Acronis & GoDaddy team up to build new schools in Sierra Leone and Guatemala

The Acronis Cyber Foundation Program has announced the completion of new school construction in Sierra Leone and Guatemala. Both construction projects, in collaboration with GoDaddy Inc., a company that helps entrepreneurs thrive, support the Program’s mission to help and empower children by providing modern educational infrastructure and learning environments. 

The Barbara Junior Secondary School in Sierra Leone opened in September 2022, with three separate buildings designed to maximize natural light and fresh air. The school is in the village of Barbara in Sierra Leone’s Port Loko district, an agricultural region where the majority of families earn less than $2 per day. Built with locally available sustainable resources such as bamboo and interlocking brick masonry, the construction began in December 2021 with NGO partner Forikolo and is expected to serve over 120 students. The school has amenities for disabled children, a hygiene room for girls, and free hygiene products are distributed. 

“These construction projects would not have been possible without the continued efforts of the Acronis Cyber Foundation Program and the extreme generosity of GoDaddy Pro,” said Patrick Pulvermueller, CEO, of Acronis. “We work with tens of thousands of partners worldwide and over the past five years, we have successfully and positively impacted thousands of children together with our partners through the determinations of the Foundation. We are so thankful to our partners who have joined our mission to help those in underserved communities.”

In 2019, the Acronis Cyber Foundation Program, Cloudfest, and NGO partner Esperanza e.V. collaborated to construct five new classrooms to expand Guatemala’s existing Escuela Oficial Urbana Mixta San Antonio School. Prior to the involvement of the Program, the school’s 525 students shared only 10 classrooms, resulting in significant overcrowding. In 2021, GoDaddy Pro joined the initiative and helped fund the most recent construction project, which included remodeling and expanding three classrooms in the current facility, four additional classrooms, and proper stairs. The development of a modern computer classroom that will allow students to optimize educational resources will be the next goal for the school in San Antonio, Guatemala. 

“These projects align with GoDaddy’s mission to make opportunity more inclusive for all. The successful completion of these projects provides communities with the educational resources they need and deserve,” said Paul Bindel, President of GoDaddy Partners. “We’re proud our efforts and partnership with Acronis created momentum in these communities and gave these students a chance at a formal, modern education.”

Founded in 2018, the Acronis Cyber Foundation Program has been strongly dedicated to education by funding school construction and bringing IT skills training to communities around the globe. In addition to building 18 schools and seven computer classrooms, the Program has engaged in educational projects with over 19,000 people participating in Acronis IT Skills Programs worldwide. It has brought humanitarian aid to more than 5,000 persons in underserved communities. The Acronis Cyber Foundation Program is focused on partnering with other organizations to help make a difference. Acronis invites all businesses, large or small, to engage in joint projects. For partners wanting to develop their own community development plans, the Program can also help in supporting other initiatives. To join our mission, please visit: www.acronis.org.