When AEA first began working in education 26 years ago, we focused strictly on educational resources. Today, our mission encompasses much more. In addition to training teachers and helping build and equip schools, we also help empower communities and States to build responsive and appropriate educational offerings. We encourage these actors to work together, creating strong, lasting dialogues between them.
We base all our actions on the following set of guiding principles:
 | Increase access to elementary education... |
- Improve school conditions and create favorable learning environments by building schools, supplying equipment, setting-up school cafeterias...
- Reduce the reasons children don't attend school by addressing enfant diseases, household and fieldwork, care for younger siblings...
 | Improve the quality of educational systems... |
- Train and provide equipment for teachers, school inspectors and librarians
- Ensure access to potable water and inform communities about disease prevention
 | Encourage diversity of educational opportunities... |
- Open education to marginalized children and youth including dropouts, working children physically and mentally challenged children, street children, orphans...
- Develop alternatives to the traditional educational system by creating community centers, nurseries and professional programs that address the needs of individuals at all ages
 | Reinforce local community competence... |
- Accompany and reinforce communities as they design, implement and sustain educational programs and related actions
- Encourage cooperation between public institutions, local NGOs, parent-teacher associations...
 | Mobilize citizens and institutions for the educational cause... |
- Raise awareness and train the general public about the link between education and development
- Work to place education at the center of local, state and institutional development programs.