Monthly Archives: September 2026

Thank you East Bay!

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Thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit the Build a School in Africa booth at the Solano Stroll in Albany and Berkeley, California on Sunday. We were happy to share our story, and made a lot of new friends and supporters. Welcome to the Build a School family! If you haven’t already, consider subscribing to our about-quarterly newsletter.

Our Africa trivia game was a big draw. Stroll participants tested their knowledge, maybe learned a little, and everyone got a lollipop!

And, you were generous with your cash and credit cards! We raised over $700, with donations ranging in size from 50¢ to $75. Many people donated $1 or $2 to get one of our exclusive bookmarks, made by our volunteers from authentic African fabric. We’ve got a few left, so if you’d like one, get in touch.

We also have two Build a School in Africa t-shirts left from the event, both in size small. One of them can be yours for a donation of $50 or more. Drop us a line if this tempts you. A huge thanks to our friend Brooke for spending her whole Saturday making these and for the cool design.

Grab a t-shirt now while they last!

We especially want to thank our incredible volunteers who helped staff the booth, make t-shirts and slideshows, and helped to spread the word. Special thanks to Jen for the awesome slideshow, to Christiaan for asking and answering trivia questions for seven hours straight), to Gabriel and Sebastiaan for the fun Lego activity that brought in lots of kids, and to Michelle for keeping everyone’s spirits high.

Updates on School Construction

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So far, 2026 is turning out to be quite the year for Build a School in Africa. Thanks to generous donations, we have two new schools currently under construction.

Deguena’s new school was started in July and is almost done.
This project consists of three classrooms, one office, and a block of two latrines for the primary school of Deguena. Currently, students are sharing 3 classrooms that were built to government standards, but Deguena needed 3 more rooms to properly contain the full six grades and be able to recruit new cohorts of children coming into grade 1. With 512 school age students counted in Deguena in 2024, the existing classrooms are overcrowded for teachers and students. The three new classrooms will allow students and teachers much better conditions in which to learn, and to welcome new students.

Deguena School Construction – spreading concrete over the bricks for durability
The school buildings are taking shape!
Corrugated metal roofs are a real benefit in the rainy season.


The second school project, just underway in the last couple of weeks, is in Koutienebougou. Our Malian volunteer Aboubacar Coulibaly (or Abou, as we know him) visited in August to meet with the local village leadership and community members. As usual, will fully fund the construction materials and skilled labor, while the community’s role is to provide sand, gravel, water and unskilled labor.

The new classrooms will make life easier for the students and their families. Currently, middle school have to commute to Kabarasso, which is several kilometers away. So the students will not have a lengthy commute. It also eases the burden on parents who, in addition to school fees, are forced to find transportation for their children. Having a local secondary school will ensure more students can extend their education.