How Ignite is promoting literacy and changing lives through the Ignite Possibilities School of Hope initiative in partnership with Classroom of Hope.

Here at Ignite we always want to do everything we can to foster a love of reading. Throughout the process of  publishing every single one of our books, it was our goal for people around the world to be inspired by the stories within. But then something occurred to us. What if the reason someone didn’t have a love for reading wasn’t because they didn’t like it or weren’t interested? What if it was because they never had the opportunity to access education and be given the gift and the right to be literate?

That was when we realized we had to start from the beginning. If we wanted to empower and change the world, if we were committed to igniting a billion lives with a billion words, we needed to start with promoting literacy. And to do that, we decided the best way to make an impact was to team up with Classroom of Hope and create the Ignite Possibilities School of Hope initiative.

Classroom of Hope is a charity dedicated to building schools in rural areas in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. Since its founding, the charity has built 22 schools and changed the lives of hundreds of children. Having a place to learn provides children with not only the education they desperately deserve, but also a safe haven for them, a way to empower themselves through literacy and learning, and tools that can help lift them and their community out of poverty.

“Every child deserves access to quality education and a safe and secure learning environment is essential for educational success. Education is one of the most important factors in eradicating poverty and is the building block of every society. We believe education is a fundamental human right, not a privilege of few.” —Classroom of Hope

Another thing that Ignite loves about Classroom of Hope is that they team up with local, best practice non-profit organizations and local contractors to build their schools, meaning the money spent on construction also goes to supporting the local businesses and economy of the community the school will be built in. What a great way to spread a donation’s impact even further!

Here is our goal: we want to raise the money to donate 35,000 bricks to the School of Hope. Every dollar we raise buys one brick for the school. As we fundraise for the school and see dollar after dollar added to the initiative, it becomes even more exciting to imagine the school coming together brick by brick. 

When you think about it, it’s so much more than just bricks. Each brick to us is a hope, a dream, or a possibility for these children. We aren’t just constructing a building, but a place of learning, of safety, and of empowerment.

Here are the objectives Classroom of Hope has set out for our school, via their website:

• To allow children in remote areas to access basic education
• To increase literacy rates and set the foundation for a productive and self-determined life
• To reduce school dropout rates
• To increase continuation rates from primary to secondary school
• To encourage parents and community members to support their children in education

    To see the possible impacts of the School of Hope listed out like this is endlessly exciting. It speaks to promoting literacy, igniting possibilities in people’s lives, and fostering community; three things that are at the core of what we do at Ignite.

    After sharing all the amazing things happening with the Ignite Possibilities School of Hope initiative and Classroom of Hope, we now want to show you how you can take action and help us build this school in Cambodia. To start, one of the easiest and most helpful things you can do is spread the word about this amazing project! Share this article with people you love and inspire them to ignite a change in the world too!

“I want to be honest and share that I am NOT willing to come up short on this very important initiative. I believe in this and see this school already being built in my mind’s eye. Never have I been so committed to raising funds for something that I know will change the lives of so many children and their children and generations to come.” —JB Owen, CEO and Founder of Ignite Publishing.

Another portion of our fundraising endeavor has to do with our books. We have to say, it makes us proud to be able to donate all the money made from every book sale through Amazon and our marketplace to the school. That’s right, every time you buy one of our books, that money goes directly to helping improve the lives of impoverished children.

Think of it in bricks. For example, if you were to pre-order our latest compilation book, Ignite the Hunger in You, that we collaborated with Les Brown on, that $1.99 spent would mean that we’re two bricks closer to making this dream happen! It’s a great way to support the initiative, support our authors, and get access to some incredible stories.

If you are interested in seeing all the books available in our marketplace, you can take a look here: https://igniteyou.life/shop/. You can see all the pre-order options for Ignite the Hunger in You here: https://books2read.com/ignitethehungerinyou.

Another way you can help is by donating directly to our fundraising page. There you can also see other people who have donated directly to the initiative. Even a dollar can make a huge difference, so any amount you can give is amazing. Take a look at the donations page here: https://fundraise.classroomofhope.org/ignite-moments. 

“250 million children worldwide can’t read or write and approximately 130 million girls are denied their right to education. I have a serious problem with those numbers and through learning about the education crisis I have truly discovered my purpose; to bring hope to children living in poverty through access to life-changing education.” —Duncan Ward, Founder of Classroom of Hope.

We believe that stories have the power to elevate minds and ignite humanity. But it all starts with something so many of us have taken for granted: the ability to read. So we’re starting from the ground up. Everyone deserves to be transformed through stories. Everyone should have access to the education they so rightly deserve. What started as a goal to ignite a billion lives through a billion words has turned into a mission to improve the lives of a whole community in Cambodia!

We hope you are inspired to help us build the Ignite Possibilities School of Hope!