What is ABCD?
More Than the Alphabet
Yes, “ABCD” is the first four letters of the alphabet—an important learning foundation taught to pre-primary and primary students—but Wellspring teaches parents a new kind of ABCD’s: Asset-Based Community Development!
From What’s Wrong to What’s Strong
In our Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) modules, parents of the local school are empowered to help themselves, their neighbours, and their school community. Instead of focusing on what is lacking, the ABCD approach emphasizes the community’s assets and strengths. Once assets are identified, they get connected to areas of need and mobilized. This results in empowered citizens creating their own solutions, leading to a new sense of dignity and worth for all. In the context of education, ABCD helps school communities achieve sustainability. When parents invest in their children’s education, they use their own assets to continuously improve the school based on its current needs, enabling change to come from within the community rather than from outside.
Lasting Change Comes From Within
When communities come together as a whole instead of a group of individuals, lasting impact happens on a phenomenal scale. The Wellspring Foundation for Education has seen this time and time again in Rwanda. Through our Asset-Based Community Development training, communities have learned to create their own solutions in response to the challenges they face. The lessons we’ve learned in Rwanda have only strengthened our belief that sustainable change comes from within communities.
Hear What Some Parents Have to Say About ABCD
“ABCD changed my mind about all my fears about the school from poverty to richness; from blindness to light; confusion to vision and mission; from laziness to hard work and responsibility, from a government poor school to a parent-owned community school. As a result of ABCD, the school now has electricity, a kitchen for children and teachers to have their meal, the school is undergoing the construction of a school fence.” – Valens, School Executive Committee Parent Representative from Rwamigega School
“We are really proud of what ABCD is doing in our community. We are aware of our strengths and what we can do as a community if we come together. ABCD has opened our eyes to the needs of our children, and now each parent knows their contribution to the learning and teaching of their children. As a community of parents, We have come together to see how we can stay connected to the school. We have contributed to building a school kitchen, we have supported fencing the school and so far one part is now fenced. Our goal is to fence in the whole school.” – Theonest, Parent Representative from Kabirizi School
Other Foundational Pieces
We are sharing these Foundational Pieces to help you learn more about who we are and what we do.
