Things… aren’t great in the world right now. If it feels like the world isn’t making the progress we need on climate change, equality, and poverty, that’s because, well, we’re not. It can be hard to conceptualize what this long-term progress should look like. To break it down, we created five stats that help put things in perspective. We also have some ways you can take action. We’re not powerless to these challenges, no matter how big and gloomy they...
Javaza is a girl with a dream. The 14-year-old from Namibia wants to become a lawyer. “I want to grow up, be somebody, and help other people in return,” Javaza shared. Mammadu, a non-profit in her home country, is helping students like Javaza get the education they need to pursue their dreams. Mammadu aims to be a safe place for children from the community whose parents might be working, abusing alcohol, or are deceased due to HIV/AIDS. Namibia‘s HIV infection...
In Cape Town, South Africa, NewDay United has stepped up during the pandemic to make sure everyone has access to a bright future. As an after-school program, NewDay United is addressing some of the inequalities exacerbated by COVID-19 and helping children and young adults build a better future. They‘re providing both hands-on learning and training, and tackling food security with homegrown solutions. Here‘s a look at how. Giving students a second chance to learn Abongile Bono, a 21-year-old from the township of...
COVID-19 has affected education everywhere, but the effects on school children in low-income countries are particularly concerning. It‘s been harder for children in the world‘s poorest countries to access remote learning programs designed to counter school closures. And girls have been particularly impacted: 20 million girls risk never returning to school after this global health crisis has passed. The key to remedying this global learning crisis is financing. Now is not the time to reduce available funds for international development,...
“Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world,” Nelson Mandela once said. There is power in a quality education, and that is precisely why fair and free access to quality education is among the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Unfortunately, quality education is not a reality for all students. Since 2015, over 500 million children worldwide have not developed the needed skills to read and understand a simple story by the age of 10. They‘re missing a critical literacy milestone...
The world has been experiencing a global learning crisis: 90% of children in low-income countries could not read and understand a simple story by their 10th birthday. And then COVID-19 hit and made things worse. At the peak of the pandemic 1.6 billion children were pushed out of school, and 8 out of 10 children surveyed in 46 countries said that they learned very little or not at all since the pandemic began. What did we do? We kicked off our...
Peter Tabichi was only known to his students and fellow teachers at Keriko Secondary School before 2019. Going over and above what is taught in Kenya‘s education curriculum, the Franciscan Brother has made it his mission to go the extra mile – even donating 80% of his income – to equip his students with the necessary skills to succeed in school and life. To some, he is the parent they don‘t have; to others, he is the friend that sticks...
As world leaders gather virtually and in person at the start of today‘s Global Education Summit, ONE is urging them to not waste this crucial opportunity to make a dent in the global learning crisis. The Lost Potential Tracker shows that every day, over 193,000 10-year-olds do not gain basic literacy skills. That‘s 70 million children — or more than half of the world’s 10-year-olds — potentially affected by the end of 2021. By 2030, the crisis could affect...
Caitlin Baron is the CEO of the Luminos Fund. Photo credit in this piece goes to Mekbib Tadesse for the Luminos Fund.  Like many children in Ethiopia, Esayas hardly set foot in a classroom during the first decade of his life. Instead, he stayed home, helping his parents on their farm, a crucial source of food for the family of six. Fast-forward 10 months and on average, 90% of Esayas‘s classmates will have transitioned into mainstream school, 75% will stay in...
Think back to when you were 10. Imagine if you had not been able to read and understand a simple story at that age. Where do you think you would be today? Age 10 is the age at which children should be switching from learning to read to reading to learn. This critical milestone sets children up for a lifetime of learning. It increases their ability to earn, innovate, improve their own opportunities, and contribute to their societies, including becoming...