AM Agency and Village Schools International’s Partnership: Learn more and get involved.
Education in Africa
Imagine a young girl, bright-eyed and full of hope, denied the chance to learn simply because she was born female. This is the reality for millions of girls in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya. In general, 19,000,000 youth won’t discover their potential because access to education is scarce.
AM Agency believes in the power of education to transform lives. By investing in their education through our ministry partner, Village Schools International, we’re not just giving them a chance but empowering them to fulfill their purpose and pursue their dreams.
A Deeper Look into Village Schools International
The lack of schools across the African continent disproportionately affects the rural poor, making it even more difficult for girls to get an education. It’s not that parents don’t love their daughters, but poverty in these villages forces them to prioritize their sons’ education due to cultural norms and economic conditions. This sacrifice results in their daughters marrying early and having children at a young age or being forced into lower-wage jobs. Both contribute to the existing cycle of poverty.
In response, Village Schools helps build schools in these villages and offers scholarships to girls so that every parent can send their daughter to school. Now, over 50% of students enrolled are girls, allowing them to break free from the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future.
Since 2005, Steve Vinton and Village Schools International have partnered with people in villages to do the work of building 80 schools in nine regions of Tanzania and the neighboring countries of Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya.
Over the last 18 years, more than 220 missionaries have come to serve in their schools, love their students, share the Gospel with them, and transform these villages. In 2015, Village Schools started a leadership college, and their graduates are already helping them grow rapidly within Tanzania and in neighboring countries, opening doors to partner with even more communities. Village Schools and their partners continue working towards a future where every child, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to learn and grow.
S C H O O L S B U I L T
80
Village Schools International aims to have 116 schools built and opened by the end of the decade
S T U D E N T S E N R O L L E D
17,458
9,562 (54.8%) are girls
1,644 are orphans
G R A D U A T E S
11,158
8.8% of our current staff are our former students who went away to college and then returned to serve with us
AM Agency and Village Schools International Partnership
Recently, Steve Vinton, the CEO of Village Schools International, reached out to AM Agency about issues they’ve been facing as an organization since COVID-19. While presenting at churches and colleges pre-pandemic was more than enough to drive recruitment for missionary teachers, this approach has produced zero missionaries since 2020.
As part of AM Agency’s global impact, we began to strategize ways to build a digital presence for Village Schools International in hopes of recruiting Christian college graduates to teach in Africa and build consideration with undergraduates.
AM’s Contributions to Village Schools
After analyzing Village Schools International’s target audience, AM researched the best platforms – TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram – to recruit missionary teachers for Village Schools. Based on consumer data for the targeted age group, we created and built an organic and paid media campaign for Village Schools’ new Instagram page. Beginning with a series of social posts and building a following. We launched an Instagram Ad campaign shortly after, geo-targeting Christian universities and colleges in the United States. Over 85,000 impressions and 1,000 clicks later, many current students and recent graduates have expressed interest from around the nation.
As Village Schools International continues to work towards the seemingly impossible dream of transforming the lives of the youth in East Africa, we are so grateful for our partnership, which has been nothing short of an amazing experience. With more schools to be built, more missionaries to spread the Gospel, and more youth getting a chance at education, AM Agency is blessed and thankful to be a part of building girls’ tomorrow.
Be a part of building someone’s tomorrow. Learn how to get involved.
