We came out of a single-donor collapse, and we drew one lesson from it: show donors exactly where their money goes, and never depend on one donor again.
When the Al Haouz earthquake struck Morocco's High Atlas in September 2023, School Aid acted. Across two field missions we spent approximately €75,000 delivering school equipment to damaged schools in difficult, mountainous areas — covering the equipment and the full cost of reaching them (transport, fuel, accommodation and logistics), every euro a cost and none of it taken as pay — in the expectation of reimbursement from USAID, under arrangements we understood to be worth €1.5–3.5 million.
USAID was dismantled and formally closed on 1 July 2025. That reimbursement never came.
We treat that €75,000 as our credibility, not our collection plate. We will never ask the public to “reimburse” what was already spent. Your gift goes forward — to the next school, across Morocco, the Philippines and Venezuela. Any recovery of the original costs is handled quietly and properly in the books.
What those missions left us is the most valuable thing a young charity can have: a documented, photographed record of equipment reaching real classrooms. That is the foundation everything here is built on.
School Aid is volunteer- and founder-led, with no fixed salaries — which means we cannot run an unfunded deficit, and programme spend scales to the funds raised. Across the three-year plan, the great majority of expenditure goes directly to programmes.
It's a ratio we can state to any funder with confidence — and one we re-confirm against each mission's actual costs.
Planning ratios from the three-year strategic plan (financial year 1 Oct–30 Sep). Indicative all-in cost per school equipped: ~€8,000–€12,000.
The plan deliberately spreads income across several independent channels, moving from heavy reliance on one source toward a balanced base over three years.
Public donations, led by low-fee platforms — the launch engine.
Refurbished IT and solar sourced from partners, stretching every euro.
Civil-society and foundation grants aligned to our niche.
CSR partnerships, employee matching and in-kind technology.
School Aid MTÜ is a non-profit association (mittetulundusühing) registered in the Estonian Business Register, acting in the public interest and seated in Tallinn. It is non-distributing: under its articles it may not pass assets or benefits to founders, members, board members or donors.
The organisation sits far below Estonia's mandatory audit thresholds and qualifies to file a simplified report. Its first annual report has been filed and its registry standing is current. We are moving to a four-member Board that adopts every major decision by minuted resolution, and applying to join the Estonian Tax and Customs Board's income-tax-incentive list, which unlocks donor tax relief for Estonian supporters. Meet the Board and see our governance →
We are adopting a written child-protection and safeguarding policy — good practice, and increasingly a funder precondition.
We show people as partners, never as spectacle. Photographic consent is obtained, and we avoid poverty framing.
Donor and supporter data is handled under GDPR. We keep consents on file and never sell your information.
Donations to School Aid MTÜ are generally not tax-deductible outside Estonia. UK and US donors will be able to give tax-effectively via our GlobalGiving page (in preparation). Estonian donors: tax relief applies once we are listed by the Estonian Tax and Customs Board — we will confirm when this is in place. We are honest about this because candour is part of how we earn your trust.
Transparent, lean and going back to where the need is greatest.