Too often we forget how lucky we are to go to school. In certain parts of the world, the journey to school is an obstacle course and knowledge is a conquest. Every morning, sometimes at the risk of their lives, heroic children embark on a journey toward knowledge. These school children are the heroes of their own stories, true stories... Jackson - 11 years old Laikipia - Kenya Father, can I help you make charcoal? Put some soil here. I washed my uniform this morning. Here, Salome, your plate. Eat up, children. Finish your plates. You're going to school tomorrow. There are elephants, you know. I'll go to the river, then past the hill with the pierced rock. If you see elephants, steer clear of them. If they come toward you, run. And when you're walking, be attentive to what's around you. I'll be attentive. I'll follow your advice. 5:30 a.m. 5:30 a.m. We have to get going, it's my turn to raise the flag this morning. May your path be free of obstacles. May your school be blessed. May your pen be blessed and bring you success. Bless you, my children. May you make it to school unharmed. Stay close. Follow me. journey to school: 15km - 2h journey to school: 15km - 2h every morning Zahira - 12 years old High Atlas, Morocco Grandma! I'll read to you before I go. When are you leaving? Tomorrow, God willing. Did you ever go to school? No. I never went to school. I only went to the mosque. The Taleb was our teacher. He taught us "Al Hamdou". Al Hamdou and the verses. Is that all you learned? Yes. There was only the mosque for those who wanted to learn. Those were different times. Today, things are much better. Study so you won't become like us. Become intelligent to do well for yourself. So, Zahira, you're leaving tomorrow. What time do you start school? At 10 o'clock. Your studies are what's most important. You must study. The boarding-house is paying your way, so be conscientious. May God help you in your studies. You'll be with your friends Noura and Zineb. May God allow you to reach your goal. To do well and be the best of the class. - Zahira, you're leaving, my girl? - Yes. God be with you. Study well! Good luck. journey to school: 22km - 4h journey to school: 22km - 4h every Monday The elephants are often over there. But yesterday, they were on the other side. Among the acacia trees. Do you see the tall tree? There are some there. We have to go that way, today. I'd be scared, if I were alone! Zineb! Noura! Did you do your homework? Yes. But it was hard. Ok, we have to get going. Good luck carrying that hen! Carlos - 11 years old Patagonia - Argentina Good morning, son. Want some "mate"? He's a cutie! Son, take this ribbon. It'll protect you on your way to school. Thanks, Dad. Carlito, what classes do you have today? Spanish. Do you know your times tables? Yes. I don't want any bad grades! Mica, hurry up! Cover up. It's still cold in the morning. Bye, son! Look after your sister! journey to school: 18km - 1h30 journey to school: 18km - 1h30 every morning Hurry! Come on! Come on! Be careful! This part is dangerous. Good boy, Chiverito. Are you tired? Yes. We have to persevere if we want to study. Noura has a sore ankle. She's lagging behind! She's holding us up. She's dozing. Noura, hurry up! That Noura... I'm tired, too. Walk faster, Salome, it's dangerous here. Carlito, can I sit in front? No, Mom doesn't want you to. Samuel - 13 years old Bay of Bengal - India Samuel, ready to go home? Did you enjoy the sea? Shall we come back tomorrow? Yes, I'd like that. Stretch out your fingers. Does that hurt? Stretch, stretch. Watch your neck, you'll pinch your nerves. Don't turn this way. Not this way. Turn your head this way. Don't move. Stay like that... a few minutes more. Your nerves are pinched. Just a few more minutes. And it won't hurt anymore. Samuel? How do you feel? All right. It's the story of a poor poet... who comes to ask the king for help. He expresses his request in verse and the king, moved by the story, honors his request and proclaims him... king of the Tamil language. You're out! Eat quickly, we have to go to school. I want to earn money, so I can buy a truck and go to Delhi. When we start earning money, we can buy what we want. How do you earn money? When we grow up, we'll earn some. Emmanuel? Gabriel? Time to go. Gabriel, don't hurt yourself on the chair. journey to school: 4km - 1h15 journey to school: 4km - 1h15 every morning Bye-bye, Mommy. Emmanuel, take good care of your brother. Don't be scared, we'll help you. We're almost there. Somebody's coining. Could you help us, please? Her ankle hurts. I don't have time for that! I'm a busy man! He won't take us. We've almost reached Armed. - Will you be ok? - Yes. Can you still walk? We'll help you. Look, look! There's an entire family. We have to steer clear of them. An elephant! You're breathing too hard. Look to see if the elephants are still there. Be quiet! The coast is clear. Careful, there are bumps! We've fallen here before! Lift up your legs! Be careful! Hang on instead of complaining. Remember when the cows made us fall? Careful, careful. That day, we were going fast... and they attacked us. Easy now, don't break my