Support for Schools and Villages in Peru & Tanzania

Since its founding in 1992, Grand Circle Foundation has pledged and donated $50 million to nearly 100 schools in 60 communities worldwide. Through initiatives like Invest in a Village and Day in the Life of a Village, we also seek to lend a greater helping hand in villages where we've already developed strong relationships. In that way, we hope to make a difference in the lives of children—one day and one village at a time.

About the Schools & Villages >>

Replace Condemned Classrooms at the Ziga School, Zimbabwe

The name Ziga comes from the word "miracles"—and here in rural Zimbabwe, it is indeed miraculous that a village with so little can be so devoted to providing an education for its children. Each day, Ziga's 171 students receive their lessons in classrooms with crumbling walls. They share just five teachers among them—teachers who must educate with no books, no supplies, and no guarantee that the government will be able to provide their next paycheck.

Bedouin Young Women's Leadership Project at Lakia, Israel

At the edge of Israel's Negev Desert, modern society is slowly engulfing an ancient way of life—and the village of Lakia is a bridge between two worlds. Here, in one of the few Bedouin villages officially recognized by the Israeli government, the nomads who once roamed the desert sands have learned to build permanent homes—but there is a great deal more to be learned … especially concerning young women.  

Agricultural Cooperative at Dom Chum Village, Thailand

Since 2004, Grand Circle Foundation has been partnering with Thailand's Don Chum Village, a community of more than 600 people in the province of Phrae. Baan Don Chum School is supported by our World Classroom initiative, and travelers visit the village as part of our Day in the Life experience in Thailand.

Now, we've expanded our partnership with a new Invest in a Village project: an agricultural cooperative for Don Chum Village. 

Progress at the school >>
About the Village >>

The Women's Sewing Workshop at Bearat, Egypt

In the village of Bearat on the West Bank of Luxor, a woman named Bataa sews garments by hand to earn an income of 30 Egyptian pounds per month—approximately $5.50. Without machinery, it takes her ten days to finish a single garment, and she works seven days a week. Bataa's seven-year-old son, Karim, has the typical needs of a growing boy his age, like clothing, toys, and books. Bataa can barely afford even the most basic of these.

Salah Badea, our Area Manager in Egypt, met Bataa and several women like her during a recent visit to Bearat—the site of a new Grand Circle Foundation Invest in a Village project.  

Celebrating Milestones >>
About the Village >>

Sustainable Microfarm in San Francisco de Penas Blancas, Costa Rica

In 2006, Grand Circle Foundation saw an opportunity to solve the school's problem for good, while benefiting the entire community of San Francisco de Penas Blancas.   

About the Village >>