“I think maybe what we've learned is how important family and community are. What I noticed in Madagascar is how genuinely happy they are despite not having a lot in life. We have so many material possessions here in the US, and not to say that's all bad if people want to pursue that, but I just definitely noticed how it wasn't so much about what you have, but like who you are as a person. I would want them to know that anything is possible. You just need to persevere and that can have such a huge ripple effect. Not only one person's life, but anybody, whether that's a community or the whole world on a global scale. I wouldn't want people to feel discouraged because I think there are definitely moments along the way of that and people will just not want to try to do that because people around them may say ‘It's not possible.’ But if you keep going, then it will eventually come to life.”

Maggie Grout is the founder and CEO of Thinking Huts, an international NGO that increases global access to education with innovative, humanitarian-driven technology solutions. Founded by Maggie  8 years ago, when she was15, Thinking Huts seeks to empower young people, especially girls, to achieve more opportunities by obtaining an education. Grout gave a TEDx talk in 2021 on “how we can tackle the global education crisis with 3D printing.”

Grout was born in a rural village in China and adopted at a young age, but where she came from largely shaped her outlook on life and subliminally led her to start Thinking Huts in 2015. Growing up in London and Colorado, Grout was exposed to the melting pot of cultures in British and American society, but she often wondered why so many people were unaware of how others lived an ocean away. She understood what poverty looks like firsthand and how education empowers people to attain greater opportunities.

www.thinkinghuts.org

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