While many traditional approaches to improving food security outcomes focus on addressing farmers’ agricultural knowledge and access to productive resources, they may not always use a gender lens to understand the different needs, challenges and capabilities of women farmers. As climate change continues to threaten global food security, it’s crucial to use an inclusive approach to programming that will close the gender gap in agricultural productivity and address the barriers faced by those who are most vulnerable.
To most people in Rwanda, Bwiza Village was a place unseen, and to the outside world, it was less than that. It was both unseen, unheard of, and mostly unimaginable. Yet, the name “Bwiza” in Kinyarwanda, the national language of Rwanda, translates as “something good” and a place named “Bwiza” would essentially mean “a good place”. Clinging to the eastern slope of an unnamed hillside in Gasabo District, in the eastern-most part of the city of Kigali, Bwiza in 2009, was home to about 30 Batwa families who lived in a couple dozen stick and thatch huts scattered like buckshot across two ravines splitting the ridge like cracks in a loaf of crusty peasant bread.
Global Partnerships is a GlobalWA member and a nonprofit impact-first investment fund manager dedicated to expanding opportunity for people living in poverty. We’re sharing their most-recently published Impact Brief below:
The Challenge
The number of people facing hunger has been rising for nearly a decade. Close to 30 percent of the global population now faces moderate to severe food insecurity, with households living in poverty or conflict zones at especially high risk.[1]
There are two key factors constraining access to healthy food: availability and affordability.
Availability challenges often appear in two forms, particularly in urban areas: food deserts, where there are few or no places to buy food; and food swamps, where stores only sell unhealthy junk food.
Affordability encompasses the absolute cost of food and the cost of a healthy diet relative to household income. In Latin America and the Caribbean, approximately 23 percent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet, and in sub-Saharan Africa that rate rises to a staggering 84 percent.[2]
Global Washington (GlobalWA), the premiere West Coast global development association, is pleased to announce an exciting new chapter. Elizabeth Stokely has been appointed as Executive Director and will play a pivotal role in leading the organization forward.
Elizabeth joins GlobalWA from Accion International, bringing over 16 years of global development experience across a variety of sectors and countries. Her extensive background in program design, strategy development and execution, and fundraising positions her as an invaluable asset to the organization. Elizabeth has a strong reputation for innovative thinking, transparent leadership, and a deep understanding of the industry landscape.
“I am honored to join Global Washington, an organization that has been instrumental in fostering collaboration and driving interdisciplinary approaches to addressing complex global problems. I look forward to working with our dedicated members to build partnerships, spark innovation, and continue strengthening Washington State’s role in creating a more prosperous world for all.”
In her role as Executive Director, Elizabeth will lead GlobalWA’s program development, member partnerships, and working groups, while ensuring financial sustainability, continued member support, and sound operations. Jane Meseck, who has been leading Global WA since June of 2024, will continue as Strategic Advisor, working one day a week to support Elizabeth’s transition into the ED role.
Sara Rogge, board chair of GlobalWA, said, “On behalf of the entire GlobalWA board, I am delighted to welcome Elizabeth as the new Executive Director. Elizabeth’s experience working in global development and her leadership experience working with diverse partners and geographies will serve her well as GlobalWA’s next leader. I also want to thank Jane Meseck for her leadership and support as the interim ED over the past 4 months and for her ongoing service to GlobalWA as Strategic Advisor.”
Background on Elizabeth Stokely
At Accion, Elizabeth led a diverse portfolio of global partners, securing investments in and shaping initiatives focused on financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment with Mastercard, USAID, and many others. Her experiences founding a social impact consulting firm, leading projects on the ground with the Peace Corps and Fulbright, and engaging and convening global leaders at the Inter-American Dialogue, have provided her with the opportunity to lead diverse teams and facilitate collective action. She holds an MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business and is fluent in Spanish.
Please contact Joel Meyers, Director of Communications, GlobalWA, at comms@globalwa.org with any questions.
Refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) do not choose to leave their homes – it is an action they are forced to do. To date, nearly 120 million people have been forced to escape armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights abuses, or natural or man-made disasters. This is a 200% increase since I began working on this issue in 2012.
These numbers are unprecedented and sobering. As a part Women of the World’s 2024 focus on refugees, we are publishing this Special Edition Issue Campaign on the plight of refugees and IDPs today. We have been given special permission to republish the UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency’s Global Trends summary report while also diving into how our members, Oxfam and Global Communities, are assisting refugees in their programs. We are encouraged to hear about how our other members are helping refugees and IDPs through short summaries that are also included here.
To deeper understand the refugee experience, we encourage you to attend a free event on October 22 at the Gates Discovery Center in Seattle: Hope Away from Home | An Evening with Emi Mahmoud – a Sudanese-American slam poet, humanitarian, and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. We invite you to read our profile article about Emi to help you get excited about meeting this warm and dynamic former refugee.
We are also very pleased to announce we have EXTENDED our Early Bird rate for our 15th Annual Goalmakers Conference to October 15th! The agenda and speakers will be announced in the next few days with an exciting new focus on career development for global development professionals. We invite you to join us at this marquee event – register here today and don’t miss out on this opportunity.
When thinking about the growing global forced displacement crisis, we felt we should go directly to the experts: UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency (USA for UNHCR is a GlobalWA member). With permission, we have republished their summary report on their latest Global Trends report, published in June 2024. You can access the full report and the data here. This report, as you will see, provides key statistical trends on forced displacement, including the latest official statistics on refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced and stateless people, as well as the number of refugees who have returned home.
At the end of 2023, an estimated 117.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing the public order. Based on operational data, UNHCR estimates that forced displacement has continued to increase in the first four months of 2024 and by the end of April 2024 is likely to have exceeded 120 million. The increase to 117.3 million at the end of 2023 constitutes a rise of 8 per cent or 8.8 million people compared to the end of 2022 and continues a series of year-on-year increases over the last 12 years. One in every 69 people, or 1.5 per cent of the entire world’s population, is now forcibly displaced. This is nearly double the 1 in 125 people who were displaced a decade ago.
“Behind these stark and rising numbers lie countless human tragedies. That suffering must galvanize the international community to act urgently to tackle the root causes of forced displacement.”
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
People forcibly displaced worldwide | 2014 – 2023
Some Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate in Gaza have also been internally displaced. In this graph, these internally displaced refugees under UNRWA’s mandate are only counted once, under the figure for ‘Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate.
New forced displacements in 2023
New and ongoing conflicts have driven forced displacement across the globe. Conflict in Sudan broke out in April 2023, causing one of the largest humanitarian and displacement crises in the world. More than 6 million people were displaced within the country, with a further 1.2 million fleeing to neighbouring countries. In Myanmar, escalating violence following the military takeover in February 2021, displaced more than 1.3 million people within the country in 2023. While in the State of Palestine, UNRWA estimates that between October and December 2023, up to 1.7 million people (or over 75 per cent of the population) were displaced by the conflict in the Gaza Strip, with some forced to flee multiple times.
Conflict-driven displacement
Forced displacement is a consequence of the failure to uphold peace and security. As the frequency, duration and intensity of conflicts have increased, as measured by conflict-related fatalities in the graph below, so has the number of people forced to flee each year.
Conflict-related fatalities | 2009 – 2023
Data on conflict-related deaths provided by the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. Data for 2023 is sourced from the UCDP Candidate Event Dataset, with conflict events with the highest degree of uncertainty excluded (code status equals “Check”). Fatalities combine State-based violence, non-State violence and one-sided violence.
People forced to flee each year | 2009 – 2023
This figure includes estimates of new internal displacements. These refer to movements, and are a comprehensive cumulative figure of displacement. Depending on certain situations the same people can be displaced several times over a given period and would therefore be reported multiple times in the cumulative figures.
Refugees
The global refugee population increased by 7 per cent to reach 43.4 million during the year. This includes 31.6 million refugees and people in a refugee-like situation and 5.8 million other people in need of international protection under UNHCR’s mandate, as well as 6 million Palestinian refugees under UNRWA’s mandate. Compared to a decade ago, the total number of refugees globally has more than tripled. The largest proportion of refugees globally were from Afghanistan and Syria, both with 6.4 million each, and together equivalent to one-third of all refugees under UNHCR’s mandate. These were followed by Venezuela (6.1 million refugees and other people in need of international protection) and Ukraine (6.0 million refugees). Most refugees remain near their country of origin, with 69 per cent hosted in neighbouring countries at the end of 2023. Low- and middle-income countries continue to host the majority of the world’s refugees, with 75 per cent of refugees living in low- and middle-income countries.
Refugees fleeing conflict or persecution may travel on routes alongside migrants. While the rights of refugees and migrants are distinct, those using the same routes face similar risks. According to interviews with 31,500 refugees and migrants along the Central Mediterranean route, the predominant risks include severe threats to life, rape, torture, kidnapping, arbitrary detention, robbery and human trafficking, among other risks. Between 2021 and 2023, 950 people are known to have died while crossing the Sahara Desert, although the actual number is believed to be much higher. During the same period, 7,600 people on the move died or went missing in the Mediterranean Sea. UNHCR is working with partners to develop a data-driven route-based approach to strengthen protection for refugees and migrants, ensuring they have access to the services they need along key routes.
Internally displaced people
Most people who are forced to flee never cross an international border, remaining displaced within their own countries. Known as internally displaced people, or IDPs, they account for 58 per cent of all forcibly displaced people. At the end of 2023, 68.3 million people remained internally displaced due to conflict and violence. An estimated 9.1 million people were displaced within Sudan, the largest internally displaced population ever reported. This was followed by Syria (7.2 million), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (6.7 million).
