The United Nations’ Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, tells a poignant story of his childhood. “I grew up in a society ravaged by war and mired in poverty. Schools had been destroyed. My classes were held in the open under a tree. We had no desks, chairs or other basic necessities. The Republic of Korea was on its knees, but education enabled the country to stand tall again.”

“Even in the worst circumstances, education helps to give children confidence to face the future… I want every child, without exception, to have the same opportunity that I had. The power of education to transform lives is universal.”

In 2012, Ban Ki-moon called together a coalition of UN personnel, NGOs, politicians and corporations to fight together for the educational needs of the planet. The UN approached our Global Hand team, asking if we could  support this by tailoring the software we developed for business.un.org so that all these groups could make formally commit to seeing education reach children around the world.

Benin: New hope for the vulnerable and isolated

Benin, West Africa, is a land rich in natural beauty, but it is sadly also one of the world’s poorest nations....

read more ...

Guinea: Building infrastructure and skills

Since governmental structures in Guinea finally stabilised about fifteen years ago, the country’s economy has gradually improved. However, refugees fleeing civil...

read more ...

Malawi: Looking up and forward

Malawi is a country working hard to lift its people out of its challenging history.  Since gaining independence nearly sixty years...

read more ...

Cameroon: Empowering and rebuilding

Crossroads’ partner for this shipment originally began their work in a busy market town, aiming to provide support for widows, a...

read more ...