Not only the lives of so many children, but also the lives of their families and communities are positively impacted by these schools. I am using my reach to raise money for this school. If it can become your school too and you want to be part of a great story, that would be wonderful!
We have already donated the money for one school – this school is now under construction. I am delighted about it and am so deeply grateful to every donor.
ONE SCHOOL = €50,000
Every euro counts – no matter what your heart tells you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
now we continue with the second school – Halleluja!
It was overwhelming and deeply moving to be present at the opening of the school that Pencils of Promise, the local community, and I made possible together.
The speeches by the students, the remarks from representatives of The Ministry, local leaders, community organizations, and village elders, along with the music and dancing, turned the day into a vibrant celebration filled with joy and gratitude.
One moment touched me especially deeply. A girl, perhaps thirteen years old, spoke about her thoughts before the school was built. She asked, “Who are we important to? Will anyone ever notice us? Where is our place in this world?” Then she said, “And then Pencils of Promise came. Now we have trust and hope.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience.
Yet something else surprised me even more during the next days.
I expected to see beautiful new schools. What I did not expect was the extraordinary atmosphere I experienced in the days that followed while visiting schools that had been growing with Pencils of Promise for years.
PoP does not simply build schools. The organization continues to support and guide teachers for many years, shaping not only education, but the very spirit of a school.
I saw children who were not afraid of making mistakes. Children without aggression, full of curiosity, confidence, and joy in learning.
Here is just one of many examples that stayed with me:
During an English lesson, students were asked to read aloud. Children raised their hands, and only those who volunteered were called upon. The teacher gently helped with difficult words, and sometimes the entire class repeated a sentence together. Everything happened in a relaxed and encouraging atmosphere.
The children were not yet fluent readers — just as I wasn’t at their age.
After the lesson, I told the headmaster how astonished I was. At that age, I would never have volunteered to read aloud. I would have been far too afraid of embarrassing myself, especially with unfamiliar visitors sitting in the back of the classroom.
He looked at me with genuine surprise and said:
“But they are here because they cannot do it yet. We have no interest in testing what they already know.”
That sentence touched me deeply.
Perhaps that is the secret of great education: meeting people where they are, taking away their fear of making mistakes, and giving them the confidence that they are allowed to grow.
That spirit of trust was everywhere I went. It lives in the walls of these schools, in the teachers, in the children, and in the hope that grows a little stronger every single day.
This is exactly why PoP developed the SEED Program. To me, it is a gift to the world, because it brings peace to each individual child and, through them, to the future.
I knew that Pencils of Promise supported teachers. What I did not know was how deeply this philosophy would resonate with my own values.
Experiencing it firsthand was a gift that enriched me far beyond anything I expected.
Together with you and many others from my wonderful community, we are making the world a better place. It enriches our own lives when we give children the chance to lead a better life through education. Are you part of it?
Greta Silver
PoP has many years of experience in building schools. The results of the core and pilot programs are reviewed twice a month:
Pencils of Promise (PoP) was founded in 2008 and has since built more than 600 schools, with 252,000 pupils currently enrolled. PoP is active in Ghana, Guatemala and Laos.
Nono Konopka invited me to his podcast in 2020 and his own story inspired me to build a school in Africa!
Nono had collected money for his first two schools in Guatemala via social media on his bike tour from Berlin to Beijing (China). The journey with his friend Max was filmed: Biking Borders (on Netflix and Amazon). 9 schools have already been built by Nono in this way.
Of course you can deduct your donation from your taxes! For donations up to EUR 300, the tax office no longer requires a certificate of receipt. A copy of the bank transfer is sufficient to deduct your donation from tax.
From a transfer of EUR 300, you will automatically receive a tax-deductible donation receipt. As the donation is processed via a partner foundation, the Hoffnungsträger Stiftung will appear as the sender.
Thank you very much for your interest.
I look forward to hearing from you!
