Pencils of Promise

Pencils of Promise creates a better world through education, building schools, and WASH projects. Be part of something bigger than yourself!

Our Startup Story

It all started with a question. A little boy on the streets of India asked, “What do you want most?”

He replied, “A pencil.”

I reached into my backpack, handed him the pencil, and watched a wave of possibilities come to him.

A smile broke out on his face and his eyes sparkled. I saw the tremendous power and hope that could come from a simple act like giving a child a pencil. Over the next five years, I backpacked to more than 50 countries, distributing thousands of pens and pencils across six continents. These pencils, these small pieces of potential, sparked powerful conversations with local parents and children across countless cultures and languages. Through listening to them over the years, it became clear to me that an organization led by local leaders in each affected country would be needed. This would require active community involvement in the creation of each school, as well as ongoing support, training, and monitoring of each school to ensure long-term success. These were the guidelines upon which PoP was founded in October 2008.

From our humble beginnings with a deposit of just $25, we have now built over 550 schools.

But our founding story is more than just one person’s. Our organization represents all the people who have helped Pencil of Hope get to where it is today in ways big and small, including my good friend and PoP’s first staff member, Lanoy Keosuvan. Today, she serves as our Co-Country Director for Laos, but it was her efforts in our early days that enabled us to build foundational relationships with government and community leaders that ensure the long-term commitment and sustainability of our work. There are countless people like Lanoy among our partners in Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos, whose heroic efforts have laid the foundation for the programs we have flourishing today.

We have learned a lot since our founding. We understand that education is a living, breathing entity that can grow into amazing things. Every step in the way is a challenge, and every pencil, dollar, and supporter matters. Today, Pencils of Hope is a global movement of thousands of passionate individuals, many of whom are the most dynamic and influential leaders we have ever seen. They are committed to supporting a world with greater educational opportunity for all. We firmly believe that one day, in our lifetime, every child will have access to a quality education, and we will continue to work tirelessly to break the limitations of today and realize the possibilities of tomorrow.