Conflict in Sudan broke out in April 2023. An estimated 1.2 million people had fled the country by the end of the year, with almost all Sudanese refugees hosted by neighboring countries. A further 9.1 million Sudanese were displaced within the country, including people displaced by previous conflict. Sudan now has the largest internally displaced population ever reported. Prior to the April conflict, Sudan was also host to almost 1 million refugees, primarily from Eritrea, South Sudan and Syria. Many were forced to return to their home countries prematurely or move on to other countries. Thousands of people are still being displaced in Sudan daily. Hunger is widespread, with 20 million people (42 per cent of the entire population) facing acute food insecurity.
Solutions
In 2023, nearly 1.1 million refugees from 39 countries decided to return home from a total of 93 countries of asylum. Four out of five of those returning were Ukrainian or South Sudanese. However, as most returns occurred in contexts not entirely conducive to return in safety and dignity, they may not be sustainable. In addition, 5.1 million people displaced within their own country returned to their place of origin during the year. Nearly 62 per cent of all IDP returns were within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1.8 million) and Ukraine (1.3 million). According to official government data, 158,700 refugees were resettled to third countries in 2023, representing 35 per cent more (40,000) than during the previous year. Despite the uptick in numbers, this still only accounted for 8 per cent of the estimated 2 million individuals globally identified by UNHCR as in need of resettlement. A further 30,800 refugees acquired the citizenship of their host country during the year and were locally integrated.
Durable solutions for refugees | 2019 – 2023
* Resettlement figures are according to government statistics.
SPOTLIGHT Forced displacement and climate change
Climate change is exacerbating the protection needs and risks for forcibly displaced people and contributing to new, onward and protracted displacement. Extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods and extreme heat, are becoming more frequent and more intense. These have often impacted countries experiencing new or escalating conflicts. Without urgent adaptation, mitigation and measures to address loss and damage, climate change impacts are expected to increasingly, and disproportionately, affect climate vulnerable States and communities, including forcibly displaced people.
At the end of 2023, almost 3 in 4 forcibly displaced people were living in countries with high-to-extreme exposure to climate-related hazards.
Nearly 1 in 2 were living in countries where they also remained exposed to conflict.
Climate-related hazards, countries with more than one conflict-related death per 100,000 (2022) and the number of forcibly displaced people per country (2023)
In addition to the above-mentioned members, the following GlobalWA members and Pangea grant partners have programs and services in the communities where they work to assist refugees and displaced persons:
With over 117 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, including 43 million refugees, this crisis is one of the defining challenges of our time. Amid the immense hardships caused by war, political instability and the growing threat of climate disasters, it is crucial to remember that health is a human right that transcends borders.
For more than four decades, Americares has worked alongside partner organizations to meet the health needs of refugees and other displaced populations globally. Americares is currently supporting people displaced by natural disasters, those displaced by war in Gaza, Syria and Ukraine and those fleeing the crisis in Venezuela.
In Gaza, Americares is responding to the health needs of families affected by the war, delivering over 23 tons of medicine and medical supplies, supporting mobile medical teams and providing mental health support for frontline health workers. And in Colombia, Americares health clinics have been a lifeline for Venezuelans who have been forced to flee due to the mounting crisis in the country.
As the refugee crisis grows, Americares remains committed to providing displaced populations the health care they need to survive, recover and rebuild their lives.
Global Communities has a rich history of providing emergency aid and protection services to refugees and internally displaced people in many crisis settings, from Ukraine and Gaza to Syria and Guatemala. This includes our Child Protection in Emergencies programming, which supports the well-being of children and addresses risks created or exacerbated by crises, such as abuse and family separation. We build protective environments, strengthen children’s resilience and work to prevent further harm. In Syria, for example, we manage several Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) for children living in displacement camps. Given the dire conditions in the camps, CFS create safe and welcoming environments where children engage in age-appropriate activities, receive psychosocial services and learn positive coping mechanisms. We also offer parenting sessions and cash assistance, for instance, to ensure that children have stable housing. In Ukraine, we partner with community-based organizations to fill gaps in state services. We engage children in art therapy classes, learn and play activities, and community events to support their healing and recovery. We also foster social cohesion between displaced people and host communities. For example, our recreational activities bring children from the community together with those who have fled the fighting to encourage integration and minimize tensions.
Global Mentorship Initiative is a US-based global nonprofit bridging the gap between graduation and first career jobs for underrepresented young professionals and refugees from diverse communities. Through leveraging digital resources, mentorship, AI, and human connection, we are building a more equitable workforce of tomorrow’s leaders.
GMI’s flagship program is a structured, 12-week, virtual, one-to-one mentorship with a career professional. In four years, GMI has scaled from supporting 20 students to now over 7,000 in 100 countries, including 8 refugee camps.
GMI has supported over 500 refugee learners, many living in camps across Africa and Lebanon. 72% are employed within six months of graduating, in camps where the formal employment rate can be as low as 10%. GMI has partnered with the UNHCR to mentor 1,000 refugee learners over the next two years and support our corporate partners in hiring these bright, motivated candidates. For more information about how you can mentor, sponsor, or hire refugee learners, please contact ravenna.hennane@globalmentorship.org.
Founded at the call of Albert Einstein in 1933, the International Rescue (IRC) helps people whose lives are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. IRC has provided services to uprooted children and families for over 90 years globally, and in Seattle since 1976. Our approach has four important aspects:
Toughest places focus. Responding quickly and aiming to stay as long as needed in the world’s toughest and most remote places.
Putting people first. Developing and deploying a wide range of programs to address people’s needs and make the greatest impact.
Relentless improvement. Constantly adapting and improving our programs.
Building community. Helping people become part of their new communities worldwide, including Europe and the Americas.
In over 40 countries, the IRC is one of the only global organizations that works across the entire arc of crisis—from war zones to refugee resettlements—as we help millions from harm to a new home.
In Washington, for most newly arrived families, IRC is the hand that leads them through finding housing and employment, enrolling children into schools, and finding healthcare.
Sign up for our Newsletter to our local Seattle office to stay updated with all activities. Please contact Gul Siddiqi, Development Manager, at gul.siddiqi@rescue.org for any questions related to Donations, Corporate Volunteer Engagement, In-Kind Drives, and Partnerships.
War, violence, and oppression have displaced millions globally, with Africa experiencing the fastest-growing refugee crisis. Refugees face trauma, unsafe conditions, and competition over dwindling resources, leading to hunger and instability. Mercy Corps tackles poverty and displacement by addressing root causes and supporting long-term recovery after other organizations leave. Their first priority is meeting immediate needs—providing food, water, clothing, and hygiene essentials. Then, they focus on long-term recovery, offering cash assistance through e-cash or vouchers to help refugees meet personal needs, restart businesses, and regain independence.
Mercy Corps also emphasizes mental health support. Conflict-affected children and youth access skill-building activities, helping restore normalcy and meet psychosocial needs. Women and LGBTQ+ individuals are connected with support networks, helping them rebuild their lives in new environments.
Operation Snow Leopard (OSL) is a US-based nonprofit founded immediately after Kabul’s fall in August 2021. OSL’s primary mission is to safely evacuate and resettle at-risk Afghans, with a strong focus on women and children. We assist vulnerable groups, including women leaders, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, interpreters, doctors, activists, and religious minorities. Entirely run by volunteers, including former military personnel, civilians, and Afghans, OSL has conducted dozens of missions, helping nearly 1900 at-risk Afghans evacuate and relocate. OSL raises funds for mission essentials like food, lodging, medical care, travel, and documentation (passports, visas) for Afghans.
Since August 2021, OSL accepted a specific mission to help female Afghan Parliamentarians who were at risk of Taliban retribution. Despite engaging with over forty nations for resettlement pathways over the past two years, OSL was surprised to receive only a few offers. In 2022, OSL partnered with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, participating in international dialogues to aid at-risk Parliamentarians. OSL’s efforts included attending IPU General Assemblies in Bahrain and Geneva and coordinating with the UN. However, despite some progress, government and international institutions have not resolved these high-profile individuals’ resettlement issues. OSL actively renews calls for countries to accept these courageous women and their staff, who bravely risked everything when they stood up for democracy.
Outright International works with partners around the globe to strengthen the capacity of the LGBTIQ human rights movement, document and amplify human rights violations, and advocate for inclusion and equality. As part of this mission, Outright aims to ensure that LGBTIQ people are fully integrated throughout all elements of the humanitarian program cycle, with the goal of improving respect for, protection of, and fulfillment of the rights of LGBTIQ people before, during, and after humanitarian crises. This includes advocating with and supporting humanitarian coordination systems and actors to be more inclusive of LGBTIQ people and organizations; preparing and creating opportunities for LGBTIQ activists to engage with and influence these systems and actors; co-developing, promoting, and increasing inclusive humanitarian programming by LGBTIQ groups and within mainstream organizations; and ensuring that measurement, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems are more sensitive and responsive to LGBTIQ people affected by crisis.
Around the world, Oxfam partners with local organizations to help refugees and other displaced people with their immediate basic needs for clean water, shelter, food, and work as well as advocate for their long-term wellbeing—both in their own nations, and in the countries that host them. We engage with allies and government officials at all levels to focus on peace and find sustainable solutions to the conflict and violence that ruin so many lives. We push for wealthy countries to welcome refugees and boldly attend to their needs. And we advocate for public policies that protect the rights of displaced families as they strive to rebuild their lives and fight to provide for their children a more equal future—in their own countries or the ones in which they settle. Read more.
