HOW DO WE DO WHAT WE DO? WITH OUR GREAT VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF -- SHARING A VISION AND OUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE. How are we able to provide such an intensive and extensive program to restore the educational rights to preliterate children when politicians and bureaucrats around the world have claimed that restoration is not possible? The first and indispensable ingredient is that everyone who comes to FORA agrees that all children deserve an accessible, effective education. We daily, intentionally, ask ourselves, as the late, great, Selma civil rights hero, John Lewis said, “if not us, then who? If not now, then when?”
The second ingredient is the people — our incredible staff and volunteers. No adult can resist the joy of helping a child learn to read, and that joy resounds throughout the welcoming space that we have together created. Our FORA children immediately sense that FORA is a place to explore and grow, to make mistakes and to achieve victories. And then, gradually, over time, the children come to deeply believe that they occupy a safe space and a space that is theirs, to be themselves and to share. They also believe that they, their fellow students, and their tutors, share a mission in which no one is above or below the others. They end up believing that when pursuing a life of the mind, that kindness, somewhat ironically, counts above all else. These children and their families know full well that knowledge is power and power without empathy can lead to domination and brutality. They stand as sentinels of empathy for each other and themselves. The virtuous cycle is complete when tutors and staff see these children acting better than most adults and become inspired by the children they serve.
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