Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Young men practiced parkour moves off a beach-front wall in Sao Vicente, Cape Verde.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Children and young men played a game of foosball in the main plaza at Cidade Velhia.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

A sign in Praia, Cape Verde, had the words, "When you grow up you can be anything you imagine."

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

The University of Cape Verde Campus Palmarejo in Praia.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Teachers and staff at Bridgewater State University are helping Cape Verde’s schools.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

A student held a Portuguese-English dictionary during class at the University of Cape Verde.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

A tourism student in a culinary class at the Ecola de Hoteleria e Turismo de Cabo Verde. Foreign languages are important to the nation’s hopes, especially English for business.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Students gathered in the darker part of the hallways of the campus to be able to use their laptop computers.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Tania Montero was interviewed during a visit to the campus.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Students changed classrooms in between classes at the Palmarejo campus.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Students gathered around a laptop between classes.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Matilde Silva struggles to pay school fees for her son Admilson Almeida Menezes. High school is not free in Cape Verde.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Young women played soccer at Cidade Velhia. With no natural resources, Cape Verde must become a knowledge-based economy, Prime Minister José Maria Neves said.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

A band called Superacion practiced in Sao Vicente. Members said they plan to study music to improve their futures.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

The scene on a street in Cidade Velhia.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Sunset at Cidade Velhia on the island of Santiago where the capital of Cape Verde, Praia, is located.