The 2021 military coup in Myanmar/Burma has led to a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions. Refugee families, activists, and internally displaced peoples (IDPs) struggle to rebuild their lives along Myanmar/Burma’s borders amidst ongoing turmoil. The situation has worsened in 2024, with increased airstrikes on civilian areas and a conscription campaign targeting youth. Compounding this man-made disaster, the recent devastation wrought by Typhoon Yagi has forced hundreds of thousands more from their homes, exacerbating an already dire situation and stretching limited resources to the breaking point.
The crisis has far-reaching consequences, including a potential brain drain, with over half of highly skilled graduates wanting to emigrate. Neighboring countries like Thailand and Bangladesh grapple with the influx, often labeling refugees as “illegals,” in ways that echo immigration debates in the U.S.
The Myanmar military’s actions have been devastating, with thousands of civilians killed, millions displaced, and tens of thousands of homes destroyed. Despite recent setbacks for the military, the situation remains dire for those affected.
In response, Partners Asia is supporting dozens of local organizations and their visionary leaders who organize essential education, health, and livelihood programs for people who have had to flee their homes, channeling crucial funding to these grassroots efforts. While the challenges are immense, we remain committed to providing support to our unstoppable partners and fueling hope for those affected by this ongoing crisis.
Seattle International Foundation (SIF) believes in just, peaceful and prosperous societies in Central America, and that Central Americans should not be forced to leave their communities in search of refuge and safety. We work to build good governance and equity in order to address key political and social challenges in the region, including authoritarianism, human rights violations, corruption, impunity, violence, gender inequality, and discrimination, as they are push factors for forced displacement and migration.
We invest in organized civil society and independent actors at the forefront of advocacy efforts and to serve as the voice of the public and in independent media whose work increases transparency and accountability of actors in power. We bring together donors and international actors supporting Central America with Central American civil society leaders, including those who have gone into exile for political persecution, so that they can exchange experiences and build strategies to address the main drivers of irregular migration. Above all, we champion the visions of local communities in their efforts to demand political and social change and build the countries they dream of.
Pangea Grant Partners – Refugees
East Africa
Solidarity Eden Foundation, Uganda
2023 funds were used to expand the Women on Wheels program to equip 100 refugee women to gain financial independence: extensive tailing and business training combined with mentoring, mental health support and internships with established tailors. This is a comprehensive program ameliorating the trauma of refugee reality with training and gainful employment.
SE Asia
FORTUNE, Thailand
FORTUNE, a grassroots organization in Fang District in Northern Thailand, is the newest grant partner in Southeast Asia. It was founded in 2009. Its mission is to address the community and human rights needs of Myanmar ethnic migrant workers (many undocumented) who live and work in migrant camps on agricultural farms along the Thai-Myanmar border. FORTUNE provides support to Myanmar refugees and migrant workers living in Thailand.
Ukraine Oxfam water points in Mykolaiv. Photo: Kieran Doherty / Oxfam
Hello, please introduce yourself, including your position(s) at Oxfam, and where you are stationed.
My name is Tara Gingerich. I am the Humanitarian Director at Oxfam America. Oxfam America is headquartered in Boston, though I live in Maine and work remotely. I have worked for Oxfam for over 15 years.
Tell us a bit about Oxfam and how Oxfam initiated programs to help refugees…
Oxfam is a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. We work with local organizations to address urgent humanitarian needs and protect lives when disaster strikes, and at the same time, we tackle the root causes of poverty, for the long term. We advocate for economic justice, gender equality, climate action, and to transform the global humanitarian system. And we demand equal rights and equal treatment so that everyone can thrive, not just survive.
Oxfam’s creation was actually tied to supporting refugees. We were founded in 1942 – as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (eventually shortened to its postal code abbreviation “Oxfam”) – in order to support refugees in Greece.
Although the organization is not dedicated exclusively to supporting displaced persons, displacement puts people in such a vulnerable context that they are a significant priority of our humanitarian work.
What are some of the key programs that Oxfam implements to help refugees?
Oxfam partners with local organizations to help refugees and other displaced people around the world with their immediate basic needs as well as advocate for their long-term wellbeing—both in their own nations, and in the countries that host them. We engage with allies and government officials at all levels to focus on peace and find sustainable solutions to the conflict and violence that ruin so many lives. We push for wealthy countries to welcome refugees and generously attend to their needs. And we advocate for public policies that protect the rights of displaced families as they strive to rebuild their lives and fight to provide for their children a more equal future—in their own countries or the ones in which they settle.
Oxfam supports both displaced people who remain within their own countries (“internally displaced persons,” or IDPs) and those who have crossed into another country as they seek safety and security (“refugees”).
Our humanitarian programming for both groups of displaced people tends to be in the major areas, or sectors, in which Oxfam has expertise: water, sanitation, and hygiene; food and economic security, including livelihoods; and “protection,” which is a catch-all term for activities that keep people safe from harm in crisis contexts. Examples of our work include providing clean, safe water; building latrines; providing people with cash to purchase food or, if there is no food available in a community, providing actual food; providing them with training to help find work in their new environment; and helping people to access services for everything from legal advice about their rights to care and justice following gender-based violence.
As I’ll describe below, we are frequently conducting this work in partnership with civil society organizations in the countries in crisis and the countries hosting refugees.
One distinguishing feature of Oxfam – and an aspect that drew me to Oxfam many years ago – is that we are a rights-based organization, which means that our work is guided by the legal standards found in the range of international human rights treaties and conventions, commitments that governments make, and the values and principles that inform them. Displaced people, particularly refugees, are protected under international law. And in the past several years, governments have signed onto global frameworks governing refugees. Oxfam works to make sure that affected people know their rights, we advocate on their behalf to the US and other influential governments, and we facilitate affected people engaging in their own direct advocacy.
Oxfam is assisting people in most of the largest displacement crises today, include Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, South Sudan, and Myanmar.
For example, the crisis in Syria, which started in March 2011, continues to cause tremendous human suffering to people both inside and outside the country. More than 12 million people have fled their homes, many more than once. Oxfam is helping more than 1.5 million people in Syria who have been displaced by the conflict and refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. In Syria we are helping people with clean water, cash, essential clothing items, and support to help make a living and grow nutritious food. In Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, Oxfam is helping refugees affected by the crisis as well as people in need in the communities hosting them. We are also working with partners and allies across the region and beyond to advocate for peace, and to ensure that the voices of women, youth, and refugees are included in discussions about policies that affect them.
Closer to home, Oxfam has supported families in Central America as they flee to the US in search of safety, providing lifesaving assistance at camps and shelters along their journey and supporting employment opportunities. When necessary, we have responded along the migrant caravan routes in Guatemala and Mexico with humanitarian aid, including distribution of hygiene kits, food packages, and water, and installation of portable toilets, showers, and drinking water points for thousands in need.
As an advocacy organization, what are some initiatives Oxfam has in place for advocating for refugee rights and safety?
Oxfam has several advocacy objectives related to refugees. First, you might be surprised that this is necessary, but our first objective is that refugees are able to participate – meaningfully – in discussions and decisions that affect them. We also advocate for bringing a gender focus to refugee response, which is necessary because women face specific needs in displacement settings, yet programming for displaced people continues to often be gender-blind. Third, we advocate for shifting power to refugees and refugee-led organizations so that they are in the driver’s seat of decision-making and so they have the capacity to represent and support their communities. Our fourth objective addresses the fact that the vast majority of the world’s refugees are hosted in low- and middle-income countries, whose support of refugees puts extraordinary pressure on limited resources and host communities; as a result of this imbalance, Oxfam calls on UN member countries to share this responsibility, as they agreed to in the 2018 United Nations (UN) Global Compact on Refugees.
Oxfam advocates for refugee rights in many different contexts and to different stakeholders. We advocate for the rights of displaced people in specific humanitarian crises. This advocacy is often targeted toward displaced people’s own governments, the governments hosting them, and other governments that have influence in the context.
We also advocate at the global stage to change the way support and protection are provided to displaced people and to transform the global system itself. We participate actively in fora like the biannual Global Refugee Forum hosted by the UN and in conversations with the UN refugee agency, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). For example, this past summer, there was a multi-day meeting of UNHCR and non-profit organizations (NGOs) like Oxfam in Geneva, Switzerland. At that event, we organized and co-led an event focused on approaches to refugee protection that are gender-sensitive, inclusive, and locally led. We also supported the attendance of the leader of a refugee women-led organization in Uganda, who would not have been able to attend and participate otherwise; this is what we mean by facilitate participation of refugee leaders in policy and decision-making spaces.
Uganda: Vicky – the world’s strongest mother. Photo: Hans Bach / Oxfam
I understand you partner with many local organizations for this work. How do you identify and engage these partners, and what qualities do you look for in successful partnerships?
That’s right. At Oxfam, we work in partnership with civil society, women’s rights, youth, faith and community groups as well as state, private sector, foundations, and non-government organizations. In our humanitarian work specifically, we are committed to working in partnership with grassroots humanitarian aid providers – local- and national-level organizations in crisis-affected countries – and to ensuring that we are supporting them to have the technical skills, funds, and influence they need to take action in emergencies and to be sustainable. While Oxfam continues to deploy its own staff to respond to major disasters, we are increasingly focused on promoting local humanitarian leadership.
What’s more, Oxfam has a track record of actively collaborating with refugee-led organizations across the globe and particularly in Africa. We partner with refugee-led organizations because they know best when it comes to the particular needs of their community, and what solutions are appropriate and most likely to be effective. We began this area of work, advocating for refugee participation and leadership, in Ethiopia and Uganda, where there are significant displaced populations, primarily from South Sudan. There are a number of barriers facing refugee-led organizations, including tension with host communities and restrictive laws affecting organizations’ ability to register legally, open a bank account, and so on.
