year old girl…

Cambodia: World Education and WGBH Partner to Bring Educational Children's Television to Cambodia
Over the last few years, the importance of early childhood education has gained recognition, as research has shown that it can significantly reduce dropout rates in primary school. Yet, access to quality early childhood education in Cambodia remains extremely limited and less than 15% of Cambodian children attend pre-school…

Egypt: From Literacy Classes to Learning Carnivals
For adult learners, the classroom presents challenges different from those of younger students. Adults have greater responsibilities at work and home which compete with their focus on school…

Egypt: Improving Health and Literacy for Women
In Egypt, women are learning more about their health as they learn to read through World Education's integrated literacy initiative…

Ghana: Educating Girls about HIV through Peer Leadership
Theresa Adjei is a peer educator and leader in Girls 1st, World Education's community-based initiative in Ghana that prevents the spread of HIV by providing vulnerable girls with knowledge about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Ghana: Generating Hope through Education World Education Combats HIV and AIDS in Ghana
"'The Window of Hope' curriculum has made it easier for me to teach about AIDS. I now see AIDS as very serious and dangerous. I understand it better, and I plan to introduce it in the secondary school classes I will teach…"

Ghana: Helping Girls in Need Gain an Education
Asonah Nma is a second grade student at the Vea Primary School in the Upper East region in Ghana. When she was younger, Asonah was stricken with polio which left her handicapped….

Guinea: On the Frontlines of Girls' Education
When I go out to the communities, I see young girls who are orphaned, sick, forgotten…

Indonesia: Learning, Growing, and Learning to Grow
"I used to hang around on the streets, getting a little money by singing and performing for people. I was lazy. This place, the Learning Farm, has changed my life," says Dedi Sudhandi, a 22-year old resident at the Learning Farm…

Guinea: Responding to the Threat of HIV and AIDS—An Individual's Initiative to Reach out to Guinean Youth
When Kadiatou Bobo Diallo attended an HIV and AIDS training with her colleagues, she had already heard a lot about HIV and AIDS…

India: Helping Girls Protect Themselves in India
"What do I want to do when I grow up?" asks Vijaya Lakshmi. "Become a teacher and work at this school! Before I came here, I never thought I could do so many things…"

India: Using Knowledge Learned to Save Others—Bharati's story

Bharati is a 13-year old girl who lives in Rudrapur village in Bihar, India. She enrolled in the Girls Access To Education (GATE) class in 2008, run by World Education partner, SAKHI, and completed the nine-month course in January 2009…

Laos: Expanding Agricultural Options in Laos
"Being a woman in the Agricultural Promotion Division means that we rarely do field work. The women in our Division usually stay at the office and take care of paper work…"

Laos: Improving Health Care Management in Laos
I became head of the Medical Training team after learning to be a trainer with the War Victims Assistance Project," says Dr. Lounethong. "When the project transferred responsibilities to the province in 2002, I was very pleased because improving medical skills depends on learning new skills…"

Laos: Improving Services that Help Those Affected by UXO in Laos
March 21, 2003 was an exceptionally cold day in Na Vit, Houaphan Province and even schools were closed because of the cold…

Laos: Learning to Avoid Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in Laos
Like many children in Xam Neua village, Bounelop loves spending his weekends hunting small animals in the rice fields…

Laos: Reaching UXO Survivors in their Communities in Laos
"Treating people in hospitals is important—but it only deals with only one aspect of people's lives," says Soutchay, a 35-year old nurse in Vientiane, Laos…

Laos: Trip to the Field with Grapes for Humanity U.S.
Under a hot November sun at the Saravane Provincial Hospital in southern Laos, not far from the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Arlene Willis tells the story of how her 19-year-old brother was killed in a landmine accident in Vietnam in 1968…

Liberia: Meeting Girls' Educational Needs
Deborah Bondo is an 11-year-old student living in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. Just as she was about to start primary school, Deborah's father died…

Mali: Adventure Travelers Are Compelled to Support Girls' Education
Bill Connor could not forget what he witnessed in Mali, one of many destinations he visited during his travel to more than 22 countries with Starquest Expeditions…

Mali: Girls' Secondary Scholarship Program
Sara Walet Mohamed has plans for her future, a future that would not be possible without the support of the Northern Mali Girls' Secondary Scholarship Program. Sara's illiterate parents never went to school and she is the fifth child in a family of eight children, only two of whom have attended school.

Mali: Helping Girls Stay in School
Before the Ambassadors' Girls' Scholarship Program (AGSP), 11-year-old Badji Traoré was following in the footsteps of her older sister…

Nepal: Laxmi—A Dream Fulfilled
Born in a family with four other siblings, Laxmi never had the opportunity to go to school. Her parents, who were poor, chose to send their only son to school in the Udayapur District in Eastern Terai of Nepal, and deprived the four daughters, including Laxmi, of even a basic education…

Nepal: A New Life for Street Children
Ram Adhikari was only eight years old when he was left to fend for himself. "Street life was hard. We couldn't get food or sleep well, and lived in dirty clothes," he says.

Nepal: Building a Better Life through Education and Agriculture
Born to a family of poor farmers in a rural district of Nepal, Bhagawati was not able to attend formal school. At the age of 12, she left her home to become a shepherd and help support her family.

Nepal: From Servant to My Small Shop
"I never imagined I'd have a shop of my own,"confides Momina Khatun, elated. Until 2 years ago, Momina was a domestic child laborer, working long hours for nominal pay. "Now I'm confident I can stand on my own feet,"she adds.

