Robyn Coquyt - Africa Classroom Connection - Building the Future in South Africa
 
Robyn is a long-time supporter, volunteer, and Board Officer of Africa Classroom Connection (ACC) and is currently leading the nonprofit organization as its Executive Director. She has visited ACC’s rural South Africa classrooms during two different learning tours. Prior to ACC, Robyn was a global leader at Medtronic for over 20 years. She accepted assignments in the Netherlands, Japan, and in India where she was a Global Innovation Fellow. Robyn is passionate about community involvement and volunteerism, actively and enthusiastically lending her time and talents to many nonprofit organizations. She volunteered for Youth for Understanding for more than 25 years, giving back to the program used by her family to host exchange students and for her own high school exchange to Japan.
 
Africa Classroom Connection strives to unleash the potential of every child by providing access to educational opportunities. Our mission is to build schools in rural KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, where deserving students are living on the margin of society, still reeling from the aftereffects of apartheid. We work with local communities to build much-needed classrooms. Without classrooms, students are overcrowded in limited structures or taught under trees in harsh conditions and with few resources. During rainy seasons they are unable to learn at all. ACC also organizes Learning Tours, sharing the people and places we cherish. The tour includes visits to our schools to meet the learners and teach classes. Another highlight of the trip is adventuring out on safaris.