Oxfam is currently implementing a program in Ethiopia and Uganda, with support from a US foundation, in which we are seeking to strengthen the capacity of refugee-led groups in the two countries and elevate their leadership in national, regional, and global fora (to make sure they have “a seat at the table” in spaces where decisions are being made about refugees, and to hold policymakers accountable for commitments they have made). I’m actually in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this week, attending an learning workshop as part of this project, and I am truly inspired by the personal resilience, commitment, and creativity of the refugee leaders with whom we work, many of whom have faced great personal trauma.
Your question about how we identify and engage with partners in our work to support refugees is a good one. In general, I would say that Oxfam looks for organizations whose values and vision align with ours, who are doing good, accountable work on behalf of their communities, and who currently, or wish to, conduct programming in the areas in which Oxfam specializes. We seek to partner with both refugee-led organizations and local and national humanitarian organizations from the host community.
Ukraine: Lydmyla and her grandson. Photo: Kieran Doherty / Oxfam
To give you an example, I visited Ukraine a few weeks ago, where I was able to observe a handful of our programs supporting some of the 3.7 million internally displaced Ukrainians and meet some of our partners. In Ukraine – and in the programs we led in surrounding countries during the period that there were significant numbers of refugees in those countries – Oxfam has prioritized partnerships with organizations working directly with people who often face additional barriers in accessing aid. As a result, we are partnering with organizations focused on women, LGBTQIA+, and Roma people, among others, with many of these organizations providing assistance to displaced people. For example, we met with partner organizations providing vocational training and small grants to help displaced people set up businesses, support to people who have experienced gender-based violence, and basic needs for and advocacy on behalf of displaced people facing discrimination – all in the context of an active conflict.
What are some trends you are seeing in this past year regarding refugees and IDPs?
We are incredibly concerned by the trends in displacement worldwide. Based on data from UNHCR, an estimated 117.3 million people worldwide are forcibly displaced as of the end of last year, and they estimate that those numbers have only increased this year.
As of the end of 2023, one in every 69 people in the world is forcibly displaced. That is 1.5 percent of the world’s population.
These figures reflect a dramatic increase in recent years. The current figures are nearly double what they were 10 years ago, and they increased 8 percent in the past year along (2022-2023).
Of the 117.3 million displaced people, the majority – 68.3 million – are internally displaced, while 43.4 million are refugees (having crossed an international border).
Oxfam has conducted research on the impact of climate change on displacement. We found that climate-fueled disasters are the number-one driver of internal displacement, forcing an estimated 20 million people per year from their homes. A person is seven times more likely to be internally displaced today by extreme weather disasters such as cyclones, floods and wildfires than by geophysical disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and three times more likely than by conflict.
What are you most hopeful about?
A few things give me hope. First, the international community has recently made commitments of how they are going to protect refugees, through the 2018 Global Compact on Refugees and the 2019 Meaningful Refugee Participation Pledges. Refugees and the organizations that represent them (from refugee-led organizations and other local and national organizations to international NGOs like Oxfam) will be able to hold these commitments up to governments and demand accountability and transparency.
Second and relatedly, the international community seems to finally, finally be committed to local humanitarian leadership, which will mean that refugee-led organizations and other local and national civil society organizations should increasingly have the resources and power to represent their communities, which I believe will result in more effective humanitarian assistance for displaced persons and all people affected by humanitarian crises.
And, finally, I am inspired by and optimistic because of the bravery, perseverance, and commitment of refugees and refugee leaders to regain security and dignity and create good lives for themselves and their families.
Additional stories about Oxfam’s work with refugees:
Empowering Resilience: Supporting Women and Children amid Ukraine’s Conflict
By Amber Cortes
Anastasiia Zhelezko. Photo: Global Communities
Anastasiia Zhelezko had planned her humanitarian career since 3rd year of her Bachelor’s degree. She was finishing her degree at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in 2022, already with the intention to work in the humanitarian field, when Russia invaded Ukraine, and everything happened faster than she thought.
“I guess the invasion just sped up my plans,” Zhelezko explains.
She started working in Chernihiv, her native region, with the Danish Refugee Council, assessing the damages of the houses of the conflict-affected population.
“Especially in the beginning, it did affect me,” Zhelezko says. “Obviously, I’ve heard lots of stories of what they had been through. These were terrible stories.”
Despite the emotional challenges, Zhelezko felt she was in the right place.
“I realized that currently, the history of Ukraine is being created, and if I want to contribute to it, working in the humanitarian sphere is probably one of the best options to help address people’s needs.”
Since March 2024, Zhelezko has been doing just that by overseeing partner implementation of GBV programming for Global Communities, an organization that works at the intersection of humanitarian assistance and sustainable development to save lives, advance equity and secure strong futures. Global Communities implements several projects in Ukraine, including the Community-Led Emergency Action and Response (CLEAR) program, which Zhelezko works on. CLEAR supports local organizations in addressing urgent protection, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene needs of conflict-affected populations. Child protection, gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response, and psychosocial support are among CLEAR’s key interventions. There’s also the Chernihiv Public Committee for Human Rights Protection, which provides legal consultations and support to women who have experienced GBV, especially domestic violence.
Global Communities hosts the Protection School for local partners in Ukraine. Photo: Global Communities
CLEAR uses a localization approach in humanitarian action. This includes implementation through local partners (rather than direct service provision) and strengthening the capacity of local organizations, including small community-based groups, to deliver emergency response.
In her role, Anastasiia provides direct support to GC partners in implementing their activity plans, engages in distribution of Dignity and Recreational Kits for vulnerable populations, as well as maintains working relations with other relevant stakeholders, such as Danish Refugee Council, Clusters, UN Agencies, etc. She also helps facilitate activities within other Protection subsectors at GC, such as PSS and CP.
Global Communities supports these partners by providing technical expertise, such as training in various fields (for example, in July a Protection School was conducted outlining core concepts of GBV, CP and PSS), recommendations on any mundane activities and how to make them more efficient, supervisions, as well as familiarizes them with international standards in above-mentioned Protection sub-sectors (for instance, Minimum Standards for Gender-based Violence in Emergencies Programming, Case Management SOP) amongst other activities to increase the capacities of local partners and enable them become self-sufficient when donors step out of Ukraine.
One of the organizations that Zhelezko supports is Chernihiv European, which hosts events for children with disabilities, who are often underserved by state services. The organization works both with internally displaced children and children from host communities. Another partner, Polissia Foundation for International and Regional Studies (PFIRS), helps elderly people works to improve information literacy of the elderly in local communities by teaching them how to use laptops and smartphones, as well as the latest information technologies (i.e. government services apps, messengers, mobile banking, etc.), Google tools, online services (requesting document extracts, certificates, documents in Diia, etc.), as well as in safety against online scams, etc.
Psychosocial counselling sessions for internally displaced women at the Khotyn Public Library. Photo: Global Communities
Within all the chaos of conflict, it’s the astonishing work of what CLEAR’s partners are able to accomplish under such intense circumstances that keeps Zhelezko inspired.
“There were cases where women were living with perpetrators and suffered a lot. They’ve been through horrible moments in their lives. Thanks to Chernihiv Public Committee for Human Rights Protection, our local partner, they were able to take their kids with them to a safe space, find sources of income, get alimony from their husbands, and start their lives from the scratch,” says Zhelezko.
“The quality of their lives has dramatically improved, thanks to legal consultations and the case management services of our partner.”
Needless to say, working in a conflict zone can make long-term planning difficult. Programs must constantly adapt to new conditions.
“The situation is always changing,” says Zhelezko. “We write technical proposals for the next six months, but the context can change dramatically over this time.”
As if the complexity of providing aid in a war-torn country wasn’t enough, there are also sociocultural dynamics at work.
“There are lots of stereotypical beliefs embedded in our culture, because it’s a deeply patriarchal society,” says Zhelezko. “There are gender stereotypes in all spheres: in education, in health, politics…you name it.”
Despite the fact that female labor participation in Ukraine is at an all-time high of 47%, women face challenges balancing new employment opportunities with traditional roles at home. As more men become conscripted, the pressure on women to be both breadwinners and caretakers increases.
“The majority of domestic work is still being performed by women,” Zhelezko says. “It didn’t just disappear.”
In Ukraine, women and children represent the majority among displaced people–more than 90% of refugees and more than 60% of internally displaced persons (IDPs) are women and children.
“These women are not a homogenous group, and accordingly, we also have to recognize that their experiences and needs are different.”
Women and girls with different sexual orientations, religion, health conditions, ages have different needs and aspirations at different stages of their life.
Nowadays, says Zhelezko, women in Ukraine are opening businesses at an astonishing rate and taking up professions previously dominated by men. Global Communities has recently initiated a grant competition for micro and small businesses within the Economic Recovery and Market Systems (EMRS) component of the CLEAR project. The hope is that many women will benefit from this initiative.
“I just see our partners and us working relentlessly in this field and empowering women and making them believe they have enough inner strength and they can do just fine,” says Zhelezko.
Zhelezko believes that even in the worst of conditions, progress can be made towards an environment where women and girls can not only be safe, but thrive.
“Our work is not only about helping people address their needs, but also about being able to help them find hope to do things which they thought were unimaginable to them a few years ago.”
