All around the globe, World Education is changing lives and building stronger communities. Since 1951, we’ve been working to meet the needs of the disadvantaged by increasing access to education for children and adults. Our programs in 22 countries tackle issues that are of profound importance: improving basic education and skills, helping displaced peoples, stemming the tide of HIV, and reducing violence through conflict resolution.

EDUCATE

No matter where the project is located, we engage local stakeholders at every level to ensure our work is grounded in the needs and cultures of those we help.

This year in Nepal, World Education worked hard to support children and families affected by two tragic earthquakes. By building 336 temporary learning centers and equipping teachers in 70 schools to give psycho-social support for children traumatized in the disaster, we made sure that children could continue their educations during the rebuilding process.

In Mozambique, most children only speak local languages—but are being taught in Portuguese, the national language. In 2015 alone, World Education helped 110,689 students learn to speak and read in Portuguese at 538 schools across the country, training 2,317 teachers in teaching techniques and school leadership to improve early grade reading outcomes. With their new reading skills, these children have access to brighter futures.

In the United States, World Education works alongside adult educators in Massachusetts to improve their ability to teach. Through professional development centers, World Education provides adult basic education teachers with resources for high-quality program development to engage adult learners and help them develop the literary skills needed to earn their high school equivalencies, further their educations, and obtain better employment. The need is great: as of 2015, there are 19,000 adult learners enrolled in these literacy programs with another 15,000 on waitlists.

ENGAGE

No matter where the project is located, we engage local stakeholders at every level to ensure our work is grounded in the needs and cultures of those we help.

In Mali, World Education has been part of the restoration process after the country’s civil war in the North. By setting up peace and reconciliation classes in two of three war-torn provinces and developing accelerated learning classes for 2,500 children who were forced to drop out during the conflict, World Education is building relationships with all members of communities with the goal of lasting stability and peace.

In Cambodia, World Education has helped to improve national literacy scores among grade-school children through mobile learning tools. In 2015, World Education reached 505 teachers, 21,428 students, and 180 schools with early-grade reading programs. While the violence in Cambodia’s past severely decimated its social resources, World Education is proud to continue promoting local development by working with local organizations stakeholders, and government entities to improve literacy across Cambodia.

In the United States, World Education engages with adult learners through shared peer perspectives recorded in a resource called The Change Agent. Written and edited by adult learners and topic experts, The Change Agent provides a creative outlet for discussion on issues ranging from the economic crisis to immigration. In 2015, World Education provided resources for 100 adult educators to use in the classroom through The Change Agent webinars. By approaching relevant topics from an adult learner perspective, World Education offers a resource grounded in the culture of the adult education community.

INSPIRE

Our organization is built on the idea that greater opportunities for all will lead to a better world. To make this happen, we work hard to inspire change—from the policy level down to the individual.

Along the Thailand-Myanmar border, World Education works with displaced people from Myanmar (also known as Burma) who live along the border in refugee camps—currently, 130,000 refugees live in these camps, while an additional 400,000 live unofficially in Thai communities on the border. Through teacher training, curriculum development, special education, and adult literacy work, World Education is improving the quality of and access to education for these at-risk children. By equipping community leaders through parent-teacher associations and other initiatives, World Education is building the capacity of refugee communities to meet the needs of their members in sustainable ways.

In Zimbabwe, World Education is working with community leaders and local celebrities to inform young women and their communities about gender-based violence. By traveling to communities to discuss such a sensitive topic, World Education and community leaders help spread awareness of the issue. As a result of this community advocacy, in 2015 close to 6,000 young women and girls accessed medical, health, and legal services in connection with gender-based violence prevention programs.

In the United States, World Education manages the Massachusetts Adult Literacy Hotline. The referral service provides information about adult basic education (reading, writing, and math), English for speakers of other languages (EOSL) training, family literacy, citizenship, adult diploma programs, and high school equivalency preparation and testing sites. In April of 2015 alone, the website had 5,243 visits, demonstrating the power of using web tools to help learners access the resources they need, when they need them.

To learn more about World  Education’s history and current projects, watch this video.