2022
Annual Report
A Letter from the CEO
Dear PoP Family,
As I reflect on how far we have come this year as a global community, I am grateful for the accomplishments and celebrations that have moved us closer to every child having access to quality education. This year, we celebrate 15 years of impacting nearly 300,000 students globally (and counting!) and look forward to making a bigger impact in 2023.
This past year we faced challenges to recover from the pandemic. However, our PoP community galvanized and we kept our promise at the forefront. We distributed 7,500 learning resources, 9,564 students were able to use e-readers, and we provided 112 schools with menstrual health resources.
Our deep devotion continued and we chronicled the real-life stories of children on the pathway to their dreams. The premiere of I Promise You explored and applauded all the gifts and talents of our communities. On the heels of I Promise You, I had the opportunity to visit Ghana and Guatemala followed shortly thereafter. During these transformative experiences, I saw and felt how just one safe school can transform an entire community – then realized the breadth of impact we collectively provide: our thread of connectivity runs long and deep. These experiences later sparked A Girl’s Promise campaign, which aims to serve 90,000 girls throughout the world with the support they need in school to thrive.
The momentum continued and the 2022 PoP Gala was our first in-person gala since 2019. We reconnected with old friends, met new ones, and carried our mission forward. This has been an exciting year and I look forward to celebrating our 15th anniversary with you.
On behalf of everyone at PoP, I thank each of you from the deepest parts of my heart. As I renew my promise to the entire PoP community, I hope you are inspired to do the same.
In gratitude,
Kailee Scales
CEO, Pencils of Promise
Impact Highlights
In Ghana, PoP completed 8 school builds, launched programming in 30 new Teacher Support schools, and started WASH programs in 20 new schools. They started conversations to formalize a partnership between two new Teacher Training Colleges and piloted PoP’s first digital reading application in 2 schools.
In Guatemala, PoP continued to provide teachers with workshops and coaching sessions and continued to support students, teachers and parents by delivering materials directly to community leaders who then distributed them to parents and teachers. The team completed 7 school builds and at the end of the year was able to graduate 19 schools out of the Teacher Support and WASH program.
In Laos, the team completed 10 schools and held meetings to continue planning for the new Memorandum of Understanding. Part of this planning process included the development of two new program pilots, Lao Teacher Support and SEL. The team also completed their first longitudinal study after three years of conducting the evaluation.
PoP’s assessment of returns on investment in education reveals that every additional year of primary school will yield an average of 8.8% in future earnings. Additionally, every dollar invested in water, sanitation, and hygiene programming generates $4.30 in observed benefits (e.g., healthcare cost savings).
The Destination of your Dollars
Pencils of Promise is dedicated to improving student literacy around the globe by building schools and providing high quality Teacher Support (TS) and Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) programs in Ghana, Guatemala and Laos. Your contribution goes well beyond a school build. When you donate, you help create sustainable change in students’ lives and in communities around the world.
School Builds & WASH
Teacher Support
Longitudinal Studies & Research
Results of a longitudinal study in Laos indicate that students at PoP schools have shown almost a 10% – 15% increase in test scores for each grade as compared to students in schools without PoP programming.
A Guatemala study in 2021 indicated that 91% of parents believed that their children could go to school while on their period, compared to just 23% of parents prior to PoP programming.
Financials
$XX,XXX
Advisory Board
$XX,XXX
Advisory Board
$XX,XXX
Advisory Board
$XX,XXX
Advisory Board
$XX,XXX
Advisory Board
