School kit for a child

As many as 2 out of 3 children in West Africa struggle with attending school. The result? Disastrous. Lack of education is linked to significantly higher mortality rates in adulthood.

Most families cannot afford even the simplest school supplies. Balancing on the edge of poverty, surviving on less than a dollar a day, they don’t think about buying backpacks, pencil cases, pens, or notebooks—only about how to miraculously feed the whole family.

Although school in Burkina Faso or Togo is theoretically free, children often have to drop out simply because they lack even a single pair of school shoes or a notebook. This means that universal access to education—the basic right of every human being—is not a reality, but merely a wishful dream.

Owning just one school textbook increases a child’s reading ability by up to 20%.

Katharina Michaelowa, Annika Wechtler (2006)

Schools in Togo and Burkina Faso teach more than just the subjects we remember from our own classrooms. They also educate children on agriculture, tree planting, livestock care, water management, and basic healthy nutrition.

Lack of basic education in these areas has devastating consequences for entire communities. It is unacceptable that the absence of a simple notebook or a cheap pair of shoes to reach the school prevents children from acquiring essential survival skills in this part of the world!

A school kit includes, among other things:

• Small and large notebooks (around a dozen)
• A pencil case filled with pens, pencils, an eraser, and a sharpener
• A geometry set
• A counting frame with sticks
• A water bottle
• Sandals
• A set of school textbooks
• A backpack
• A writing slate, chalk, and sponge (very important for younger classes)
• Fabric for sewing a school uniform and clothes for physical education class

We support parents in purchasing school kits, but we do not cover 100% of the cost. Help is essential, but it is also important that parents learn responsible financial management and develop a sense of responsibility for their children.

Gosia Tomaszewska, mission coordinator in Togo and Burkina Faso

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I donate supplies?

Due to the very high transportation costs to Burkina Faso and Togo (amounting to hundreds of złoty, which could instead be used for direct aid), we have decided to purchase all necessary school supplies locally. This task is handled by Gosia Tomaszewska, the mission coordinator in Togo and Burkina Faso. This approach also supports local businesses, benefiting the entire community.

What % of my donation will go towards aid?

Your entire donation, minus a small payment processing fee (PayU/PayPal), will be used for aid and does not serve as a source of income for the Good Factory Foundation. If you’d like to support the Foundation’s statutory goals, click here.

Can I support those in need without giving my personal information?

We have provided an online form for your convenience, partly so that we can send you donation confirmations at the end of the year for tax deduction purposes. However, if you wish to support those in need via a traditional bank transfer, you can use the following account numbers:

Account for payments in PLN: 45 1090 1883 0000 0001 2390 7365

Account for payments in EUR: 84 1090 1883 0000 0001 2398 7852

Account for payments in USD: 46 1090 1883 0000 0001 2398 7857