Khotyn Platform for the Development of Culture and Tourism hosts an English camp for children. Photo: Global Communities
Please welcome our newest Global Washington members. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with their work and consider opportunities for support and collaboration!
CORE Tanzania
CORE Tanzania’s mission is to increase access to quality education in rural Tanzania. We envision a future where every child in rural Tanzania is educated to reach his or her maximum potential, creating village communities that are thriving both economically and socially, and contributing to a positive and sustainable future for the country. coretanzania.org
Elevate Destinations
Elevate Destinations is an award-winning, boutique travel agency that partners with numerous global nonprofits. It was founded and operates as a social enterprise: philanthropy, and positive social and environmental impact is key to our mission. Elevate Destinations has pioneered the field of donor travel and learning journeys and is able to provide responsible travel to any region of the globe. elevatedestinations.com
Water.org
Water.org is a global nonprofit organization working to bring water and sanitation to the world. We help people get access to safe water and sanitation through affordable financing, such as small loans. Water.org
Ahmed, center, reunites with his son Walid at Sea-Tac International Airport. Emtisal and Ahmed from Syria were reunited with their two older children and son-in-law in February 2017. The children were barred from entering after Trump had issued an executive order banning Syrians indefinitely. A Seattle judge lifted the ban, allowing Walid to reunite with his parents and other siblings in Washington. Photo: IRC
Globally, humanitarian and resettlement needs are higher than ever before. 120 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, a number that has more than doubled over the past ten years and increased by 10 million since last year. For far too many families and individuals seeking safety and refuge, they are greeted not by welcome but by cruelty and inhumanity.
When Oscar Bahati launched an organization to provide support to refugees as they integrated into the United States, he knew firsthand how broad the requests would be. When he first arrived from Rwanda in 2019, he had a job, but he needed so much more. “Everything was new to me. There were so many choices, and some things seemed so hard to access. I don’t know how I would have gotten through those first few years without mentors.”
By Tracey Compton, Mercy Corps Senior Media and Communications Coordinator
The Caribbean has been labeled ground-zero for climate change, with each hurricane season as unpredictable as the last. Climate change is making hurricanes and other climate disasters more frequent, more intense and less predictable – with community preparedness education increasingly essential. This makes the region an ideal setting for testing new approaches to climate resilience that focus on education and building responsive community networks. Drawing on proven results from our experience in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, Mercy Corps’ is partnering with local organizations to drive resilience in a region that has faced catastrophic devastation and will remain incredibly vulnerable to climate disasters. The Resilience Hub model demonstrates what is possible when you center local communities in climate resilience and emergency preparedness efforts. This will become increasingly urgent in the Caribbean and other climate-vulnerable regions as the climate crisis intensifies.
Many consider SDG 4, Quality Education to be the foundation of all the SDGs, and for good reason. Education is the path to local and global awareness, critical thinking, and self-actualization. It is a key that unlocks imagination and liberates the intellect. Through education people become empowered to create opportunity and break the cycle of poverty.
Yet, when children are kept out of school to help farm, or because of disasters, conflict or gender discrimination, it is not only the children who suffer, but the communities as well.
GlobalWA members are aware of these constant and ever-evolving challenges and lean into tried-and-true methods for creating and promoting education, and some have developed inventive solutions.
We hope you enjoy reading about how our members are supporting SDG 4, Quality Education for all. From micro-loans to mobile schools, our members are exemplary for finding paths to provide education in the communities where they work.
And we hope you will join us on December 3-4 for our 15th Annual Goalmakers Conference. We are working hard to create an unforgettable experience that will educate and inspire! Early Bird tickets are available until October 1. Find out more and register here.
By Joel Meyers, Director of Communications, GlobalWA
Sustainable Development Goal 4 states: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
This can be at times a seemingly insurmountable task when communities need workers in the field, have gender discrimination keeping girls out of school, lack basic teaching and learning materials, or simply do not have a physical space where students and teachers can congregate for the learning experience. These challenges are global and unfortunately too common in low- and middle-income countries, especially in rural areas.
Education is a primary focus for many of our members who recognize the importance of education for breaking the cycle of poverty and creating systemic, positive change. Read about our members’ work below, the programs, approaches, and innovations that are giving hope and empowering communities to evolve and thrive. Sometimes, one student at a time.
Sound Infrastructure and Schools
One of the projects of the Ashesi University Foundation works to build infrastructure capacities for education across countries in Africa by building academic and residential buildings to house students and enable research. Their three capital projects, slated for development between 2023 and 2028, aim to double the enrolment rates of local students and open new avenues for graduate and post-graduate studies.
With up to 1500 students currently enrolled in Ashesi programs across 34 countries, 93% of graduates find careers within 6 months of completion, and 71% accept placement offers.
Since 2018, A Child’s Notebook has partnered with local communities to improve education for over 3,500 students in Laos. They recognize lack of access to education worsens already staggering income gaps, and illiteracy increases the number of people who live in poverty. By providing proper infrastructure, such as schools, libraries, dormitories, and latrines, A Child’s Notebook has been able to provide indelible change to rural Laos, nurturing foundations of education to help communities break the cycle of poverty.
The Mona Foundation sees education as a pathway to empowerment, gender equality, and economic development. Since their founding in 1999, Mona Foundation has supported 4,263,012 students (more than 50% girls) to access quality education through 41 partner organizations in 23 countries.
Partnerships are key, and Mona seeks partnerships with grassroots organizations where Mona can help with infrastructure and scholarship, teacher training, and girl empowerment. One example is in Sierra Leone where they have partnered with Hope Academy for Girls. Hope Academy is the only Junior and Senior Secondary School for girls in the Western Area of Sierra Leone. The challenge was past events such as the civil war (1991-2002) had destroyed much of its infrastructure, and present events, such a COVID, have created overwhelming obstacles for access to education in Sierra Leone. Especially for girls in rural areas, access to education continued to be a challenge – while significant progress has been made over the last ten years in decreasing the gender gap in education, girls are still more likely to drop-out of school (particularly post-primary), particularly due to underachieved grades, financial constraints, abuse and/or exploitation.
Through Mona’s support, Hope Academy has a strong partner to help with operations, staff salaries, staff housing, and teacher training. By supporting Hope Academy, Mona is helping girls to reach their potential and overcome obstacles for succeeding in secondary school. Through these efforts, Mona Foundation is helping create economic stability, and empowering not only girls from a grassroots level, but also community and country.
Sierra Leone is another country that was ravaged by war – in 2002, after 10 years of conflict, their civil war ended. Destruction and poverty were widespread. To help rebuild, Schools for Salone (Salone is another name for Sierra Leone) was formed in 2004 by Cindy Nofzinger, a Peace Corps volunteers who worked in Sierra Leone in the mid-1980s, and through a partnership with Program for Children there, built and opened their first school 2005.
Schools for Salone recognizes the fact that education equals opportunity. Yet, to provide education, villages need schools where teachers and students can congregate. Their philosophy is “one school, one teacher, one child at a time.” Through local partnerships, Schools for Salone have built 43 schools with a cumulative enrollment of 15,000 students, five libraries, have trained over 500 teachers, and have promoted education equity throughout. These efforts help break the cycle of poverty and lay the foundations for recovery of Sierra Leone.
Rwanda Girls Initiative recognizes the power of educating girls will not only uplift their local communities, but the world in general. UNICEF reports that girls’ education improves health outcomes, saving millions of lives, and evidence shows that countries with less gender disparity in schools are more likely to have higher economic growth and stability. In a country where only 3% of girls pursue higher education, 97% of Rwanda Girls Initiative’s Gashora Girls Academy graduates attend universities around the world. Academy alumnae are studying at 221 universities in 31 countries.
Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology opened its doors in 2011 as an all-girls secondary boarding school. Students are selected based on academic potential and are provided with 100% financial aid for attendance. This model results in nurturing some of the best and brightest female minds in Rwanda, providing hope, empowerment, thus helping break the cycle of poverty and creating positive systemic change.
Innovative Solutions
WorldReader’s BookSmart app is an accessible tool that promotes literacy across the world, including India, the US, Kenya, Mexico and Peru. With intuitive challenges and guided literacy development, BookSmart leverages its vast library through multiple languages to bypass accessibility barriers and engage with students.
Through their various reading initiatives, WorldReader has increased not only reading itself, but the joy of stories and community sharing. For example, in Sierra Leone, WorldReader engaged 12 schools and 390 pupils with a holistic reading experience starting on shared tablets for offline student reading and accompanied by weekly book engagement activities sent by reading club facilitators through WhatsApp communities. This “Read with Us” pilot, which paves the way for future programs, resulted in a much more enjoyable experience than solitary reading and increased the average reading time of the pupils to 53+ minutes per day.
Bringing classrooms to the students may be unconventional, but that’s exactly what Sukarya’s Education on Wheels (EOW) program sets out to do in India. Buses equipped with computers and classroom essentials are brought to nearly 150 children every day, moving through a total of 6 slums across Delhi and Gurugram. The program brings quality education to children in impoverished regions who may not be able to travel to schools, providing literacy training, life skills and guidance on health and wellness.
Sukarya’s mobile classrooms are one of many projects implemented by GWA members to provide quality education, bringing people across the world closer to the targets of SDG 4. From basic literacy to health, hygiene and wellness coaching, grounded efforts to make education feasible and accessible for all have been made by NGOs in a broad range of capacities.
After the Taliban restricted female education and more recently banned formal education for girls above 6th grade in Afghanistan, Sahar Education had to take a very different tact to their education programs.
