KLM was founded in 2004 by two Peace Corps Volunteers serving in South Africa, Bowen Hsu and Allison Howard Berry. Over the course of their two-year Peace Corps service, Bowen and Allison worked in rural villages and townships and met extraordinary young people who possessed great intelligence and talent, but no opportunities for a high-quality education. The conditions in rural government schools were lamentable – teachers were ill-trained and poorly compensated, learning resources were non-existent, and even the brightest students didn’t have meaningful opportunities to learn. Moreover, without adult role models to introduce options for professional careers, children often couldn’t even envision a life beyond rural poverty. Together with a group of fellow Peace Corps Volunteers, expert advisors, and local stakeholders, KLM was founded to help these rural children reach their full potential.