low-cost loans, education technology and a variety of supportive measures. The Dominican Republic was one of these countries. Soon after, he, Wilks and five other men formed a Delaware Valley group to provide support to this global non-profit. (Today, that group of financial partners—still growing—consists of about a dozen men and women). About a year after that initial meeting, the men traveled to the Dominican Republic to see firsthand the impact of Edify’s efforts. Edify’s model is unique in multiple ways, including the fact that financial partners do much more than donate funds. They are integral to the success story, working one-on-one with school leaders and teachers, interacting with parents and students. The group visited several schools and met with owners. “It was a life-changing event,” said MacGray. “Going to some of these incredibly poor areas and seeing these awesome schools doing so much in these tiny little spaces.” Many of the schools have little or no electricity; most don’t have Internet access. In one instance, they met the parents of a teacher who wanted to start a school. The parents donated their house so it could be used as a school. “That’s how dedicated some of these people are,” said MacGray. “It blows you away how much they do with so little.”
(L- R) Tiger Dawson (Edify CEO and Co-Founder) and Chris Crane (Edify Board Chair and Co-Founder).
“In response to that, there are some amazing local people—moms and dads, pastors, educators, community workers—that start low-fee, Christ-centered schools.” Class sizes average about 35 students compared to 75 to 100 in public schools. Edify is a Christian organization, explained King, yet children of all faiths attend the schools. “In a lot of these countries, poverty exists in part due to corruption, dishonesty and hate,” he said. Edify elevates the quality of education and helps schools to
“ G lobally, in the developing world, there is an extreme lack of quality education being provided by the local government.” – Ryan King, Edify Director of Edification and Philanthropy
Edify’s Global Reach According to Ryan King, Edify’s director of edification and philanthropy, since the organization was founded in 2009, they have partnered with 5,187 schools in 11 countries and reached 1.4 million children, kindergarten through 8th-grade. Edify employs a staff of about 75 worldwide; 25 are in the United States at a variety of locations. Each country has an office and staff. The U.S. office is in San Diego where King works. “Globally, in the developing world, there is an extreme lack of quality education being provided by the local government,” said King.
become self-sustaining. Through microfinance (low-cost loans), he explained, small business loans of under $1,000 have helped families start schools. “Edify is part of a global education revolution causing incredible transformation and shattering cycles of poverty in incredibly impoverished communities,” said King. The low-fee, independent schools are strengthened by Edify’s business and curriculum training, low-cost loans and education technology integration. King described what is meant by “Christcentered” partner schools: “Our hope is to impart character, honesty, integrity and love.”
Co-Founders Were Inspired Edify’s beginnings were hatched over a decade ago when Chris Crane, board chair and co-founder, attended a John Templeton Foundation conference where author James Tooley talked about his book, “The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey into How the World’s Poorest People Are Educating Themselves.” Tooley described his seven-year journey discovering low-fee schools in developing countries and underscored the impact of microfinance. Crane was so inspired, that he and Tiger Dawson, CEO and co-founder, decided to utilize their microfinance backgrounds to make a global impact. Their efforts began in the Dominican Republic and Ghana, where they met with microfinance companies, training organizations, ministers of education and low-fee Christcentered schools. Country by country, the organization grew. The model, explained King, has proven uplifting for children, proprietors, parents and teachers. Amy Hulst, an Edify content writer, noted that in the developing world, the majority of teachers don’t have more than an 8th-grade education. There are no requirements or educational standards like those in the United States. And the dropout rate is high for children; most don’t make it to middle school. “Edify helps train the teachers,” said Hulst. “We improve their knowledge of learning how to teach.” Pam Hackett, a pediatric physical therapist and co-founder/managing partner of Pediatric Therapeutic Services Inc. (PTS) of Con51
