Desiree Marcus

Ethiopian educator revolutionizing girls' education through mobile schools

Desiree Marcus (b. 1972) pioneered mobile school initiatives in Ethiopia's rural regions starting in 1995. Her Walk to Teach program used converted buses as classrooms, reaching 15,000+ students annually in remote areas. A former UNICEF consultant, she developed the Girls Empowerment Curriculum addressing literacy and health topics. Her 2001 book Education on Wheels became a blueprint for African education NGOs. Partnering with Scholars Africa, she established Ethiopia's first girls' coding academy in 2003. Her Brookings Institution paper showed her methods increased female literacy rates by 40% in target regions. The BBC documentary 'Rolling Classrooms' highlighted her innovation. By 2005, her model was replicated in 7 African countries. Marcus's TEDx talk here argues 'Education mobility meets geographical immobility.'