Before the second protracted insurgency and subsequent Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghanistan’s schools were open to girls, though because of traditional patriarchal discrimination, not in equal numbers as boys, and that is where Sahar stepped in to help. Their efforts began in 2001 and for the next two decades helped create educational and economic opportunities by building schools, computer centers, and managed teaching training programs. They created many innovative initiatives including Men as Partners in Change where they taught men about gender equality and how women can contribute to a healthy and prospering society.
Now, through grassroots partners in Afghanistan (who must remain anonymous for security reasons), Sahar has continued to create opportunity for girls and women despite the Taliban oppression. Underground TechSheroes is a clandestine program that teaches women and girls computer skills, such as MS Office, IT, and coding. Through these modern essential skills, they now have opportunities to contribute to business and the digital economy to help uplift their rural communities. Men as Partners in Change continues as well, to ally with men and create communities that recognize the value of both genders. This program teaches boys and men the value of women’s roles, about gender equality, and how working as equal partners in the home and in community will create peaceful and positive outcomes.
Holistic Approaches
Opportunity International roots their EduFinance program and projects through the statement: “To end extreme poverty tomorrow, we must educate children today.” They embrace the understanding that giving children access to good education reduces poverty and inequality, increases life expectancy, and gives women and girls more decision-making power.
To achieve these goals, Opportunity International, through their EduFinance interventions provide numerous programs that provide teacher support and training, financial support for educational systems as well as parents (so children are not pulled out of school to help work), quality assessments and paths for improvement, and digital training tools and in-person training for teachers and school staff.
Their focus on financial support involves working with local financial institutions to increase business acumen and service delivery, for example through partnering on market research and the design of financial products that meet the needs of the parents and school owners. EduFinance implementors also help train staff at the financial institutions to ensure success of education lending portfolios, including portfolio analysis and credit assessments using in-house developed digital tools.
As of the end of 2023, through the EduFinance program, $202.8 million total capital has been released, 7,056 schools have been financed, and over 13 million children have been reached cumulatively.
Though Gargaar Relief Development Organization (GREDO) focuses on many aspects of emergency and direct humanitarian responses, they recognize investing in development and resilience programs, such as education, is paramount for the health of the Somali communities they serve, and Somalia as a whole. Their holistic approach involves ensuring a robust infrastructure, providing proper staffing, and developing supportive partnerships.
To accommodate growing enrollment numbers, GREDO has been constructing many Temporary Learning Spaces, recruiting dedicated teachers, and providing teaching and learning materials. Teachers are incentivized as high-quality teaching is key to a successful program.
GREDO also works with the communities directly and empowers them by ensuring their voices are heard regarding needs and challenges, which includes “needs mapping” for children who need additional support, and providing varieties of educational pathways. Tangentially, GREDO also provides protection services for children, ensuring safety and support, as well as case management and referral mechanisms.
Global Communities also understands the importance of helping communities from the grassroots level by focusing on youth education and development. They follow a proven methodology called Positive Youth Development (PYD) developed through a collaboration of 22 federal departments and agencies that support youth, which in essence can be defined as Positive Experiences + Positive Relationships + Positive Environments = Positive Youth Development.
Using the PYD methodology, Global Communities has partnered with youth in more than 15 countries on projects that offer opportunities for employment, better health, obtaining an education, reducing conflict and gaining leadership skills. Youth are trained to participate in community and country through critical thinking, gender education and combating gender-based discrimination, leadership training, safe navigation and discernment of misinformation of digital media, as well as physical and emotional health.
By focusing on these life skills, Global Communities is helping communities be productive and healthier while providing tools for future leaders and changemakers.
Education is a primary driver of progress across all 17 SDGs and is the bedrock of just, inclusive and peaceful societies. GlobalWA members working across the globe in low- to middle-income countries are providing exemplary education programs, tools, innovations, aid, and most of all hope and empowerment to these communities. They are helping break the cycle of poverty, helping countries recover from disaster, teaching modern tools and technology, and through doing so are helping create the next generation of powerful minds to help their countries thrive.
Upon invitation, the following GlobalWA members have issued these statements about their work on Quality Education in the communities where they work.
A Child’s Notebook (ACN) partners with local communities, investing in the lives of children in Southeast Asia to ensure all children have access to a quality education. Since 2018 ACN has been working specifically in rural Laos. ACN has three core programs.
Scholarships: removing financial barriers is an important way to ensure more children attend school. ACN provides scholarships to support a student’s entire school journey. Infrastructure: in deep collaboration with each community, ACN provides the financial resources to build physically safe schools, dormitories, and proper latrine facilities. Afterschool Programs: Working alongside teachers, ACN supports enrichment activities for elementary students.
Underpinning all of their work is the desire to open more doors for girls, thus a focus on Girls’ Education, ensuring they have access, financial means, and support from their family and communities to attend school is central to ACN’s strategy.
A Child’s Notebook’s approach is grounded in deep partnership, active listening, and local ownership. Together with parents, teachers, and village leadership, ACN determines what needs and priorities will help more children attend and complete school. This community-centric approach ensures sustainability and prioritizes local expertise in achieving quality education. ACN also has a commitment to sourcing materials locally not only to support the local economy but also to ensure that their resources benefit the people of Laos.
In 2022, ACN began supporting local community-based organizations on the Thai-Myanmar border, where thousands of Burmese have been displaced by political unrest. Migrant families move often to find safety. Their children lack official documents and struggle with a new language. ACN supports community-led initiatives for these children, helping with official IDs, language classes, and other educational support.
For over 20 years, Global Communities has been implementing the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (MGD) programs across Africa and South and Central America, including Guatemala, Madagascar and Tanzania. Our programs, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), provide daily nutritious meals to school-age children, which are critical for their physical growth and brain development. Well-nourished children are more likely to have better cognitive abilities, higher concentration levels and stronger academic performance. Our MGD programs champion an integrated and multisectoral approach to improve students’ nutritional and learning outcomes. In addition to delivering food aid, we promote literacy and early child development, improve school infrastructure and curriculums, and strengthen the capacity of local communities to gradually transition to locally owned school meal programs. Our interventions also encourage school attendance. For many families, the assurance that their child will be fed at school provides a strong incentive to prioritize education over other responsibilities. In Madagascar, for example, improvements generated by our Mianatra (“Learn” in Malagasy) program have led to a steady increase in the average attendance rate of students, which now ranges daily from 88% – 94%, compared to less than 60% at the start of the project.
GREDO education program offers education services to the most vulnerable out-of-school children, providing them with vital educational opportunities through various different education projects and interventions. In the past year alone, GREDO has successfully reached over 31,000 learners, showcasing its commitment to transforming lives through education. The education program employs three distinct pathways to cater to the diverse needs of these children: Formal Education, Accelerated Basic Education (ABE), and Non-Formal Education (NFE).
Formal Education is tailored for children who are able to participate in traditional school settings, ensuring they receive a quality education that aligns with national standards. ABE focuses on providing essential literacy and numeracy skills to children who have missed out on formal schooling, offering a more flexible approach that respects the varied circumstances of these learners. Meanwhile, NFE addresses the needs of older youth and adults who seek to gain knowledge and skills outside the conventional education system, empowering them with not only basic literacy and numeracy but imparts skills to improve their livelihoods and contribute positively to their communities.
At the heart of GREDO’s education program is a strong emphasis on community participation and ownership. By involving local stakeholders—parents, community leaders, and school communities, GREDO fosters a sense of belonging and responsibility towards educational outcomes. This collaborative approach not only enhances the sustainability of the program but also ensures that the interventions are community owned and relevant to the context.
At Mission Africa, our education focus area aims to break the cycle of generational poverty through the power of education.
Locally, our annual Back-to-School event provides hundreds of students in South King County and the Seattle 211 system with backpacks filled with supplies, to start the new school year ready to learn. Since 2022, we have offered free computer classes, helping hundreds of immigrants enhance their computer skills, leading to job promotions, increased digital proficiency, and the ability to navigate the digital world confidently. Additionally, we provide leadership trainings to African Community Leaders across the Puget Sound, multiple times a year, inspiring the formation of new nonprofits, small minority businesses and, positive economic growth for immigrant families.
Globally since 2008, our education initiatives in Nigeria, offers a six-year high school scholarship program for 50 students’ cohort at a time. Today, we have 150 graduates, 100% graduation rate, 65% continuing to post-secondary education and the fourth cohort of 50 students begins in September 2024.
Our programs are rooted in our vision to see the collective thriving immigrants in Washington State and beyond.
Mona Foundation envisions a world where every child on the planet has access to education because education changes everything. It enables. It empowers. It gives voice. It gives choice. It protects the environment. It promotes peace.
For the past 25 years, with love and compassion in our hearts for every child, we have worked to make this vision a reality. Galvanized by the urgent challenges and opportunities existing in global education, Mona Foundation has pursued its mission by supporting grassroots organizations that educate children, empower women and girls, and foster ethics and service to develop change agents who uplift themselves, their families, and their communities.
Our work is rooted in our core belief in the oneness of humanity and our conviction that every person, irrespective of geography and economic standing, has the right to self-determination and the responsibility to build their capacity and fully participate in the social and economic development of their communities.
Since 1999, Mona Foundation has provided access to education for over 4.2 million students. This work is driving progress on gender equality, breaking the cycle of poverty, and contributing to sustainable change in the overall well-being of communities in dozens of countries across four continents.
At Rwanda Girls Initiative, they know that investing in girls’ education, especially secondary education, is one of the most powerful levers one can pull to spark systemic change. When girls receive an education, they are more likely to lead healthy, productive lives, earn higher wages, and participate in their community. At Rwanda Girls Initiative, they know it is important to get girls in the classroom, but they want to get them into the boardroom, the operating room, the laboratory, and the capital.
