The school attendance levels in the Basse area are telling: less than half of all children go to primary school, with even fewer going on to secondary school. Only 1 in 5 adult women in Basse can read and write. The SOS primary school in Basse run by our charity is therefore an invaluable resource for a community deprived of quality education. Over 200 children attend the SOS primary school every year: nearly half of them are from the SOS Children's Village and the remaining places are for children from the surrounding community.

The SOS primary school is much appreciated in the Basse area. In 2011 it won the Ministry of Education's award for best school of the region, and one of the teachers was given the 'Best Teacher' award. Even though the awards of course are a source of pride, the words of 11-year old Remi, a boy from the community, are what really matter: 'I'm doing well at school. My favourite subject is science: in the future I want to be a doctor. Education teaches us about life and shape our future.'

To give children like Remi the best possible start in primary school our charity also runs a nursery school. The 5 teachers and 4 teaching assistants look after over 120 children every day, 25 of whom live in the SOS Children's Village. The nursery is an important part of the Basse community. Without its safe, caring environment many local parents would be unable to go out to work and make the money they need to look after their families.

Sponsor SOS Children's Village Basse