My name is Mariel Salem and I am a sophmore at Miramonte High School. One thing I have learned from living in an affluent community for the past decade is that we live a privileged life full of opportunity. Unfortunately, this is not nearly the case for everyone. Having realized that there are so many people without the same opportunities that I have been fortunate enough to enjoy, I have decided that I would like to give these opportunities to those whom fate has conspired to deny these privileges. Even though I volunteer through my church and recently Kaiser Permanente Hospital, I concluded what I really wanted to do was make a bigger impact. After looking at many organizations, I discovered one known as BuildOn and decided to start my own campaign hoping to make a difference.

The goal of my project is to raise enough money to fund the building of an entire school in a developing country. My goal is to raise the $32,000 needed to provide the 1,500 cinder blocks to build this clean, safe learning place. I cannot do this alone, so I need your help. To reach this $32,000, I need your donations. No matter how small or insignificant you consider the amount, every penny counts towards building those walls.

Today there are 1.2 billion people around the globe who are illiterate largely due to a lack of access to education. 72% of those illiterate are women. Providing access to education for even one remote village can change the lives of hundreds of children living in poverty year-after-year and hopefully break this cycle of poverty and illiteracy. With every donation, we are one step closer to giving an entire community the power of education and with it, a brighter future.

Thank you so much for your support!