Nepal: How Mina Escaped from Being Sold
Mina was only 14 years old when her aunt visited one day. The aunt spoke with Mina's mother and talked about opportunities for Mina to join the circus in India. Both of Mina's parents were illiterate…

Nepal: Providing opportunities and hope for massage workers in Nepal
Almost all of them had cell phones—many given by their clients so the girls could be reached—but we found that a full 90% of the girls could not dial out because they could not read the numbers…

Nepal and United States: Preventing Trafficking and Violence through Education
As more girls and women worldwide seek opportunities outside the home, the incidence of sex trafficking and gender-based violence has been increasing, too. It is estimated that between 700,000 and 2 million women and children are trafficked each year…

Pakistan: Literacy Liberates! World Education's Family Reading Program for Women in Rural Pakistan
"I feel like a blind person who has finally been gifted with eyes! Before I came to this class, I could not sign my name. I was a dependent person. Now I can read medicine labels. I am not cheated at the market. I can read my children's homework and I can help them."

Pakistan: The Power of Family Literacy in Rural Pakistan
Meena Yunus' father died when she was young and her family survived by picking cotton for the local land lord in rural Pakistan. Meena wanted to go to school but her family could not afford it…

Senegal: Building Community Resources in the Casamance Region
In Senegal, World Education is leading a partnership with local nongovernmental organizations to achieve peace and promote community problem solving and action to improve economic opportunities and social cohesion…

Senegal: Education as an Alternative to Early Marriage
When asked about what challenges she and her classmates face in getting an education, 16-year-old Mansata Balde speaks of poverty and early marriage…

Senegal: Reducing Women's Vulnerability to HIV through Small Loans
"Because of my business, I can pay for school supplies and medicine for my children, and there is always enough food on the table."

Senegal: Saving Women's Lives: Reducing Women's Vulnerability to HIV in Rural Senegal
In Sub-Saharan Africa, rates of HIV infection are increasing at nearly twice the speed for women as for men. A complicated set of cultural norms, social restrictions, lack of education, and abject poverty contribute to this alarming trend…

Senegal: Trip to the Field with the Tresorelle Foundation Trustees
Bob and Biddy Owens would be the first to say that nothing brings home the power of World Education's work better than visiting a field project.

Southern Africa: Raising Children Orphaned by AIDS: Learning from the Frontline Experts
In sub-Saharan Africa, by 2010 it is estimated that 25 million children will be orphaned, or will be considered vulnerable because of HIV…

Thailand: Providing Special Education to Burmese Refugees
Abija is 18 years old and very proud to be in grade two. Her dream is to become a teacher for children with special needs…

Thailand: Training Refugee Teachers on the Thai-Burma Border
Saw Po Ben left his wife and three sons behind when he came to Mae La camp in 2003, as a teacher. A retired schoolteacher from Burma, he is now the director of the Teacher Preparation Course (TPC) in the camp. His role is to train young refugees in the camp to be teachers…

Uganda: Africans Helping Africans to Live With and Learn About HIV and AIDS
Sharing experiences and lessons between programs and countries can be an effective way to expand social change…

Uganda: Opening Homes and Hearts
Euleria Kamya recalls the day she went to Mityana Kolping House to receive two young children, the five-year old boys who were to be new members of her family…

United States: 'Back to School' When Much More than a Summer Has Passed: Helping Adults Navigate the Complicated World of College
College-bound American high school students usually have some combination of parents, teachers, guidance counselors, or peers to support them in the arduous and nerve-wracking process of applying to and beginning college…

United States: Citizens Bank Supports World Education's College Transition Scholars
Citizens Bank and World Education recently awarded scholarships to six outstanding graduates of the New England Literacy Resource Center's (NELRC) Adult Basic Education (ABE)-to-College Transition Project…

United States: Dropping Back In with Help from Citizens Bank and World Education
Adam Sennot is a bright, curious, and open-minded 21-year-old college student with two jobs and a growing stack of sports-related articles bearing his byline…

United States: Finding Her Own Voice
"I'm the first one in my family to go to college. My mother never went to school. Many Somalis feel that educating girls is not necessary…"

United States: Learning Lessons Later in Life
Edell Howard is not a typical college student. Aged 38 and a father of five, Edell has had a lifetime of experience that traditional college kids would hardly be able to fathom…

United States: National Adult Education Conference Inspires Educators
In November, the National College Transition Network (NCTN) hosted the first national Conference on Effective Transitions in Adult Education in Providence, Rhode Island.

United States: Nuns, Keys, and Writing Themes: Improving Critical Writing Skills in Adults and Teachers across New England
A long wooden table sits in the small conference room of a converted Catholic girls' school where a group of adults is writing intently in spiral bound notebooks…

United States: Powerful Partnership—World Education, Nellie Mae Education Foundation and Citizens Bank Help Adults Go to College
When Daniel Emery was in high school, he struggled with learning disabilities and had little support from friends and family…

United States: Transition-to-College Program Transforms Lives
The Sumner Adult Education Transition-to-College program in University Center, a University of Maine satellite site, has evolved from a successful collaboration between the university's experiment with distance education and an adult basic education program into an exemplary transition program model…

United States: World Ed and MetLife Link Plain Language to Healthier People
Since 1999, World Education and the Metropolitan Life Foundation of New York have worked together to develop plain language, simple-to-understand information on important issues of individual and family health…

United States: World Education's College Transition Program and Citizens Bank—Helping Sonjii Kinch Pursue Her Dreams
"I enjoy my work, but I want to get a degree. I want to finish college and become a nurse. Most importantly, I want to set a good example for my son…"