A new campaign has launched to give a global voice to parents, teachers and pupils in Africa and India who live in some of the poorest communities in the world. Kristen, Samuel and Rose are among those who talk about how the education provided by Bridge International Academies has changed their lives, asking people across the world to share their story. Bridge International Academies has launched the public awareness initiative to draw attention to the need for high-quality affordable education options worldwide.

The short videos showcase pupils and families from communities often living in extreme poverty, many earning less than $1.90 a day. The mothers, fathers, children and their teachers make clear that they are determined to craft a better life for their children, their pupils and themselves by pursuing education to escape poverty and find a better future.

Bridge runs schools in struggling communities including: the notorious Nairobi Matabre slum, the Al-Shabaab region of northeast Kenya, the poorest parts of Nigeria’s Alimosho area, the impoverished towns of eastern India, and across places once torn apart by Ebola and civil war in Liberia.

Creative agency GMMB produced the films, which enable parents, teachers and pupils to be heard across the world – far beyond the underserved and often remote communities in which they live. These families and communities should be the most important voices in conversations about the urgent need for global education reform. However, it’s their voices that are most often lost in the combative debate around new models to deliver better education options to pupils in low and middle-income countries.

Worldwide, there are 263 million children and young people out of school, of which 61 million are primary school aged children. In addition, there are an estimated 330 million children who are in school, but not learning. The most recent official estimate puts the global shortage of teachers at 69 million.

Listen to those featured in the films who understand what’s at stake for their lives, their children’s lives and the future of their communities. They show how Bridge transforms lives, and their stories will be shared around the world with the hashtag and rallying cry of #myBridge.

Kristen said of her son, who studies at a Bridge primary school, “Since he joined Bridge, he’s doing very well. I didn’t know my son could achieve such amazing, amazing results. But I thank God.”

Samuel Maynde, a Bridge teacher in Uganda, said, “When I see the child is progressing, I feel very happy, because it means that I am doing great work.”

Rose, mother of a pupil at Bridge said, “Because of Bridge, I think my daughter is going to go very far. Since I brought her here, she has really improved. She is among the top. I like the teaching, the teachers, the management. In fact, I want her to go to university, and then to go abroad.”

Bridge co-founder, Dr Shannon May, said, “The voices of those who are directly impacted by poor education, absent teachers and failing schools are rarely heard. These films are designed to empower Bridge parents, teachers and children and make their voices heard.

“Too often, debates about education in Africa or India are dominated by those from the West, with little space for mothers and fathers and teachers on the education front lines. We want to change that.”

Bridge pupils consistently outperform their peers in national exams, win scholarships to prestigious schools in their home countries and the USA. Bridge graduates are following their dreams of becoming doctors, engineers, lawyers and much more.

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Notes to Editors

The new campaign runs under the #MyBridge hashtag. Watch the new flagship video about Bridge here.

Watch the new video about Bridge teachers here. Watch all the new videos about Bridge here.

The World Bank notes that $1.90 a day is the threshold of extreme poverty.

About Bridge

Bridge believes every child has the right to high quality education and works in partnership with governments, communities, parents and teachers to deliver education to over 100,000 children in underserved communities across Africa and Asia.

Bridge leverages in-depth teacher training and support, advanced lesson plans and wireless technology to provide pupils with a meaningful and life-changing education.

Globally, there is an education crisis. Around 263 million children and young people are not in school and the number of primary school aged children not in school is increasing. Bridge is committed to helping tackle this through a data driven, evidence based approach that delivers strong schools and a great education for all.