Picture this: Children learning in classrooms with walls with slits you could see straight through to the room two doors down. Rain poured through gaps in the timber and aluminum, flooding their learning space every wet season. Children deserve so much better. Today, those same children sit in classrooms with solid walls and raised floors. The difference? A group of Montessori educators decided that their lesson plan purchases could build something amazing.
Last December, I asked the Backpack Sciences community to help me try something. What if we dedicated our lesson sales to building a real school in Kenya through Village Impact, a charity building schools in rural Kenya? I honestly didn’t know what to expect. But you know what happened? Teachers and homeschooling parents stepped up big time. Every time someone bought a science lesson, they were literally helping pour concrete, building desks, and purchasing school supplies for kids they’d never meet.
This past July, I got to see our work in person at Amani School – Village Impact’s 16th school built in Kenya. Those children’s faces…I can’t get them out of my head. Their eyes were so bright, so full of possibility. I spent time with their mothers, too, and here’s what hit me hardest: whether you’re a mom in rural Kenya or suburban America, you want the exact same thing for your child.
A chance to learn. A shot at a better future. Hope.
What we did together shows the heart of Montessori education in action. We created a prepared environment for children who needed it most. We built peace through education. We proved that when Montessori folks come together, we can change lives on the other side of the world. Those kids now have a safe, dry place to discover and grow – just like we want for all children.
The beautiful thing is, this story doesn’t end here. Village Impact keeps building schools in Kenya, and we can keep helping. Maybe your next small choice, for example, buying a lesson plan, starting a classroom fundraiser, or just sharing this story, becomes part of the next school. These kids taught me something: Hope spreads faster than we think, and it builds stronger than we imagine.
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