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After nine months of intensive full-time study, the 52 students of the fourth class of the Africa Cries Out Technical School celebrated their graduation in June 2023. The fourth-class students entered the school in the second half of 2022 and chose, according to their own wishes, among the programs it offers: English, French, electrical work, masonry and carpentry, plumbing, mechanics and sheet metal, dyeing, sewing and cooking. All of these programs are accredited by Senegal’s Ministry of National Education, and students who complete their studies receive a technical school diploma from the Africa Cries Out Technical School. After graduating, students must also find themselves a six-month internship; once they complete it, they can obtain a license and practice independently.

It has been a year since March of last year, when I first learned about the nonprofit charity Africa Cries Out (https://africacriesout.net/). In that time I have read many of Dr. Jun Xu’s articles, and it is hard to put my feelings into words. I had never set foot in Africa, and my impression of it was poverty, backwardness and disease. This March, full of worry and boundless expectation, I went to Africa with my daughter to witness the heroes Dr. Xu writes about.