The headmaster of this young student's school is an incredible man, one who has given his life to the children of his region. He and his son, as well as a dedicated group of teachers, show up day after day to provide an education otherwise unavailable.
The school building is very basic, yet large enough to hold classes for almost 100 children. She and her friends arrive early in the morning for Koranic lessons, then go home for lunch and return in the afternoon for additional lessons. The respect they show their teachers, as well as the visitors, has impressed me since my first visit.
For this portrait we arrived early in the morning, well before sunset. The students were just arriving and noticed us setting up the camera. Each smiled and walked over to their usual spots to wait for their turn. She and her friends love to be photographed, and walked quietly over to the camera when we asked for their permission. The backdrop was the wall of their classroom, at the time of the session consisting of bare bricks.
We visited their school at least 6 times and had constructive conversations with the headmaster. We wished to begin a formal relationship and were welcomed to do so. Our first endeavor was to provide an inverter for electricity, followed by the finishing of the large hall used for classes. Our headmaster accepted with humility and was so happy to see a team of six men beautifully finishing the room with cement. It just looked wonderful.
We hope to do more this year, perhaps finishing the other rooms in the school... and helping provide support for the salaries of the teachers. For those of us interested in doing so, a campaign has been started and will be shared on my social media.
On her behalf we are doing this, and hope for the best!
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