For more than 15 years, Apache has supported 201 one-room girls’ schools – from the initial construction to the ongoing maintenance and support of the girls’ learning environment. Earlier this year, 12 members of the Apache team from Cairo and Houston made the journey to Abu Sir village in the governorate of Giza to gain a first-hand understanding of the impact Springboard Girls Schools have had on rural Egypt.
“The experience of witnessing the long-term impacts of our community partnerships was deeply meaningful,” said Brandy Jones, vice president of human resources. “Thanks to the work we do to provide energy needed by the world, we are also able to provide an education to those who need it most.”
The students expressed their excitement for the visit and enjoyed a day filled with fun activities. The seven to 13-year-old students put on a puppet show, sang the Egyptian national anthem, and joined the team in painting a mural.
The teachers thanked the Houston-Cairo delegation for their visit and said that one of their primary goals is to keep the girls enrolled in school until they graduate. The community partnerships team has diligently worked to build lasting relationships with key stakeholders in rural areas where most of the schools are located, with this latest visit supporting that connection.
“Our continuous support of the Springboard Girls Schools has a strong impact on the girls,” said Zain A., supervisor of community partnerships. “It is amazing how friendly, outgoing and confident they are. They mingled with all of us, and the Apache team enjoyed partnering with the students on a joint mural coloring activity.”
Through this program, the company has provided an education for more than 15,000 girls in rural Egypt, teaching them how to read, write and dream beyond the borders of their village.