Guinnovation founder, Oury Diallo, visited his native village, Bansouma, Guinea, in July 2016. Returning to the school of his childhood, he was shocked to find one of the three classrooms was used to store firewood. Oury learned that over 100 children were not able to attend first grade because their parents could not afford to hire a teacher. Of course, in Guinea as elsewhere, teacher salaries would normally be financed publicly, but fiscal conditions had deteriorated, and Guinea’s government had not yet provided the necessary funding. While one might debate the question of blame, the identity of the victims of this unfortunate situation is clear: the unserved children.

Putting the “need” and the “supply” together, Oury made a personal donation and employed a teacher. With help from parents, 100 young children were recruited quickly but only 90 children had the opportunity to attend because of the classroom size. Parents contributed to the extent they could donating 25% of the cost to buy tables, benches, and books. Oury sponsored the remaining 75%.

The good news: All 90 (100%) of the children graduated from first grade and progressed to second grade in 2017. Finally, the Guinean government started financing the formal education of the cohort in 2017 (second grade) and 2018 (third grade). The fact that all the students did not drop out during the first two years provides convincing evidence that both parents and students are committed to formal education in rural Guinea. Sometimes, all it takes is a little boost to make the leap onto the bottom rung of the ladder.

REPLICATION: 

From the model that Oury pioneered in 2016, Guinnovation launched our FUND A TEACHER program. Through local community networking, Guinnovation solicited applications from villages with children (ages 6-9) who were not attending school because they lacked teachers. In all, 107 schools submitted 107 applications hoping to add to their teaching staff. Guinnovation enlisted the help of education specialists in Guinea to evaluate the submissions. This led to the final selection of four schools, and the start-up process proved to be a rich and fruitful experience. For example, among other discoveries during the process, Oury met Mr. Amadou Dian Sidibe, a local public-school administrator who eventually volunteered to help us on the ground. He played a critical supporting role in the Guinnovation FUND A TEACHER program.