Learning Ecosystems
Learning Ecosystems for Human Flourishing
Community-led education for human flourishing in adversity
Despite continuous efforts and significant investments, millions of children across Africa, Asia, and Latin America are still denied quality education. These children face significant barriers to learning, including systemic inequality, conflict, poverty, and displacement. Conventional education systems – often designed in the Global North, far from these realities – struggle to meet learners’ needs.
But something powerful is emerging: learning ecosystems – community-led education models grounded in local knowledge, equity, and resilience. Teachers, youth groups, NGOs, government workers, and the private sector are teaming up with communities to rebuild learning from the ground up. By bringing together a broad range of formal and non-formal education actors, learning ecosystems are transforming how children learn and thrive, even in the most difficult circumstances.
We believe that education should help every child thrive — especially in adversity.
What are learning ecosystems?
The learning ecosystems we work with are dynamic, community-based networks that centre children’s well-being and agency through formal and non-formal education.
These remarkable ecosystems bring together educators, families, civil society, local government, and young people to design learning pathways tailored to local challenges.
A growing movement of education innovators reimagining how children thrive
This project contributes to a movement of local learning ecosystems across Africa, Asia, and Latin America who are developing their own inclusive, sustainable education models grounded in community and resilience.
Our ‘ecosystem’ is a network of organisations that leverages local knowledge and partnerships to transform the learning process and holistically address barriers to learning like poverty, violence, and conflict.
By fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing, the project enables scalable solutions to co-design context-specific learning systems across Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. This approach focuses on helping children flourish through sustainable and equitable learning practices. Differences strengthen this group’s approach to learning, through peer learning, South-South collaboration, and shared governance.
From Research to Action
This initiative began with a global mapping of 100 pioneering ecosystems across the Global South. We then selected 11 of these learning ecosystems who excelled in their fields to deep dive into exploring how they respond to systemic inequality, conflict, displacement, and climate disruption through learning. These learning ecosystems prioritise thriving, equity, and learner agency. Each ecosystem works within its own unique context, with corresponding actors, institutions, and barriers to education.
What’s happening now?
In the current transition phase (2024–2025), with 10 learning ecosystems, we are:
Conducting in-depth interviews with ecosystem leaders to map needs and strengths within this network of education innovators
Developing a South-South collaborative community of practice to foster peer-to-peer learning across communities
Sharing stories of change and lessons learned from our learning ecosystems
Creating an open knowledge repository accessible to ecosystem leaders and research partners
Designing a broader framework with field experts to understand and scale impact for current and future learning ecosystems
What’s next?
In the near future, we plan to implement the changes co-designed with these learning ecosystems and more to embed human flourishing at the heart of education—locally, nationally, and globally.
This ongoing work is guided by four interconnected pillars which resonate with Learning Ecosystems and their work worldwide:
Empowering communities to lead policy conversations
Connecting peer ecosystems to share strategies
Building evidence with and for local actors
Supporting models that last beyond grants
Meet the Learning Ecosystems
Centro Lemann
Enseña Perú
(Efecto Ancash)
Friendship Bangladesh
Fundación Mi Sangre
Luigi Giussani Foundation
Sattva Consulting
(Life Skills Collaborative)
Sociopreneur Indonesia
TAAP Foundation
University of Venda (in partnership with AIME Mentoring)
Zizi Afrique Foundation
Stories of Change
Testimonials
Our Team
Olivier BRECHARD
Director of International Relations
Learning Planet Institute
Katherine BROWN
Project Manager
Learning Planet Institute
Rosie CLAYTON
Head of Digital Leadership & Research Fellow
Transforming Learning Group, WISE
Gaby Arenas DE MENESES
Co-Chief Facilitator
Catalyst Now
Valerie HANNON
Co-Founder
Innovation Unit
Olga KOKSHAGINA
Adjunct Researcher,
Learning Transitions Lab
Learning Planet Institute
Maria Angelica MEZA
Intern
Learning Planet Institute
Franco MOSSO
Co-founder
Enseña Perú
Marc SANTOLINI
Research Fellow,
Learning Transitions Lab
Learning Planet Institute
Radi SHAFIQ
General Manager
Friendship Bangladesh
Michael STEVENSON
Senior Advisor & Consultant,
High Performing
Systems of Tomorrow
OECD Education
& Skills Directorate
Supported by
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