Jesse Orndorff
Thoughts, ideas, and projects.
In the middle of a tough pivot after losing 80% of our projected funding, I stumbled on a stat that surprised me: we increased teachers’ salaries by 48% last year. A simple pilot in three schools proved that our EdTech for Good platform could be financially sustainable while putting more money in teachers’ pockets. With USAID funding gone, the challenge now is scaling this model. But one thing I know for sure: those of us in this space are resilient. We adapt, we build, and we keep going.
More Stories
Why Stories Matter: Telling the Stories of Aid That People Don’t See
The school bell rang, but here, there were no roads, no sidewalks—only water. Children rushed from their classrooms, not to a bus or a waiting car, but to small wooden boats bobbing at the edge of their floating school. As they paddled home across the Tonle Sap, I realized: this work is more than projects and budgets—it’s about people, about lives transformed. And it’s time we tell these stories more often.
Balancing Impact and Survival: How the USAID Halt Is Reshaping My Small Business
An exploration of the effects of the recent USAID global stop work order on small businesses in the development sector, with insights into the challenges and potential paths forward.