legs. Careful. Careful, not too fast. Take care of your clothes, so no one will make fun of you. Hopefully we'll catch a ride! I hope we won't wait too long. We might wait a long time. We wasted time... When my ankle hurt. Can you take us to Asni... Why're you going to Asni? To go to school. No. I don't pick people up. What are we going to do? All the cars have already driven by. At this rate, we're going to be late. Let's hope they take us. Please, would you take us to school? I don't pick up school children. Please... - Been waiting long? - Yes. All right, then. Hop in. God bless your parents. We met a mule-driver who refused to take us. Where's the train going? To America. It never rains over there. The train's going to America? It's a long trip! How long will it take? One hour. And where's that train going? To Africa. How long is the trip? 5 minutes. There's a truck ahead. How will we get past it? We can't get past? What will we do, then? We're going to be late! Are you going to school? Want us to carry you? What's your name? Samuel. What school do you go to? Periapattinam. Are they your brothers? Yes. What grade are you in? 6th. Be careful. Look out for yourselves. You're going too fast, I can't keep up! Hurry, I have the flag to raise. Why did you want to come down this way? I thought it would be easier. It would have been easier up there. Stop arguing. We're going to be late for school! I can't push! Why did you come this way? Come on, keep going! Otherwise, we'll be stuck. Look, there _/as a stone. Carlito, can I steer the horse? Ok, but don't tell Mom. Ok. Thank you, Carlito. Hold the reins tight. 'Morning. How's it going? Hey, Mica. Gabriel? What's that noise you're making? It's the air coming out of the tire. Hey, we have a flat tire! It's slowing us down. The chair's broken! The tire's coming off. Push harder. Are we going to miss school? Ok, let's go! Oh, the tire came off the wheel! You won't be able to fix it. You won't. It's broken. Lift a little. What are you doing? Don't be scared. We have to find a shop. What a drag! Let's go! Where'd you go with it? You really need to be more careful. The spoke, here, is bent. I'll put it back in. Will you trade me my hen... for your pastries? Show me. How much for your hen? - 800 - 800? Ok, 800. - A bit of everything? - Yes, some... Some of these and these... We have to hurry! We don't want to be late to class. Stop, we're late as it is. Are you ready? We have to get going. Stop cuddling him. We'll come get you tonight. What classroom are we in? The weekend flew by. We start with Hath, this morning. It's good to see our friends! What is a "milking system"? It's how to milk an animal. All right, Carlito. What are the different steps to milking? You have to carefully wash the udder. After the first squirt, you can start milking. And does the person milking have bare hands? Their hands must be...? Clean. Good morning, children. Good morning, teacher! Who is absent today? No one. Be seated. Thank you, teacher. Thank you for all being here. The elephants make the walk here dangerous. especially for Jackson who lives far away. Coining to school isn't easy. And I thank God... that there were no accidents today. Now, let's get to work! Take your notebooks and pens. and begin the exercise. I want to be a good person. Children like me... are never sent to school by their parents. I know a girl who studied with me. She's not disabled like I am. She's very intelligent. But they stopped sending her to school. Her family is rich. My family is poor, but they send me to school anyway. So I must study well. When I'll have a good education, I'll have studied hard and finished school, I'll get a good job... and I'll help myself, and my family. When I grow up, I want to live where I was born, on my family's land. I want to be a veterinarian. When I grow up, I want to be a schoolteacher. I want to be a doctor... to treat and save everyone who is sick, especially the poor and the destitute. And I want all the girls who live in faraway villages... to get the help they need to continue studying. I dream that one day... I'll be a pilot, and I'll be able to fly. And I see... I get out of my country... to see the lakes, and the highest mountains. Many things! into this world with nothing. it with nothing. We must follow that logic. My goal is to become a doctor... and to help children like me walk. That's my wish, my goal. That's it Samuel is pursuing his studies brilliantly. Gabriel and Emmanuel have learned to repair a tire... and still push their big brother's wheelchair. They are convinced that one day... he'll be able to walk and become a great doctor. Zahira, Zineb and Noura still cross the Atlas Mountains... to reach the boarding-house in Asni. Zahira visits remote mountain villages... to convince families that they must send their children to school. Carlos will soon leave his family to go to boarding school. Micaela's dream is coming true: She will ride to school alone. Thanks to his excellent grades, Jackson has received a grant. His journey to success has begun, His dream to fly around the world will one day become reality. Salome still follows him wherever he goes.