Creating lasting change to some of the world’s hardest problems requires trusted partners who are dedicated to moving the needle through a methodical, step-by-step approach.
That’s why we seek to partner with those changemakers who are optimistic, persistent, and share in our belief in the potential of every child. These innovators understand a specific issue and recognize how an empowered generation can turn knowledge into transformed communities.
Our desired partners are curious and humble. They are motivated to “prove the results” while understanding where they may fall short and seek out those who can fill this gap. We look for transparent partners that hold themselves to the highest ethical standards as well as robust governance practices.
The Center for Global Development (CGD) is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit think tank that works to reduce global poverty and improve lives through research that drives better policy and practice by the world’s top decision makers. CGD’s education program focuses on broad welfare goals and seeks to understand the role education can play in addressing inequity and the mechanisms through which education can give children equal life opportunities. CGD has partnerships underway with governments and research institutions in countries across sub Saharan Africa and South Asia.
We partner with CGD to understand and tackle the global crisis of violence in schools. Schools should provide a safe and nurturing environment where children are able to learn and thrive. But, in a perversion of this role, children are often harmed and abused in schools. We believe research undertaken by the CGD team can (1) generate data and evidence to demonstrate the urgent need to address violence in schools as a global welfare issue; (2) provide actionable strategies and recommendations to reduce the prevalence of violence; and (3) increase the prominence of school violence as a core issue within the global education community.
The Coalition for Good Schools (CfGS) is a coalition of Global South practitioners that synthesizes knowledge, convenes meetings, and advocates to prevent violence against children in schools. The Coalition was founded by 12 organizations from Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. Currently, three regional hubs bring together more than 35 active member organizations. These member organizations collectively reach 17,500 schools and 8.8 million students.
We partner with the Coalition for Good Schools to work with experts who have deep local knowledge and experience in improving education and safety in schools. Violence is a serious problem for many children who attend school. According to global estimates, over 1 billion children experience violence every year, much of which occurs in schools. The Coalition supports the exchange of experiences and research among practitioners who implement prevention programs in schools, advocates for policy changes, and synthesizes learning from the field. We believe the Coalition can provide critical perspective and insight into how schools can be made safer for students.
Global School Leaders mobilizes key stakeholders to invest and participate in school leadership training. They work with funders, governments, and NGOs in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) to strengthen their education systems. GSL currently works with partners in Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Kenya, and Brazil that have cumulatively strengthened leadership across 3600 schools.
We partner with Global School Leaders because school leaders can be critical in improving the experience of students in school, keeping them safe and learning. We believe GSL’s approach combining a focus on evidence generation with deep and trusting partnerships with in-country organizations has the potential to draw more attention to this critical issue.
Khan Academy is a platform that offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. Khan Academy currently reaches 140 million registered users, with 17.7 million monthly active users across 190 countries in 50 languages.
We partner with Khan Academy to strategically expand their programming in low- and middle-income countries, such as India, Brazil, and Peru. Students’ ongoing and long-term success is predicated on the availability of grade-level and specialized subject-matter materials. The model carefully refined by Khan Academy over the last decade has proven effective at providing students with access to these resources. We believe the proven record, strong brand, and extensive infrastructure Khan Academy has developed give them a long runway to improve student learning outcomes at scale.
The Luminos program, also known as Second Chance, is an accelerated learning program that helps children catch up to grade level, reintegrate into government schools, and prepare for lifelong learning. To date, Luminos catch-up education programs have enabled over 172,957 out-of-school children to get back to school. The Luminos Fund is currently working in Ethiopia, Ghana, Lebanon, Liberia, and The Gambia.
We partner with the Luminos Fund because of their important work bringing students back into the classroom. Schools have long struggled with pupils falling outside of the educational system for a myriad of reasons, and COVID-19 only exacerbated these disruptions. For years, Luminos has pioneered a community-centered model, now expanded through government partnerships, that helps keep students in the classroom and bring back those who have fallen behind. We believe Luminos has the potential to substantially and sustainably change future educational outcomes for children and communities.