First Day of the Schools for Laos Campaign.
On June 2, 2015, the excitement in the air was tangible as we launched our crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds for building schools in rural Laos.
The vision was clear: Every Child Deserves Quality Education.
We, at the Open Circles Foundation, believed that transforming the world starts with transforming education, especially for underprivileged communities.
Laos, with its rural communities lacking even basic primary education, was the perfect candidate for our mission.
As the campaign went live, we were glued to our computer screens, watching in awe as the donations rolled in every few minutes.
It was exhilarating to see the community’s response and their eagerness to contribute.
We had different perks to thank our backers for their donations, ranging from €50 for guided visualizations to €1,000 for an exclusive dinner with Vered, me, and four other backers.
The most popular perk was a €250 package that included a book and a course, claimed by 123 backers.
One of the most memorable anecdotes came from our dinners with the backers who contributed €1,000.
We had wonderful conversations, and one backer, Gerdy, impressed us with her generosity and wisdom.
Years later, she became our partner and took charge of our legacy after we retired, and become a very special person in our lives.
From the start, we promised to double the donations from our own money.
It was a commitment to maximize the impact of every euro our community donated.
The campaign was a phenomenal success! Within 24 hours, we raised over €25,000 from 117 backers.
30 days later, by the end of the campaign, we had raised €48,902 from 231 backers.
True to our promise, we doubled the amount from our own pocket, donating a total of €100,000 to build four schools for rural communities in Laos.
A year later, we traveled to Laos to see the progress firsthand.
We met the amazing project managers and team and visited a couple of the schools and the kids.
One memory that stuck with us was visiting a community approved for one of the schools.
When we let some 7-year-olds play with the selfie function of the camera, they recognized their friends but didn’t recognize themselves.
It was a painful and humbling reminder of how these kids had never seen a mirror, highlighting the extreme poverty of these communities.
This photo captures the beginning of a journey that brought hope and education to countless children in Laos, hopefully transforming their lives and futures forever.
Open Circles Foundation other projects:
2016 – Save a Girl in Nepal
2014 – Light To Madagascar
2013 – South Africa Entrepreneurs
2008 – 2012 – URDT Girls School Uganda
