Education
Foundational learning as a key cornerstone for sustainable development.
Education Partners
Meet our Education Partners driving impact in foundational learning.
See our education partnersWhy
Today, millions of children, especially in the world’s Least Developed Countries, are going to school but are not learning essential foundational literacy, numeracy and socioemotional skills.
These skills are crucial for all further learning. Without foundational learning, children cannot progress. This affects not only their education but also their ability to contribute to society and live empowered lives.
90%learning poverty
The world is facing a learning crisis, disproportionately impacting lower-income countries.
10Years of age
In Sub-Saharan Africa, 9 out of 10 children cannot read and comprehend a simple text by the age of 10.
How
How We Work
Over the past two decades, great strides have been made in expanding access to education for children worldwide, ensuring that both boys and girls have the opportunity to attend primary school. However, access alone is not enough.
We address the global learning crisis through targeted, evidence-based interventions that maximize impact and efficiency. Our approach combines country-level support and global initiatives to deliver scalable, cost-effective solutions for reducing learning poverty.
At the country level, we partner with organizations that align with government priorities to implement proven learning methods. We focus on identifying high-impact, cost-effective programs that empower local organizations and ensure sustainability. By leveraging data and evidence, we help allocate resources to interventions that deliver measurable improvements in foundational skills, such as reading, writing, and numeracy.
At the global level, we invest in initiatives that enhance government capacity to drive systemic change. Our efforts focus on catalyzing collaboration, fostering knowledge sharing, and advocating for strategic investments that address the root causes of learning poverty.
Where We Work
Learning poverty is a global challenge, but it is most acute in the world’s least developed regions, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Strategic focus areas
Our efforts are concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia with a specific focus on Madagascar, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Bangladesh, and Nepal as our priority countries. These countries are at the forefront of our mission to reduce learning poverty, where we aim to improve educational outcomes by partnering with organizations that have a deep understanding of local challenges and opportunities.
Explore the education case stories to learn how our partners are accelerating change in foundational learning across the world:
CASE
How Data Drives Progress on Foundational Learning
Governments must take bold action and invest wisely in proven strategies to improve children’s foundational learning. But without reliable data and evidence, directing resources toward the most effective interventions becomes a challenge.
To address this, UNICEF and the Hempel Foundation launched the Foundational Learning Action Tracker in 2023 - a tool designed to bridge this gap and drive meaningful progress.
Our partners
We work with education partners to strengthen foundational learning, ensuring more children gain essential literacy and numeracy skills.
See all our education partnersUNICEF works globally to ensure every child has access to quality education, with a focus on the most marginalized. By improving school access, teacher training, and foundational learning, UNICEF helps children gain essential skills and advocates for policies that address the learning crisis.
Building Tomorrow partners with communities in Uganda to improve access to quality education in rural areas. Through school construction, teacher training, and innovative learning programs, it works to ensure every child has the opportunity to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
VVOB - Education for Development - partners with governments and education institutions to improve teacher training and school leadership in low-income countries. Through evidence-based programs and capacity-building, VVOB enhances education quality and ensures every child benefits from effective teaching and learning.
Teach for Bangladesh is a leadership development program that recruits and trains high-potential graduates to teach in underserved schools. By nurturing a network of education leaders, it works to address educational inequities and build a movement for systemic change.
Global Schools Forum - GSF - is a collaborative community, innovation accelerator, and partnership builder working to improve education at scale for underserved children in low- and middle-income countries.
Through capacity-building, policy advocacy, and knowledge-sharing, GSF strengthens the impact of schools and organizations working to expand access to quality learning opportunities.
SOS Børnebyerne ensures vulnerable children receive quality education as part of its mission to provide family-based care. Through school programs, vocational training, and education advocacy, it supports children in building brighter futures.
EOF - Education Outcomes Fund - partners with governments and donors to improve education quality through innovative financing mechanisms. By using results-based funding, it helps scale effective education interventions that drive measurable improvements in learning outcomes.
BRAC operates one of the world’s largest education programs, delivering innovative, community-based schooling solutions. By focusing on marginalized children, BRAC provides high-quality, low-cost education to help bridge learning gaps and break cycles of poverty.
Street Child works in some of the world's most challenging environments, including Nepal, to ensure children have access to education. By addressing barriers such as poverty, conflict, and gender inequality, it helps vulnerable children enroll in and complete their education.
Ubongo creates engaging, educational media content to improve early childhood learning across Africa. By combining entertainment with research-based curricula, it makes learning fun and accessible for millions of children through TV, radio, and digital platforms.
Save the Children works globally to ensure children receive a quality education, even in crisis and conflict settings. Through early childhood programs, school improvement initiatives, and education in emergencies, the organization helps millions of children learn, grow, and thrive.
PEAS - Promoting Equality in African Schools - operates a network of affordable, high-quality secondary schools in underserved communities across Africa. By combining innovative school management with government partnerships, PEAS expands access to education, improves learning outcomes, and ensures that every child has the opportunity to succeed.
IEFG - International Education Funders Group - is a collaborative network of philanthropic organizations dedicated to improving education outcomes worldwide. By fostering knowledge exchange, funding research, and supporting innovative education initiatives, IEFG helps align global efforts to ensure more equitable and effective education systems.
PAL Network - People’s Action for Learning - is a global coalition of organizations working to improve learning outcomes through citizen-led assessments and community-driven education reforms. By generating data on foundational learning and advocating for evidence-based policies, PAL empowers governments and communities to ensure all children acquire essential skills in literacy and numeracy.
VSO - Voluntary Service Overseas - harnesses the power of volunteers to improve education systems in low-income countries. By working directly with teachers, school leaders, and policymakers, VSO strengthens education quality and expands access to inclusive learning.
RTI International applies research, data, and innovation to improve education systems worldwide. By working with governments and organizations, RTI develops scalable solutions to enhance literacy, teacher training, and early childhood education.
Dalberg Catalyst drives transformative social impact by supporting scalable education and development initiatives. Through strategic partnerships and innovative funding models, it accelerates education solutions that improve learning outcomes and expand access to quality schooling.
Twaweza is a civic organization that uses data and public engagement to drive education reform in East Africa. By promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen-led learning assessments, it empowers communities and policymakers to improve education systems.