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Diamonds that Give Back: The Dow Academy
A portion of the proceeds from every diamond in our Diamonds of Wonder collection is donated to The Dow Academy in Mochudi, Botswana.
The Dow Academy
serves children from daycare through secondary school.
In our meetings with Cheshe Dow, we have been inspired and humbled by her dedication to education in rural Botswana. Quality, affordable education is hard to come by. Her dream is for all children to have a safe education and for their mothers (80% of whom are single mothers) to have access to safe childcare so they can earn a living.
The Dow Academy Values
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COURAGE
Being able to act not-withstanding challenging or frightening events and situations.
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CREATIVITY
An individual's ability to personally interpret experiences, discover new possibilities, and create solutions that are novel, useful, and valued by the world around them.
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COMMUNITY
An individual’s capacity to work with other people in a process that requires interdependence to solve a problem, achieve a goal or complete a task.
About The Dow Academy
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TDA Tagline | "We Are Diamonds"
The Dow Academy's tagline is "Re Diteemane," or "We are diamonds." It is a nod to the value they place on each and every child in their school and the importance of diamonds to the entire wellbeing of Botswana.
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Preschool Program | Ages 2.5-5
Preschool programs are incredibly important in Botswana because 80% of mothers are single mothers. Often these women are not able to work until their child is 5. Providing a safe, inexpensive childcare option allows women the opportunity to earn a living while ensuring their children are safe. The Dow Academy's dream is to grow their program from 21 children to 100.
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TDA Tech Series Programs
TDA integrates technical, vocational, and life skills alongside the long established and understood academics currently offered in basic education institutions. This includes media, journalism, coding, music, mechanics, robotics, and more.
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Average Tuition | Diamonds of Wonder Impact
The annual tuition per student is $2,500 USD on average. The impact of the proceeds of Diamonds of Wonder will fund several students annually.
Diamonds & The People of Botswana
Ms. Dow shared with us that, to the people of Botswana, the relationship with diamonds is more about what the diamonds are for them. Diamonds are the reason they have roads, healthcare, education, running water, electricity, and wildlife conservation.
“The diamond is beautiful because it is all things to the people of Botswana.”
– Cheshe Dow
Diamonds account for 60-90% of exports in any given year. In 2023, this number was $7.4 billion. Despite being a very stable democracy and one of the fastest growing countries in Africa, 56% of Batswana still live in poverty.
Celebrating the Wonder of Love, Imagination, and Natural Diamonds
It is our hope that every R.F. Moeller couple chooses a Diamond of Wonder to celebrate the wonder of their love story and that they can wear their diamond with pride, knowing that it is not only natural and ethical, but that it helps further the dreams of children in Botswana.