Every student deserves a first day of school.
Across the United States, students are heading back to school. Families are shopping for supplies, packing backpacks, meeting teachers, and settling into new routines. It is a season filled with anticipation and possibility.
In Malawi and Burkina Faso, students are preparing for that same moment. School begins September 14 in Malawi and October 1 in Burkina Faso. They are eager to return to their classrooms, reconnect with friends, and continue working toward the futures they imagine for themselves.
But for many, the first day of school is not guaranteed.
The cost of school fees, boarding, transportation, uniforms, books, exam fees, meals, menstrual products, and other essential supplies can place high school and college beyond the reach of families already facing financial hardship.
Right now, we have an opportunity to change that. The more sponsors who join us before school begins, the more students we can welcome into the Education is Power program at the start of the academic year.
Now is the time
Starting school on time matters. It means students do not have to miss their first lessons while funding is secured. They can arrive with the materials they need, settle into their classes alongside their peers, and begin the year focused on learning.
For $30 per month, you can sponsor a high school student. For $83.33 per month, you can sponsor a college student. For $5 per month, you can support a Power student to go to our annual Academic Camp. Now is the time.
More Than Access to a Classroom
The goal of Education is Power is not simply to enroll students in school. We want them to remain in school, thrive academically and socially, and develop the confidence and skills to determine what comes next.
Our program supports students through four interconnected areas:
- Sponsorship: Helping cover the costs that can prevent students from attending school, including fees, boarding, transportation, uniforms, meals, and essential supplies.
- Mentorship: Connecting students with consistent encouragement and guidance as they navigate school, relationships, and decisions about their futures.
- Academic support: Providing tutoring and annual multi-day Academic Camps that help high school students prepare for exams and strengthen their study skills.
- Life skills: Helping students build confidence, leadership, resilience, and the practical skills they need beyond the classroom.
This comprehensive approach recognizes that students need more than sponsorship. They need the resources, support, and opportunity to make the most of their education.
What Can Education Make Possible?
Education is Power high school graduate and current college Power student, Osward, shares some words of encouragement at the 2026 Annual Camp in Malawi
Since Education is Power began, 458 individual students have received a combined 1,015 years of sponsored education. The program has now supported 54 high school graduates, with 19 students selected to attend public colleges and universities.
During the 2025–2026 school year alone, Education is Power supported 227 students across 44 schools in Malawi and Burkina Faso.
These numbers represent years of persistence, late nights of studying, final exams completed, and young people beginning to see new possibilities for themselves.
Moses Humphrey was the first Education is Power student selected for college and is about to start his final year. Reflecting on the support he received, Moses shared:
“I hope to one day work with The Sonder Project so I can pass on the same encouragement and opportunity I received to the next generation.”
That desire to give back is already taking shape throughout the program. At our Academic Camp in Malawi, students heard from Osward Nkhoma, an Education is Power graduate who recently completed his first year of medical school. Afterward, Grade 10 student Bright Jaulani shared:
“Osward is my role model, and in the next two to three years, I hope to return dressed as a doctor, as he did, to inspire younger students.”
Education does more than prepare a student for an exam. It can help a young person recognize their own capabilities, choose a path forward, and become a source of encouragement for others.
What Can I Expect if I Sponsor a Student?
Sponsorship creates a meaningful connection to the student you support. Sponsors receive a digital profile of their student(s) in January, a mid-year update in April/May, and a hand-written letter and photograph from each of their students, offering a personal glimpse into their experiences, progress, and appreciation.
Your sponsorship does not define a student’s future. It helps remove the barriers standing between that student and the future they are already working to build.
By sponsoring a student, you become part of a broader community investing in young people for the long term. You help provide the stability and support they need to begin the school year on time, stay focused on their studies, and pursue the opportunities ahead of them.
Help Make the First Day Possible
School begins soon. Right now, students in Malawi and Burkina Faso are waiting to learn whether they will have the support they need to continue their education.
A sponsorship started today can help us bring another student into Education is Power before classes begin.
- Sponsor a high school student for $30 per month
- Sponsor a college student for $83.33 per month
- Sponsor a high school student to attend our annual Academic Camp with a one-time gift of $60
Every student deserves a first day of school and the opportunity to decide what comes next. Now is the time.