A school without teachers is really just a building. We partner closely with our teachers to understand their challenges and to help tackle those challenges.

Teachers work on a joint project at our March 2017 teacher training. Thirty-six teachers came together for 5-days of learning how to better help our kids. Local professional teacher trainers lead the sessions.

Our teachers have a lot on their plates. Our teachers live in the remote villages where they teach, often far from family and friends. They face huge classes (as large as 100 students!). They have extremely limited classroom materials -- many schools in Mali don't have any textbooks at all.

To top all that off, Mali's teacher shortage means that many teachers receive little training before the classroom and more often than not they have no chance at continuing education to help polish their skills.

We partner with our teachers to address some of the most crucial issues. Currently, our work focuses on providing professional teacher training and evaluations.

In addition, we support peer groups where small groups of teachers can exchange ideas, challenges, and creative solutions. This year we're also launching a peer-nominated awards process to recognize just a few of our most outstanding teachers.