Pencils of Promise
| Founded | October 2008 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Adam Braun |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Focus | Education |
| Location | |
|
Area served
|
Ghana, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Laos |
| Method | Providing quality education to underserved communities around the world |
|
Key people
|
Adam Braun, Michel Doughtery |
| Slogan | Everyone Has Promise |
| Website | pencilsofpromise.org |
Pencils of Promise, also known as PoP for short, is a non-profit organization that builds schools and increases educational opportunities in the developing world. Pencils of Promise was founded by Adam Braun in October 2008. It is a 501(c)(3) organization with education programs in Laos, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Ghana. As of January 2015, the charity has provided 24.3 million education hours. As of December 2016, the charity has served over 35,000 students and built 380 schools.
The name comes from an incident in India when Braun was visiting the country. He asked a poor street child what he wished to have most of all. The boy answered: "a pencil", so Braun gave him his pen, hence the name of the charity. Realizing how important education was in many developing countries, Braun visited more than 50 countries distributing pencils to children wherever he went. In October 2008, he established the charity with the aim of providing quality education to children in some of the most underserved countries around the world.
Pencils of Promise believes every child should have access to quality education. They create schools, programs, and global communities around the common goal of education for all. Pencils of Promise focuses on building strong structures and sustainable education programs by forming long-lasting, collaborative relationships with communities. Sites are picked taking into account need, sustainability, cost efficiency, impact and commitment. The facilities are built with local labor and material. The charity also supports projects through ongoing teacher training, progression scholarships and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) programming.
The charity is supported by a number of celebrities and most prominently by Scooter Braun, a well-known entertainment manager, and elder brother of the founder. Also involved from the first days of the organization is one of Scooter Braun's biggest acts, Justin Bieber who has lent his voice as an international celebrity spokesman for the organization by running ads for the charity and its campaign Schools4All and promising to visit schools that donate the most funds to the organization. Bieber takes part in the charity's fund-raising galas and donates parts of proceeds of his concerts and line of fragrances "Someday" and various merchandising to the charity.
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