The red dust road to Afransu Dedewa M/A doesn’t appear on most maps. But for the students who walk it every day, it’s the path to their future.
In 2021, we followed that road with a mission four times larger than anything we’d attempted before. Armed with community donations and unwavering determination, we arrived at the school to execute the Beatus Animarum project. Latin for “blessed souls.” The name was no accident.
Picture this: classrooms where students shared textbooks in groups of five or six, where cracked chalkboards made lessons difficult to read, and where the afternoon sun turned poorly ventilated rooms into ovens, making concentration nearly impossible. This was the reality for hundreds of children whose hunger for education far exceeded the resources available to satisfy it.
The teachers welcomed us with a mixture of gratitude and cautious optimism. They’d seen promises before. But as we began unloading supplies and materials, as the scope of the transformation became clear, you could feel the energy shift. This wasn’t just another donation. This was an investment. This was belief made tangible.
We didn’t just drop off boxes and leave. Our volunteers worked alongside teachers and community members, transforming learning spaces. New textbooks filled shelves. Educational materials that once seemed like luxuries became everyday tools. Infrastructure improvements addressed the immediate physical challenges that had long hindered learning.
But the moment that captures everything? It happened on the second day. A young student, maybe in Class 4, ran his hand along a newly installed desk. He looked up at his teacher and said, “Madam, does this mean they think we can make it?”
Yes, child. That’s exactly what it means.
The name “Beatus Animarum” carries profound meaning. Every student deserves to feel blessed, to feel seen, and to feel worthy of investment. Education isn’t charity. It’s a fundamental right. And when a community comes together to ensure that right is protected, something beautiful happens.
To our donors who made this possible: you quadrupled down on hope. You looked at our first-year efforts and said, “Let’s go bigger.” You understood that transformation requires commitment, that real change needs resources, and that blessing these souls meant showing up in a significant way.
The ripples from Afransu Dedewa continue to spread. Those students are still using those textbooks. They’re still sitting at those desks. They’re still learning in those improved spaces. And they’re still believing that someone, somewhere, thinks they can make it.
Because they can. Because you believed first.
Beatus Animarum taught us that when a community decides to go bigger, miracles happen in classrooms.
