Education
Education Frequently Asked Questions
» Why is Free The Children
building schools?
» What are the goals of Free The Children’s Schoolbuilding campaign?
» What are the Schoolbuilding
results so far?
» Is the education provided
by Free The Children making a real difference
in the lives of children in developing countries?
» Who are the main supporters
of Free The Children’s Education Projects?
» How can I, my school, or
my community group, participate?
» Where can I build a school or donate to Free The Children's Education Projects?
» Can I choose the Adopt a Village component and country I am interested in supporting?
» Am I allowed to fundraise
to build a school in a community outside of the
Free The Children project areas?
» How do you communicate
with Free The Children local partners in the developing
countries?
» How much money does it
cost to build a school?
» What percentage of my fundraised/donation
money will go directly towards the cost of the
school?
» What if I don’t raise
enough money to build a school and/or classroom?
What will my money be used for?
» Is Free The Children a
registered charity?
» Why does Free The Children
have charitable status?
» Where should I send donations
from my fundraising efforts? How do I proceed?
Why is Free The Children building schools? Free The Children believes that education
is the best way to break the cycle of poverty
and end the exploitation of children. By
providing primary education to underprivileged
girls and boys, Free The Children’s
Free The Children's Education Projects are contributing
to meeting the goals of the “Education
for All” initiative agreed upon at
the World Forum for Education in April 2000
in Dakar, Senegal. At this forum, the international
community committed itself to providing,
by 2015, free primary education to the 130
million of the world’s children who
cannot go to school because of the circumstances
of their birth. Nearly 60% of these children
are girls. |
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What are the goals of Free The Children’s Schoolbuilding campaign?
Our goals are: to empower young people to become
members of an aware and compassionate global community
as they make a direct impact on the lives of other
children; to promote education and literacy skills
by helping children attend school; to directly
contribute to reducing poverty and the exploitation
of children, while giving them the opportunity
to realize their full potential; to foster cultural
understanding and create links between youth all
over the world; to give the world's youth an opportunity
to participate in finding solutions to problems
which affect them and their peers.
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What are the Schoolbuilding results so far?To date, our organization, in partnership
with local communities and through the hard
work of hundreds of thousands of young people,
has built more than 500 primary schools
in 16 developing countries, providing education
to over 50,000 girls and boys every day.
Free The Children schools are constructed
in remote rural villages where little or
no education system exists. |
Is the education provided by Free The Children making a real difference in the lives of children in developing countries?
Your support goes a long way in providing much
needed education opportunities to marginalised
children in developing countries. Justo’s
story is one such example:
| Justo
Pacheco was just 6 years old when his father
passed away. Soon after, his mother fell ill,
and the responsibility of taking care of his
2 younger sisters fell onto his shoulders.
School for him was a far off dream. A poor,
indigenous child, there was little hope for
him to receive an education and break free
from the cycle of poverty. Today, Justo is a lively 14-year-old boy with a bright future. With the support of Free The Children, a school was constructed in Pulingui San Pablo, Ecuador and Justo was one of the first school’s first graduates. Now in his second year of high school, he is often spotted doing his homework under a tree while tending his sheep. He now dreams of becoming a lawyer and fighting to bring free education to all children. [top] |
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Who are the main supporters of Free The Children’s Education Projects?
Free The Children’s significant social impact would not be possible without the assistance of many remarkable youth and adult supporters, as well as a number of notable partners. Youth are the main supporters of our Education Projects.
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How can I, my school, or my community group, participate?It’s easy to get involved and take
action! First, figure out what you want
to accomplish – do you want to send
help in little ways with school kits and
donations, or get a group together to fundraise
and build a school room or even a whole
school? Check out our online donation page
if you want to make a donation, email our international projects coordinator
right now at projects@freethechildren.com to get started! |
Where can I build a school or donate to Free The Children's Education Projects??
Free The Children is committed to providing education
for disadvantaged children in the following countries:
» Kenya: Maasai Mara
» Sierra Leone: Kono District
» Rural China: Gansu Province
» Sri Lanka: Ampara District (tsunami-affected
region)
Learn more about these areas, see maps of where
they are, and hear from students already attending
Free The Children schools in this area.
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Can I choose the Adopt a Village component and country I am interested in supporting?Yes you can choose to fundraise for our projects in one of the following areas: Education, Alternative Income, Water and Sanitation, or Health, and can choose which country you wish to support. Our FTC team will respect your request, and they will do their best to accommodate it. If they are unable to meet your request, you will be contacted and provided with other options and possibilities. |
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Am I allowed to fundraise to build a school in a community outside of the Free The Children project areas? (i.e., in a community that is not listed or a community that I have a personal connection to?)
In such cases, you would need to contact the
schoolbuilding team first and explain your request
and/or proposal. The team will carefully examine
the proposal and present it to Free The Children’s
board of directors. According to the board’s
recommendations, the schoolbuilding team will
make the decision in regards to Free The Children’s
level of involvement in your proposed project.
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How do you communicate with Free The Children local partners in the developing countries?
All of our current partners overseas have access
to the internet and to telephones, but communication
with them can often be slow by North American
standards. This is because, in many cases, there
is only one phone line into the area, and our
partners must often travel hours to gain access
to the internet in the cities. So we appreciate
your patience when requiring information about
the project you helped to support.
You might also like to know that our staff members
will travel to Free The Children projects in order
to evaluate them and to ensure that children are
attending the schools and receiving quality basic
education.
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How much money does it cost to build a school?
Each school is unique and specifically designed to meet the needs of the community, the average cost to build one classroom is $8, 500 US.
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What percentage of my fundraised/donation money will go directly towards the cost of the school?
You can make a real and lasting difference in
the lives of disadvantaged children and their
families. Every contribution matters and every
penny is cherished. On average, 91 cents of each dollar donated goes to support projects which directly help children. Only approximately 9 cents is used for administrative costs.
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What if I don’t raise enough money to build a school and/or classroom? What will my money be used for?
When you choose to donate to the school building component of our Education projects, every dollar you raise will go towards building a school, no matter what the amount. [top]
=Is Free The Children a registered charity?
Yes! Free The Children is a registered charity in Canada, the United States, Japan, China, Mexico, Kenya, Sri Lanka and other countries around the world. In Canada, Free The Children’s charitable tax ID number is 88657 8095 RR0001 and in the United States is 501(c)(3) Employer Number 16-1533544.
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Why does Free The Children have charitable status?
Charitable status allows Free The Children to
issue income tax receipts to all people who have
donated $10 and above. It also gives the organization
a certain status and credibility. It is extremely
important to many donors that they can be issued
a tax receipt for their donation.
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Where should I send donations from my fundraising efforts? How do I proceed?
Thank you for making a lasting difference in
the lives of children! Visit our our Education page page for all the details on how to send in the
money from your fundraising programs.
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