Katie Christ co-founded and directs Mali Kalanso, a non-profit education project in West Africa. She will share her journey from breaking ground on the first classrooms till now, as the first class of students are about to enter university.

Katie Christ’s relationships in West Africa began over 30 years ago. Her journey started with the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Mali, where she built life-long friendships. Returning to the same village in Mali over the years, Katie persistently observed that rural children lacked access to education. In 2010, she committed her skills to the community where she first lived in Mali. Together with a friend from the Peace Corps, Katie co-founded what has become a model school for the region. The path has not been easy or straight; but the partnership with the community and the success of the children graduating from the school is the reward.

Katie has a BA in Economics/ International Studies from UCLA and a MA in International Development Policy from Stanford University. She’s worked in micro-enterprise development in Africa and the US.