True story

Bell is 9 years old and lives in Thailand, in a refugee camp. She can’t go back to her family’s home in Myanmar (Burma) because it’s very dangerous for them. But life here is dangerous, too – especially if you can’t go to school. Before, Bell’s friends spent their days at the rubbish dump, looking for scraps to sell. They didn’t know how to read or write and they often got sick.

Then, some kind people build a new school near the rubbish dump for refugee kids like Bell. It’s a safe place to learn and have fun, with teachers who speak their language and care about them.

Crossroads sent computers, school furniture, and lots of other things from Hong Kong so they could open new classrooms at Bell’s school (pictured right). Now even more refugee kids can go to school!

Learning more about educational need

• More than 85% of the world’s illiterate youth live in South Asia and Africa.
• In low-income countries, 69% of children won’t learn basic primary level skills. 
• Schools often have under-educated, unpaid or not enough teachers. Many schools don’t have electricity, computers or even enough books. 
• During the Covid pandemic, 40% of children in Eastern and Southern Africa had no schooling at all. Home and online school weren’t possible for them. 
• Malnutrition can make it very hard to learn well at school. Without enough food, children’s brains can’t develop properly.  
• In developing countries, only half of the children with disabilities go to school. 

How you can help

• Help Hong Kong students
  • Even though Hong Kong is a high tech city, many Hong Kong students can’t study online because they have no computer at home. You can help by donating computers, laptops and other devices.
• Donate or collect goods
  • Schools need everything!Desks, chairs, sports and music equipment, uniforms, books and stationery. If you know of resources like these or want to run a collection drive at your school, reach out to Crossroads!
• Help us set up a school
  • Many of the shipments Crossroads sends help build schools by sending supplies like desks, chairs, books and more. You can sponsor a school shipment to set up a school. 
• I have ideas of my own!
  • Got your own ideas? Gather some people around to help you, make a plan, and make it happen!