You may not know that Embassy language schools are one branch of a large global education company named Study Group. Study Group has many schools and colleges, including Bellerbys, Taylors College, and International Study Centres in the UK and USA - so it is a big company!
And big companies can achieve big things... which got us to thinking. We recognise that, as our students are benefiting from a great education, and in turn, our company is benefiting from your investments, that we should share that good fortune with those who need it most.
So we set up a company-wide charity initiative.
Charitable contributions
Education is our business, so when we were deciding which charity to support, Plan International was a natural choice. With Plan International's help, Study Group build schools for developing communities around the world.
You may have noticed references in our blogs and school news pages to charity events. Every school has regular money-raising activities; in addition, staff in all our offices often run marathons, jump out of aeroplanes, or (less energetically!) put on cake or book sales to raise money. For every penny that is raised, Study Group donate an equal amount, meaning staff efforts are doubled.
All the staff here at Embassy love to hear about the new schools as they are built. We enjoy looking at the photos and learning a bit more about the region.
Our achievements
To date, we have built schools in:
Schools benefit not only children, but the community as a whole, because educated kids grow up to become skilled adults.
The projects often also bring water and sanitation to the region; and as well as the building works, the charity provides educational materials, computers and teaching staff.
The latest school
Here are some images from our latest completed school, in Van Han Commune, Vietnam:

Study Group staff and children from Van Han Commune crowd around the foundation stone.
The new school in the background, with the kids who will benefit.
It's so great to see images like this, and realise that our small actions and donations are actually making a massive difference to children and their families across the world.