Viola Vaughn and 10,000 Girls

Viola Vaughn’s 26-year-old daughter’s sudden death left her to care for five grandchildren. The Detroit native had worked in Africa for most of her life and considered it home, so she and her husband returned there to raise their grandchildren.

Soon after their move to rural Kaolack, Senegal, in 2000, Vaughn's husband -- jazz musician Sam Sanders -- died of black lung. Amid her grief, she found comfort in her grandchildren, ages 4 to 12, and filled her days home-schooling them. Her success soon garnered attention from the locals.

There was a little girl that her granddaughter played with and kept coming around wanting to be taught with Ms. Vaughn grandchildren. She went to see this child's mother, and her mother said she had already failed school once, that she couldn't pass because she wasn't smart enough. Well she was smart enough to come to someone who could help. Within two weeks, Vaughn had 20 girls in her house who were failing school and asking her to teach them. She learned that the regional pass rate for girls was low because it was rooted in the economic need of young girls to work at home. They begin missing classes, then failing exams, often ultimately failing or dropping out of school. So in 2001, Vaughn turned her grandchildren's bedrooms into classrooms and began supplementing girls' education.

Viola Vaughn found each girl a girl younger than she and and taught them how to teach each other. In two years, the group of girls had grown to 80 -- and they were succeeding in school. With a grant, Vaughn was able to hire teachers, and the program continued to expand despite her attempt to set a limit of 100 girls. The girls wanted to take it to 10,000. To keep their "10,000 Girls" education program going, the girls asked Vaughn to teach them to bake. They began selling cookies and juice and were able to buy books and supplies. Soon they got their older sisters, aunts and cousins -- who had already failed out of the school system -- involved in baking and selling goods. The entrepreneurial element of the program was born.

Today, in addition to a pastry shop and catering business, "10,000 Girls" runs a sewing workshop and the girls export their handmade dolls and household linens overseas. Half of the funds from these projects go back to the girls; the remainder supports the education program. More than 1,500 girls are involved in the program in six locations; about 1,000 are waiting to join. They have girls who were told they'd never get through high school who are attend universities now. They hope that if they get 10,000 girls out there, 1,000 girls will come back to Kaolack and work, which would revolutionize the region.

All these girls needed was someone to show them how valued they are. Our education system is failing not only because of a bad education system, or bad teachers but also due to bad parents. Until we, the parents, start treating teachers with respect and teachers start treating our children with respect, no amount of changes or money will fix our education problem. Education is the base of development anywhere, so maybe Ms. Vaughn could return to her hometown of Detroit and other U.S. cities, where the school system is deteriorating year after year, to educate the educators on this type of peer-support teaching structure.

It’s good to read about people being empowered, and taking that empowerment to the next level by passing on to other people. This is exactly how it should be done -- people helping each other, giving what they can. If everyone did this, helping just a little bit in their own circles, as their own time and resources allow, then no one person has to save the world alone. The answer is in the passion and commitment shown by Viola, and the enthusiasm of the children and their family members. Where is that passion, commitment and enthusiasm in the U.S.? The only passion people seem to feel is for consuming material goods and watching tv. We need to get off our butts, people, and make things happen!

Now, can we bring her home, and put her in charge of the National Education system?