From rural areas that have never had a school to classrooms that have been destroyed because of disaster or conflict, millions of children are unable to go to school across the world today simply because there are no schools for them to go to.

We work with communities to build schools in rural areas and this sits at at the heart of our education work. We began building 'first-ever schools' in 2010 for some of the most remote communities in the highly rural Tambakha Chiefdom in northern Sierra Leone.

For so many of the families we work with, the cost of education is a huge barrier. Simple household poverty keeps millions of children out of school, yet education has the power to transform lives and reduce poverty. In fact, if all children left school with basic reading skills, 171 million people could move out of extreme poverty. 

To create a long-term investment in education, Street Child offers support to families through our Family Business for Education program. This approach supports families through a combination of business ands financial literacy training, cash grants and mentoring, accompanied by incentivized savings opportunities. Helping families establish a steady income encourages children to attend school rather than working to support the family. Additionally, many children feel more comfortable attending classes if they are equipped with the correct supplies and uniform.