Time for School

Time for School: 2013-2016 is the stories of five kids in five countries who are struggling against the odds to get a basic education. These children live in countries where poverty, child labor, early marriage, and the chaos of war prevent legions of young people from getting an education. Time for School follows Nanavi in Benin, Jefferson in Brazil, Neeraj in India, Joab in Kenya, and Shugufa in Afghanistan during their first days of school and then for the next 12 years.

In 2003, they all began at the same starting gate, all bright and eager to learn. Soon, growing contrasts emerged in the quality and stability of the children’s educations and each faced obstacles that threatened their ability to remain in school. Time for School was inspired by the Millennium Development Goal of Education for All, a promise that 189 nations made to the United Nations in 2000, to provide every child around the world with a free primary education by 2015.

While there has been progress over the past 15 years, there are still 58 million children out of school around the globe and around 100 million who do not complete primary school – in spite of universal recognition that education is the smartest anti-poverty investment that any country can make. Told primarily from the point of view of the children and their families, Time for School presents the contrasting lives of those who were forced to abandon schooling and those who are still following their dreams. While each child has a unique story, taken together their lives tell an epic tale, shedding light on one of the most urgent and underreported stories of our time.