Imagine a school where there are no books and no desks and children must sit on the ground. Imagine completing secondary school and having to enter a workplace where 40% unemployment is the norm. Former Peace Corps volunteer, Tony Silard, didn't have to imagine these conditions-he experienced them firsthand during his assignment in Kenya and it moved him to action. At age 26, Tony formed Global Education Partnership to help rural communities in Kenya and other developing nations provide desperately needed resources for their primary schools. Encouraged by the success of his "matching funds" resource development program, Tony launched a second program to assist educated but economically disadvantaged youth to become self-reliant by teaching them job employment skills and training them to start their own small businesses. In this episode of Visionaries, journey with Tony and two GEP Oakland, California students to GEP's programs in Kenya and Tanzania where they interact with current students and graduates as they attend a book receiving ceremony and a new latrine christening.
