About HtW
Mission Statement
Heal the World, Inc. (HtW) is a non-denominational Christian humanitarian
organization committed globally to helping those in disadvantaged situations
by providing the necessary tools to further their own development.
Beginnings: It all started one day in Mali . . .
Several years ago a few university students visiting a dusty, remote
town in the African nation of Mali came across some children who seemed
like the kind of nice kids you might meet anywhere. They were bright,
intelligent and decent kids. But they were either not in school or about
to drop out because their families could not afford the school fees. It
was a sad situation that is not unusual in many countries. Denied education,
such children feed into a cycle of few skills, few jobs and pervasive
health issues that are chronic barriers to development. It's the kind
of overwhelming problem that leaves most of us thinking, "That's
just the way it is," and walking on.
Those visiting students decided they could at least try to do one very
small thing about Africa's poverty cycle. They decided to help that group
of children go to school.
That was the start of Heal the World. We are a small organization that
strives for a big impact by looking for simple, workable ways to improve
the lives of the children we believe are the key to fueling development
in the world's poorest nations. Our approach is simple: Find young people
who are being left behind and get them through school by providing education
or improving their educational environment. We do this in Mali and Burkina
Faso, two countries that seldom make the news, do not host glamorous wildlife
safaris, and do not draw many visits from foreign businessmen. But their
people are worth knowing, worth helping.
In 2004 we raised enough money to get that original group of 20 disadvantaged
young people into primary or secondary schools in Koutiala, Mali, creating
the Koutiala Student Support Initiative. A teacher was hired part-time
to periodically check on the students and provide tutoring when necessary.
A lunch program was later added to the project, which continues to this
day.
Heal the World - A timeline of major projects and events
2004 Koutiala Student Support Initiative (Koutiala, Mali)
2004 Widows and Orphans Association Kindergarten Initiative (Bamako, Mali)
2006 Land acquired, Widows and Orphans kindergarten playground (Bamako,
Mali)
2007 Heal the World becomes 501c3 non-profit in California
2008 Shalom School project, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
2009 English Language Institute opens in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Today we are reaching more than 400 pre-school to secondary school students
by providing classroom facilities, education materials, tuition, and healthy
daily lunches. In 2008 we partnered with a German NGO, "Whatever
It Takes", to begin building a new primary school in Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso. Last year we opened an English Language Institute, also
in Ouagadougou, to give secondary school-age students proficiency to qualify
for English language jobs and to be able to learn from English language
university materials. In the future we hope to bring English language
university level instruction to Burkina Faso to complement that nation's
existing French language university.
Individually we can do little. Together we can heal the world.
|
