Children Out of School in Africa: How Open Schools Worldwide Helped One Girl Reach University

Throughout her childhood, Anna felt like an outcast. She was an orphan; a child from a village called Nobody, and society certainly treated her as such. Anna had been born with albinism, a genetic condition that made her visibly different from the children around her. In South Africa, this not only presented a risk to her safety, but also severely limited any opportunities to escape poverty. Her future was uncertain, until TeachBeyond’s Open Schools Worldwide program changed everything.

How TeachBeyond's Open Schools Worldwide Program Restores Education Access

With minimal previous education, Anna began attending the Open Schools Worldwide program at a local drop-in center at the age of 13. The program teaches functional numeracy and literacy while modeling God’s love and helping children develop self-esteem and self-worth. Anna was fed, she was cared for, and she was taught the Bible. She began to learn and understand her value as a child of God.

"They must understand that they’re made in God's image,” said Open Schools Executive Director Angie Pape. "Everything is Biblically integrated through what we term 'ministry moments'. They must know that they can learn when they feel like all they know is picture literacy. They must be equipped for future opportunities and sadly so many millions of them won't have that opportunity.”

From Open Schools Worldwide to University: One Girl’s Journey

As one of the oldest students at the center, Anna still felt out of place. She was incredibly clever and it was clear that she should be in school. After two years in the Open Schools program, she received a bursary to attend a Christian school and completed her education in a formal school setting.

The Christian school believes in training its learners to reach out and disciple others, and Anna used the opportunity to return to her village of Nobody to help those who were not attending school. She tutored children in her village with the Open Schools Worldwide curriculum. She understood what it meant to be told she was somebody, loved and cared for by her Almighty Father. She understood what it meant to be seen and longed for these children to have the opportunity afforded her.  

Anna went on to study media relations at a university and worked for one of the biggest insurance companies in South Africa.

Why So Many Children Are Out of School in Africa

TeachBeyond is on a mission to reach and educate as many children as possible. But the need is overwhelming. Due to factors such as poverty, war, social conflict, and disability, more than 270 million children from the ages of 6 to 17 are currently out of school around the world and nearly 40% of those children are from sub-Saharan Africa (UNESCO, 2025).

To date, basic education has been delivered to more than 50,000 children through TeachBeyond’s Open Schools Worldwide program. New curriculum offerings are being developed to help children receive an education in Africa, Latin America, and creative access regions.

Anna’s story is one of thousands. While she found hope, millions more are still waiting for an open door to education. TeachBeyond's Each One Matters campaign exists because every learner on the margins deserves the chance to learn, grow and know their worth. With your support, TeachBeyond will reach more students with hope-filled, life-changing education. Each one matters. Will you help reach the next one?