As an all-girls boarding school in Rwanda, they removed the most significant barriers to education for their students. Their school is one of the most socio-economically diverse schools in Africa, with 100% of their students receiving financial aid. Students are the most engaged and intellectually curious young women in Rwanda, and they foster a culture that encourages students to boldly seek answers to some of the world’s biggest challenges and spark positive change in their communities. To date, they have graduated 881 young women now studying in universities around the world. When Rwanda’s best and brightest young women are provided an environment of academic excellence and equipped to lead with empathy and understanding, the world’s future is transformed.
Headquartered in Seattle, WA, Sahar Education’s achievements in Afghanistan’s educational sector are notable. Sahar has illuminated the lives of more than 250,000 students, collaborating with local and international entities to enhance its capabilities in providing aid, expertise, and sustainable solutions in development, legal, and human rights issues.
The Taliban’s resurgence in 2021 prompted Sahar to adapt its strategies, focusing on clandestine educational support through underground schools, literacy and sewing programs, and empowerment/advocacy initiatives tailored for the Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif communities. This strategic pivot reflects Sahar’s commitment to education and empowerment despite adversity.
Since September 2021, the return to school for all Afghan girls over the age of 12 has been indefinitely postponed, leaving 1.1 million girls and young women without access to formal education.
In the face of these challenges, Sahar Education remains steadfast in its mission, guided by the resilience and aspirations of its participants. As a result, Sahar Education was recently named Best Women & Girls Education NPO 2024 – Afghanistan and has been named a finalist in the Quality Education for All category of the .ORG Impact Awards.
By providing education, advocacy, and empowerment, SAHAR lays the groundwork for more equitable and prosperous communities in Afghanistan, embodying a beacon of hope and a catalyst for change amidst adversity.
Schools for Salone (SfS)’s mission is to advance education in Sierra Leone through local partnerships. One of our key program pillars is to advance quality education in our schools and communities by investing in teachers, focusing on foundational learning skills and literacy amongst students and equipping schools with the resources they need for students to thrive.
The literacy rate in rural Sierra Leone is only 43%. This is due to limited access to books, widespread illiteracy amongst parents and insufficient preschool education. Additionally, most teachers lack skills and knowledge to teach reading skills. This means that many students in primary school struggle to master basic foundational learning skills like literacy and numeracy.
Schools for Salone partners with a Sierra Leonean non-profit organization called The Learning Foundation to enhance literacy and learning engagement through teacher training and reading clubs. In 2023, The Learning Foundation in partnership with Schools for Salone, trained 135 teachers in 22 primary schools in literacy strategies and supported over 427 students and 19 teachers in reading clubs across Sierra Leone. Last academic year, exam pass rates increased by 13% among students in our Schools for Salone primary schools.
Equitable access to education is central to Stronger Stories. Its mission is to democratize storytelling power and create stronger storytellers, so good ideas get heard. Stronger Stories supports access to quality education in two ways. First, as a registered B Corp, it invests half its profits into Lean Story School, a free online learning platform with bite-sized lessons and inspirational case studies that build storytelling skills and confidence. As a result of Stronger Stories’ educational programs, 5792 people (and counting) have become stronger storytellers. Second, Stronger Stories’ education practice has been central to the consultancy since it was founded in 2018. One long-standing client is WorldSkills, a global skills movement that sets the international standards for excellence in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Its biannual competition showcases the world’s most skilled young people and demonstrates to governments and industries why skills are fundamental to economic security and prosperity. Stronger Stories helps measure and articulate the organization’s impact, and finds and shares stories of change from across its 88 member countries. Stronger Stories will be at the 47th WorldSkills Competition in Lyon, France this September where 1,400 Champions will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in 59 skill areas. Alongside it, thought leaders from around the world will convene at the WorldSkills Conference 2024 with an aim to elevate TVET to the top of the global agenda.
Wheeling Towards Hope: Revolutionizing Education for Slum Children with Sukarya’s Mobile Classrooms
In the sprawling slums on the edges of India’s bustling cities, millions of children are trapped in a relentless cycle of poverty. For many first-generation learners, the dream of education remains distant. Amidst these challenges, Sukarya’s “Education on Wheels” (EOW) program emerges as a source of hope, showcasing the transformative power of education for marginalized communities.
Sukarya’s “Education on Wheels” program directly addresses the critical issue of illiteracy in India’s slums by providing free education to children aged 6 to 14. These mobile classrooms are equipped with learning materials, technology, and dedicated educators. The program focuses on basic literacy, numeracy, and essential life skills, ensuring that at least 50% of enrolled students are girls. EOW also emphasizes community engagement through monthly parent-teacher meetings and community gatherings.
Since its inception in 2014, the program has reached 3,000 children, significantly improving their academic performance and instilling a sense of self-worth and confidence. Sukarya’s efforts underscore the importance of accessible education in breaking the cycle of poverty and fostering a culture of learning and aspiration within communities. This functional literacy program for slum children has truly transformed countless lives.
The Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation (YRRF) is committed to addressing the multifaceted humanitarian crisis in Yemen, including the critical need for education among the country’s children. Since the conflict began in 2015, Yemen’s education system has been severely disrupted, with millions of children out of school and thousands of schools destroyed.
YRRF’s initiatives are in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which aims to ensure quality education for all. In 2023, YRRF distributed over 4,000 school bags and supplies to students who could not afford to go to school, ensuring their attendance. YRRF is also sponsoring over 350 orphans, providing them with essential support such as shelter, food, medical care, and educational opportunities. This program not only helps children return to school but also alleviates the financial burden on families and fosters a stable environment conducive to learning.
The prolonged conflict has impacted nearly all 10.6 million school-age children in Yemen, many of whom are experiencing disruptions to their education. YRRF’s efforts, such as distributing school supplies, repairing schools, and supporting both special needs and gifted students, are designed to address these challenges and help children continue their education, paving the way for a brighter future.
Your donations are crucial for sustaining and expanding our programs. Visit yemenfoundation.org to learn more about YRRF’s mission and how you can make a significant impact on the lives of Yemen’s children.
Students in Boa Vista, Brazil, enjoy learning social-emotional skills with the adaptation of Second Step. Photo: Committee for Children
How does an organization specializing in social emotional wellbeing expand its reach to a global level?
You’d think it would take a ton of funding, resources, and people power. But sometimes all it takes to scale up is a compelling idea, the right partnerships, and a clear vision for impact.
Committee for Children (CFC) is a leading provider of curricula focused on strengthening children’s social and emotional skills. Subjects for kids from preschool through high school range from bullying prevention and personal safety to growth mindset, emotion management and empathy.
SEL is the process of developing self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success. From effective problem-solving to self-discipline, from impulse control to emotion management and more, SEL provides a foundation for positive, long-term effects on kids, adults, and communities.
Once a local volunteer-run start-up, CFC is now a large social enterprise nonprofit, self-funding their initiatives through sales of their social emotional learning (SEL) programs across the United States while also setting their sights on promoting the social-emotional wellbeing of children the world over.
CFC Social Emotional Learning program in China. Photo: Committee for Children
CFC began in 1979, the result of research conducted by Drs. Jennifer James and Debra Boyer that showed that most youth involved in prostitution had been victims of at-home sexual abuse. With the goal to curb this trend and give children the necessary skills to prevent sexual abuse, the pair garnered some funding, borrowed some office space, and developed the Talking About Touching program educators could use in the classroom to teach children about personal safety and self-assertion. Before they could even start marketing their product at scale, organizations and schools were calling and asking for more program resources. A second part of James’ and Boyer’s research was to determine what skills help children from engaging in violent behavior. This next program, Second Step, which has gone through various revisions to keep in line with social emotional learning research, is CFC’s main revenue generator and reputation builder.
“[Second Step] remains the number one social-emotional learning program by a significant margin,” says Mia Doces, Vice President of CFC International, who has been with CFC for almost twenty years. “And when you consider our international reach, we are globally the most widely used program.”
As Second Step grew in recognition across the United States, organizations in other countries seeking violence prevention programs took notice. At first, CFC simply licensed the use of the programs to interested parties, a light touch that didn’t demand too much from the quickly growing non-profit. And while translating certain social and emotional terms got tricky at times, the main social-emotional lesson objectives were relevant across multiple cultures. CFC soon counted partnering organizations in 14 countries providing adapted versions of the Second Step program.
For example, in Brazil, the adaptation launched by their partner reaches some two million students, including distribution throughout the state of São Paulo.
In Chile under-privileged preschoolers learn about making friends, while in Slovakia, first year middle school students learn about bullying prevention, and youngsters in Lithuania practice belly breathing to calm down.
As Committee for Children revises the programs with more digital assets to meet domestic demand, the programs can become too complicated and costly to adapt. To continue expanding their global reach, CFC International was launched to focus on new strategic directions.
“Let’s take the strength that Committee for Children has: the research, the understanding of SEL and content development, and find ways we can utilize that to the benefit of others” explains Carolyn Hubbard, International Partnerships Director.
CFC SEL program in Denmark. Photo: Committee for Children
CFC International now works with organizations that integrate some parts of CFC’s resources to enhance their own programs, such as the case with partner in Mexico which is developing an SEL curriculum specifically for Maya communities in Yucatán Peninsula.
And there are plans to begin a second strategic arm to provide funding and strategic support to organizations that develop their own culturally relevant SEL programs or training services.
