More than nine years later, Grout’s project is still going strong. Thinking Huts is a remarkable approach to the education crisis facing young people in rural communities in developing countries. Providing educational facilities may not seem revolutionary, but Grout’s concept was to bring technological innovation to philanthropy: his schools are 3D printed.

“I was introduced to 3D printing by my father, who had a background in business technology, and I was fascinated by the field,” she says. “I immediately saw the potential of the technology: it offers people with less experience in construction an easier way to learn, and it takes much less time to build.”

This process is indeed remarkable and will bring incalculable benefits to the world of philanthropic construction in developing countries. Grout explains that his last “printing time” at the school lasted about 18 hours and that his next, slightly larger initiative is expected to take just over two weeks.

Grout also ensures that the materials used and the labor hired for construction (yes, 3D printing still requires physical labor) are all locally sourced, to ensure the project is as ethical and sustainable as possible. This reflects its vision from the beginning, which has been to work directly with local organizations.

“I started by reaching out to small nonprofits that were already working at the local level, and then I was introduced to community members that way, which gave me a better understanding of how local governments work, all the way up to larger structures like the Ministry of Education,” she says. “It took three years to sign the partnership in Madagascar. You realize that you have to navigate all these connections first.”

“It’s always been really important to me to understand the international development side of things,” she continues. “You have to be very conscious of how you work with communities and make sure that you’re adding and not taking away, or that (what you’re doing) doesn’t have any potential negative side effects. I think people think (with 3D printing) that everything is automated and we’re taking away jobs, but we’re actually approaching it in a very different way.”

The organization is currently focused on East Africa, but 17 countries have applied to set up a Thinking Huts school. It’s a commendable achievement for a woman who started her idea as a teenager.

“It took me many years to get to the point where I could show people that this could be done—and in a thoughtful way that always included local artisans,” she says. Her early years, she explains, were largely spent listening and learning, asking for advice, gathering information. Yet throughout her journey, she knew her initiative would be a game changer in the philanthropic world. “I saw innovations like this being used in Silicon Valley, and I thought, why not use this to make a difference? Why not use technology in a charitable way? I hope I’ve proven that it can work.”

She learned many lessons from her entrepreneurial journey. Among them, she understood the importance of building the right team and that the strategies she had learned in business school – where she had enrolled to fully develop her charity – had not helped her find a relevant anchor for funding.

“Most of my classes told me I had to maximize shareholder value, and I realized that didn’t make sense for what I was trying to do,” she says. “We can’t go after venture capital, and we’re not a good fit for foundations because they want to see 50+ years of data. That’s not possible with technology innovation. I started cold-emailing big philanthropists to see if they could fund my idea. People didn’t want to take a risk on something new.” Grout now understands that the business world isn’t geared toward altruism. Instead, she relies on the goodwill of big individual donors. “You can’t put a price on good karma,” she jokes.

After years of listening and contemplation, Grout has reached a new maturity in her career. She is, after all, despite her young age, a seasoned entrepreneur.

“I think I was just trial and error because I got a lot of advice from people, but they were coming from their own experiences. What I learned is that everyone’s journey is not going to be like yours; there’s no perfect solution that you can follow as a template,” she says. “The biggest thing I learned was to trust my own voice and my own instincts.”

To learn more about Thinking Huts’ work, click here.

More than nine years later, Grout’s project is still going strong. Thinking Huts is a remarkable approach to the education crisis facing young people in rural communities in developing countries. Providing educational facilities may not seem revolutionary, but Grout’s concept was to bring technological innovation to philanthropy: his schools are 3D printed.

“I was introduced to 3D printing by my father, who had a background in business technology, and I was fascinated by the field,” she says. “I immediately saw the potential of the technology: it offers people with less experience in construction an easier way to learn, and it takes much less time to build.”

This process is indeed remarkable and will bring incalculable benefits to the world of philanthropic construction in developing countries. Grout explains that his last “printing time” at the school lasted about 18 hours and that his next, slightly larger initiative is expected to take just over two weeks.

Grout also ensures that the materials used and the labor hired for construction (yes, 3D printing still requires physical labor) are all locally sourced, to ensure the project is as ethical and sustainable as possible. This reflects its vision from the beginning, which has been to work directly with local organizations.

“I started by reaching out to small nonprofits that were already working at the local level, and then I was introduced to community members that way, which gave me a better understanding of how local governments work, all the way up to larger structures like the Ministry of Education,” she says. “It took three years to sign the partnership in Madagascar. You realize that you have to navigate all these connections first.”

“It’s always been really important for me to understand the international development side of things,” she continues. “You have to be very conscious of how you work with communities and make sure that you’re adding and not taking away, or that (what you’re doing) doesn’t have any potential negative side effects. I think people think (with 3D printing) that everything is automated and we’re taking away jobs, but we’re actually approaching it in a very different way.”

The organization is currently focused on East Africa, but 17 countries have applied to set up a Thinking Huts school. It’s a commendable achievement for a woman who started her idea as a teenager.

“It took me many years to get to the point where I could show people that this could be done—and in a thoughtful way that always included local artisans,” she says. Her early years, she explains, were largely spent listening and learning, asking for advice, gathering information. Yet throughout her journey, she knew her initiative would be a game changer in the philanthropic world. “I saw innovations like this being used in Silicon Valley, and I thought, why not use this to make a difference? Why not use technology in a charitable way? I hope I’ve proven that it can work.”

She learned many lessons from her entrepreneurial journey. Among them, she understood the importance of building the right team and that the strategies she had learned in business school – where she had enrolled to fully develop her charity – had not helped her find a relevant anchor for funding.

“Most of my classes told me I had to maximize shareholder value, and I realized that didn’t make sense for what I was trying to do,” she says. “We can’t go after venture capital, and we’re not a good fit for foundations because they want to see 50+ years of data. That’s not possible with technological innovation. I started cold-emailing big philanthropists to see if they could fund my idea. People didn’t want to take a risk on something new.” Grout now understands that the business world isn’t geared toward altruism. Instead, she relies on the goodwill of big individual donors. “You can’t put a price on good karma,” she jokes.

After years of listening and contemplation, Grout has reached a new maturity in her career. She is, after all, despite her young age, a seasoned entrepreneur.

“I think I was just trial and error because I got a lot of advice from people, but they were coming from their own experiences. What I learned is that everyone’s journey is not going to be like yours; there’s no perfect solution that you can follow as a template,” she says. “The biggest thing I learned was to trust my own voice and my own instincts.”

To learn more about Thinking Huts’ work, click here.