TESL Distance Learning

English education & faculty professional development — Line Islands schools

Two years of English education, delivered continuously, for $5,000 total. Modest funding takes it to every classroom on both islands.

The Need

For I-Kiribati students, English proficiency is a gateway — to higher education, to employment within Kiribati and abroad, and to the seafaring and tourism jobs that anchor what little formal economy exists. But qualified English teachers are scarcest exactly where they're needed most, and outer-island schools have neither the staff nor the resources to close the gap.

The Program

Oceans of Gratitude provides donated hardware and generators to local schools and pairs them with TESL professionals overseas via distance tutoring, supplementing the English curriculum where qualified teachers are scarcest. The same connectivity opens continuing professional development to local faculty — multiplying the impact of every teacher on the island, not replacing them.

The program has run continuously for two years on a total donation of $5,000 — what the founding team and friends could personally afford. It is working, and it is our proof that well-placed money goes extraordinarily far here: this is what island-scale education costs when there is no consultant overhead, no administrative layer, and no program designed in a distant capital.

Program Funding (Annual Expansion)

  • Hardware & generators for additional classrooms — $4,000–$8,000

  • Internet connectivity for participating schools — $2,000–$4,000

  • Expanded tutor hours & coordination — $3,000–$6,000

  • Teaching materials & faculty development resources — $1,000–$2,000

  • Total annual expansion — $10,000–$20,000

Support This Program

  • $2,500 connects a classroom — hardware, power, and a year of tutoring for an entire class.

  • $500 funds a month of tutor hours across the program.

  • $20,000 takes the program island-wide for a full year.

Donate Now → All contributions are tax-deductible. To direct your gift to this program, note the program name with your donation or contact us.

Program Updates

The latest from the field. Check back here as this program grows.

2026 — Two years and counting. The program has now run continuously for two years, connecting island classrooms with TESL professionals abroad.