The third strategic direction is future focused, with an emphasis on how much education and SEL may change. Organized by Doces, a research consortium of post-doctoral fellows at Linacre College at University of Oxford research the intersection of artificial intelligence and social, emotional, and mental well-being. This consortium benefits existing partners interested in exploring these themes as well as helps advance the field.
For education nonprofits looking to expand their international reach, Doces says the trick is not to make complicated adaptations, but to stay lean, allowing the material to be flexible enough to be adapted and implemented by educators in their own cultural contexts.
Hubbard adds the importance of patience and “to be willing to start small, find proof of concept, and then move forward.” She also suggests focusing on teacher training because success lies not just in the quality of the product, but in the quality of implementation.
Primary school children in Boa Vista, Roraima state, Brazil, learn to their focus attention with Programa Compasso socioemocional. Photo: Committee for Children
Meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all,’ starts with social emotional learning, both Doces and Hubbard emphasized.
Children need the foundational skills that an SEL program can provide to facilitate learning. Another key element is ensuring teachers are well trained and supported. “A key part of ‘social emotional learning’ is that word ‘learning’,” adds Hubbard. “In order for there to be learning, you need to focus on the teachers and make sure they can provide a quality experience.”
The goal to empower more children and adults with SEL at a global level can seem daunting, but CFC International has a clear vision of how SEL can take root across cultures, helping to provide a foundation for lifelong learning.
GlobalWA Goalmaker: Nirmala Chaudhary, Nepal Country Director, buildOn
By Joel Meyers
Nirmala Chaudhary, Nepal Country Director, buildOn. Photo: buildOn
On first glance of buildOn, you may think “oh, they build schools,” which they do, and they do so much more.
buildOn has a special model where they unite communities through service and education to create positive change – and building schools are one of the wonderful and empowering outcomes.
buildOn was founded in 1991 by Jim Ziolkowski who left his career in corporate finance to pursue his passion for service and education. Since then, buildOn has created the Constructive Leadership program in the U.S. where students are taught to lead by being in service, and the students volunteer their time and implement community improvement projects. Internationally, buildOn implements a similar model yet with the local communities, and U.S.-based alum can go and help.
Nepali women taking part in the buildOn Adult Literacy program. Photo: buildOn
In their global program, buildOn works in eight countries: Burkina Faso, Guatemala, Haiti, Malawi, Mali, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Senegal. In these countries collectively, they have built 2,688 schools, 351,575 students attend buildOn schools, and 4.9 million volunteer work days have been contributed by the communities.
We were fortunate to be able to connect with one of their on-the-ground staff in Nepal, to first-hand get more familiar with the types of people that are implementing this wonderful work, their origins, their passions, and the change they are seeing.
We were able to have a conversation with Nirmala Chaudhary, Nepal Country Director, buildOn.
What is your role at buildOn – what are your primary activities in Nepal?
As a country director, my major role is to oversee the Nepal program, lead and manage the team, work closely with related staff on planning the budget and program, and coordination with government and related bodies. With the help of the community, we are constructing school buildings in very rural areas. We are also running income-generating and Adult Literacy Programs and enroll an accelerated learning class for children who have been previously out-of-school so they can catch up with their peers. The goal of all of our programs is to ensure equitable access to a quality education.
buildOn staff entering a village in Nepal. Photo: buildOn
Tell us a bit about your background – why did you choose this path of service; were there people or events that influenced you?
Good question. I’m from an indigenous marginalized community. Fortunately, we had a primary school in our community but they only sent their son to the school, not their daughter. I remember that there were only two girls from our village going to school. My elder brother took the initiative to send me to school. I was not ready to go to school because all my friends used to graze goats, and there was not a permanent building for our school. We had to sit under the mango tree and when it was raining, the teachers sent us home. I used to go to school without shoes up to grade 5. When I passed grade 5, I had to walk 5km to reach the high school. I didn’t have a bicycle. It took 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach the school. I remembered the day we were taking history class and we were not focusing on the lesson; our history teacher was yelling at us. He was saying that girls are parasites like bed bugs, like lice. When they are with their parents, their parents take care of them and when they get married, their husband takes care of them. They always depend upon others and that’s why they are parasites. It hurt me a lot and I promised that I will not be a parasite, I will be independent and will work on my education.
I chose this path because I know the importance of education, especially for girls. If we educate girls, they can also contribute to their nations. They are not like a doll put on the table to decorate the room.
How did you hear about buildOn, and how did you end up working for them?
After attempting the final exam of my bachelor’s degree, I applied to be a teacher and they selected me to be a lower secondary teacher at the school. I was continuing my work at the school and at the same time I got a proposal to work with an NGO that was also working in the education sector. I was not able to make a decision at that time. Later I thought I could do better for girls through an NGO than from the school. I accepted that position and started working with an NGO called Backward Society Education (BASE). The project was related to education for conflict-affected children and parents. After phasing out of that project, I heard about the vacancy with Building with Books (BWB)––buildOn’s previous name––and applied to it as an education coordinator. I was finally selected to join buildOn on 15 April 2007.
As of 2021, I read that buildOn had built 293 schools in Nepal. A lot of work! How do you determine which communities need a school and how do they qualify for assistance from buildOn?
Some community members know about buildOn from their neighboring villages where buildOn has already built schools. We also go to the municipality for the coordination meeting and they provide us with a list of communities in need. After the application, our team visits the school, checks the data, and talks to the community members and municipality. After completing the field visit, we discuss with the team about the selection of schools in need and then we recommend the lists of the schools for the approval from our national board of directors and then submit the proposal to the social welfare council for approval. This is the process of program approval. But for the selection of the community, we check the building conditions, number of children, need of building, availability of local materials, volunteers etc. We give priority to poor, marginalized, lower caste, landless communities.
We have three levels of government i.e., 1st federal (central), 2nd province, and 3rd local government. The federal government allocates only 10 to 11 percent to education which is not sufficient for the education department, so rural communities are always left behind. We have so many communities that have no access to education. We find such communities and start working with them.
Teaching students in a buildOn built school. Photo buildOn
What is the role of the Nepal government (e.g. Ministry of Education) and the community in building each school? Are the community’s roles the same for each project or do you customize based upon size, geography, community structure, or other needs?
High school is under the local government and it manages teachers, the school management committee, parent teacher association, infrastructures etc. Because of the limited budget, they are unable to construct more buildings, so we are supporting them. The community’s main role is to provide volunteers and local materials like sand, aggregate, stone, land, local tools etc. That is worth almost 30% of the total cost of the building and the local government is supporting the community for it and it is almost the same everywhere we work.
Does buildOn also help with enrolling teachers for the schools you build?
No, buildOn doesn’t help to enroll teachers. It is the government’s responsibility to provide or manage teachers in the school.
How about building public awareness of the new school and enrolling students?
Before we start constructing a school in the community, we do at least three mass meetings. We try to understand the community and its challenges. In the mass meeting, we talk about our methodology, school construction program, and the importance of education. We also talk about the importance of education during the school construction. We always form a committee called the Project Leadership Committee and they take the initiative to mobilize the community members, manage local materials, check and receive materials from buildOn etc. So, they have a huge responsibility to complete the project and enroll the children at the school. They commit to sending boys and girls to school in equal numbers and helping teachers and buildOn with the enrollment campaign during and after the school construction. And normally we are getting more support from the community beyond the expectations because during the construction, they realize that one of the most important things in life is an education.
Public awareness for buildOn in a village region in Nepal. Photo: builOn
Are you altering your building methods due to climate change?
Yes. Normally we break ground on the schools between the end of September to the end of April because from June to August we have a lot of rain. The road is slippery, muddy, difficult to dig the foundation etc. If we dig 2 feet deep, water comes out. And during the winter season, it is too cold and the building takes more time to dry, so we always keep that in mind.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your role as Country Director?
People management is one of the biggest challenges for me. Different people have different natures, character, and work ethics, so managing them can be a challenge for me. And at the same time, we have a national board and working in programs as well as for the organization, sometimes I feel it is difficult to manage the time. But these challenges are also making me stronger day by day.
You are a woman leader in a traditionally patriarchal society – have you found this challenging in your role? Do you have any advice for aspiring women leaders?
As a woman leader, my biggest challenges are to earn trust in my leadership skills. Very few people trust female leadership skills. I always need to prove myself to gain their trust. If a female does make a mistake, then people start talking about the female not the person. At the same time, it takes time for male staff to accept female leaders or bosses. You can see, male respect males more than females even if their position is lower. And, when daughters go outside the house alone, people start saying she is a spoiled girl. To move forward, every girl has to be a “spoiled girl.” I have a strong belief that there can be no greater leader than a woman. They successfully run the house so why not the organization, society, or nation? I just want to tell every woman leader to focus on their path and never give up! Success will be in your favor.
Woman taking part in the Adult Literacy program. Photo: buildOn
What is most exciting about your job, and what are you most hopeful about?
To be a female leader from a marginalized community is the most exciting thing for me. I’m hopeful that I can do something for my community as well as the girls and be a role model for every woman. All parents will be motivated to send their daughters to the school and believe in the power of women.
Girls in School with learning materials provided by GREDO. Photo: GREDO
GREDO’s education program has been progressively making sustained efforts in the recent years to avail education services to the neediest out of school children in the served communities. Below are some of the areas the education program focuses on:
Provision of Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs)
A critical component of the GREDO Education Program is the provision of Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs). These resources are essential for effective teaching and learning, particularly in under-resourced areas. GREDO works to supply schools with age-appropriate textbooks, learning aids, and other educational materials, ensuring that both teachers and students have the tools they need to succeed. By enhancing the quality of education through TLMs, GREDO helps to create a more engaging and effective learning environment.
