Support La Grace School's Bright Future in Benin.

Update: I've added recent photos of most of the students. See below.

The last large donation was earmarked for purchasing equipment for the school so we still need donations for three more students. We're almost there!

Also-Nestor informed me that he needs lighing for three classrooms. They hold evening classes and light is necessary in the classrooms. He's budgeted $650 for solar panels, batteries, lights, switches and installation so I've updated the goal to $4,405.

Please consider sponsoring a student at my friend Nestor's school in Benin, West Africa who I met when he was only 12 in 1995 when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. $105 is all that's needed to cover one student's costs for the year! Last year many people sponsored students. If you sponsored last year it would be wonderful if you could sponsor the same student again this year. If you forgot the name of the student that you sponsored, you can see it here from last year's GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sponsor-students-at-nestors-school-in-benin . After you make a donation, please tell me who you would like to sponsor when you make your donation by leaving a comment on the donation page.

About Nestor: Nestor received his bachelor's degree and later tried to find a permanent job as a teacher. No permanent jobs were available so he took it upon himself to create his own school in a small village called Ayou near Allada. He opened it 6 years ago (in 2018) and every year it has grown and has been very successful. In September he will have 297 students. He reported that 100% of his students passed the national tests from last month. He has also increased enrollment each year proving that students are learning and the school is well managed. Nestor's school is private and secular. It's important to the village of Ayou because the public schools are far away, have very large class sizes, are underfunded and mismanaged.

Nestor has many students in need. Your donation will allow students who have attended his school in the past but have not been able to pay and may not be allowed to continue to attend since the school's resources are very limited. Please consider sponsoring a student in any amount or choose to sponsor a student for the year for any of the below expense categories. See the very bottom for comments to see who has already been sponsored. Please put in the comments section which student you are sponsoring and which expense categories you would like to fund. My goal of $3,000, if met, will sponsor 27 students for the upcoming school year including exchange and transaction fees.

Merci!

Expenses for each student who cannot afford to pay:

Realize that the average salary is $2 a day or about $42 a month so tuition alone is more than one month's pay! A lot of men are subsistence farmers and their income is dependent on access to land and weather conditions. Many of the mothers resell items in the markets and make very slim profit margins.

Yearly tuition - $45

School supplies - $10

Uniform $8

School field trip- $9

Breakfast and lunch: 20 cents a day or $33 for the entire school year.

Total school fees for one student for the whole year- $105

See the below bios and photos for students in need.

From Nestor DJOSSOU: I am the founder of the La Grace school, a school which has been established in Allada Ayou since 2018. We started with primary education and today we also have secondary education. We have the majority of students whose financial situation does not allow them to attend a private school but thanks to your sponsorship we are able to support their school costs. We will have 297 students next school year. We had good results in this year's CEP exams with a 100% success rate.

Here are the students and a quick bio of each:

1-Sponsored in full by Olena Czebiniak-Ulrich YENASEA is doing well and his performance in class is good this year. He is more alert this year. It is a great joy for his family and he also thinks about the education of his brothers as well. He moves to CE2 primary class with an average of 6.78.

2-Sponsored in full by Alice Starace Éloïse WANGNANNON (the girl in the red shirt) is doing well, she is regular at school, her work is better. She thanks her donors very much. H moves to CM1 primary class with an average of 7.68.

3- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Epainette WANGNANNON (in the black shirt) it is a great joy for the child to start school again this year. He has more performance this year than other years. He moves to CM2 primary class with an average of 5,97. He has the CEP exams next year, so he has a lot of things next year to study.

4-Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Thabou ADJAHO (in the yellow outfit), his mother just died a month ago in childbirth, it's a bad one. Thanks to your donation he continues to attend school well, his work is acceptable. He moves to CM1 primary class with an average of 6.54.

5-Comariath ADJAHO (no photo) Her mother just died last month in childbirth. Her work is going well, she moves to CM2 primary class with an average of 7,78. She thanks all the Doors. She has the CEP exams next year, so she has a lot of things next year to study.

6-Nadjath ADJAHO. (the girl on the far left) She is motherless since a month ago when her mother died in childbirth. She finds it easier to quickly return to school. She is first in the 6th grade class with an average of 15.43 out of 20. So she will start 5th grade next school year.

7- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Carlos GOUADRE his work is improving, he reads well now, He moves to CE2 primary class with an average of 6.78.

8-Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Belvida HOUBO she understands well in class now, her performance is good, she moves to CM2 primary class with an average of 7.74.She has the CEP exams next year, so she has a lot of things next year to study.

9-Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Anathanie Bignon HOUBO - She is 5 years old and is Belvida's sister. Is in her first year at school, she likes school. She moves to CP primary class with an average of 5.77.

10- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Chancelle HOUNNOU her work is going well, she moves to CE1 primary class with an average of 6.58.

11- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Agnès SAGBO (the tall girl on the left in the back) She is doing well, she likes school now. She moves to CE2 class with an average of 5.95.

12- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Plucilia HOUNOU (drinking from the brown bowl) she is doing well, her level of study has changed a lot she loves work she moves to CE2 primary class with an average of 7.88.

13-Sponsored in full by Alice Starace - Irène NONMAN (te girl next to the teacher on the right) is doing well, her work is better, she is finding herself a little in studies, she moves to CE2 primary class with an average of 5.78.

14- Sponsored in part by Alice Starace ($24) Miracle FOLLY he is doing well, he likes studies, sometimes he has health problems, his level of studies is fine, he moves to CP primary class with an average of 6.72

15- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace - Exaucé TOBONON he is doing well and his work at school is progressing well he moves to CP primary class with an average of 6.41.

16- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Prince Pedro BOCO This year his work at school is improving and he is enjoying his studies. He moves to CE1 primary class with an average of 7.28.

17- Morel Kpongue, (applauding on the right) he is doing well and his work is very satisfactory, he moves to CE1 primary class with an average of 5.7.

18- Urielle AGBENON She is doing very well, her work is going well and she is enjoying her studies. She moves to CP primary class with an average of 5.79.

19-Urielle ADJOVI (back center on the right) This year, she enjoyed her studies and was punctual, she moves to CM2 primary class with an average of 7.78.

20- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Exaucer ATCHECHEOU (in red). She enjoys studying and works better this year than in other years. She moves to CE2 primary class with an average of 7.43.

21-Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Isaïe SAVI Isaïe thanks all his donors and promises to work well at school. His work is progressing well. He moves to CE1 primary class with an average of 7.47.

22 Eunice BOSSOU she has an exam this year, she studies very hard,she passed her CEP 2024 exam, next year she starts middle school in our school. These parents are very happy and thank the donors.

23- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Belvina HOUBO her level of work has changed for the better. His parents are grateful to you. She moves to CM2 primary class with an average of 8.78. She has the CEP exams next year, so she has a lot of things next year to study.

24- Azizath ADJAHO (red shirt in the back) Azizath is more regular at school, and her work is better compared to last year. She moves to CE1 primary class with an average of 7.45.

25 -Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Romeo Dohouin (on the right) He is more diligent in school, He is very successful in his. He moves to CM1 primary class with an average of 7.98.

26- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Rebecca GBOHOUME Rebecca GBOHOUME She has an exam this year, she is working hard this year. She passed her CEP 2024 exam, next year she starts middle school in our school. These parents are very happy and thank the donors.

27- Sponsored in full by Alice Starace -Olive AIVI She thanks all the donors and I promise to work well. She moves to CE2 primary class with an average of 8.78.