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.
We believe that education should help every child thrive - especially in adversity.
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.
A growing movement of education innovators reimagining how children thrive
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.
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.
Two years later, this report advances from exploration to a strategic roadmap for scaling the learning ecosystem approach. Co-designed with ten learning ecosystems from the first report, it investigates how these community-led models can serve as the core mechanism for the future of learning in the Global South.
The report presents a framework to integrate formal and non-formal learning, addressing systemic hurdles like policy relevance and funding. Ultimately, it offers a blueprint for what the OECD terms 'education for human flourishing', demonstrating how local innovations transform national systems to ensure every child thrives, even in adversity.
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
Friendship Bangladesh
Fundacion 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
Centro Lemann
Enseña Perú
Friendship Bangladesh
Fundacion Mi Sangre
Luigi Giussani Foundation
Sattva Consulting (Life Skills Collaborative)
Sociopreneur Indonesia
TAAP Foundation
University of Venda (in partnership with AIME Mentoring)
Investing time in building trust is the very heart of it; not ‘delivering’ pre-packaged programmes
Franco Mosso Cobián
Enseña Perú (Peru)
Our learning ecosystems are not exclusively focused on education - they address peace, inclusion, mental health, and relationships with nature
Catalina Cock Duque
Fundación mi Sangre (Colombia)
We have 4 million plus people in the organisation. But I look at the individuals.
Jonathan, 11, a victim of domestic violence, never spoke. He left school. Now he is a successful photographer, teaching photography to others in his community. Miguel was a social leader who wanted to be a politician without any interest in his community, but now he’s a community leader preventing children from being drawn into illegal mining. Violent mothers have become loving teachers. People have become social entrepreneurs. I try to learn everyone’s name and story
Gaby Arenas de Meneses
Fundacion TAAP (Colombia)
We are building a movement of practitioners who share insights on embedding life skills into curricula and pedagogy
Stella Akongo
Luigi Giussani Foundation (Uganda)
Shared values are key - universities must connect teaching, research, and community service to the development agenda in their region
Dessy Aliandrina
Sociopreneur Indonesia (Indonesia)
Ndivho Mulaudzi, one of our former mentees (2019 - 2021), believed that the root of poor performance in school for learners around her area was the result of poor literacy. Through our ambassador program she was able to establish a book reading club for younger kids in her area, a welcomed initiative by her community. The book reading club focused on reading and building confidence through speeches, discussions and debates. Ndivho is now working towards a diploma of Agricultural Science at Madzivhandila Agricultural College
Vhutali Nelwamondo
University of Venda and AIME Mentoring (South Africa)
Our Team
Olivier BRECHARD
Director of International Relations - Learning Planet Institute
Katherine BROWN
Project Manager - Learning Planet Institute
Rosie CLAYTON
Director of Digital Leadership & Research Fellow - Transforming Learning Group WISE
Gaby Arenas DE MENESES
Expert in social innovation & co-founder - TAAP Foundation
Valerie HANNON
Co-founder - Innovation Unit
Olga KOKSHAGINA
Associate Researcher, Learning Transitions Lab - Learning Planet Institute
Maria Angelica MEZA
Intern - Learning Planet Institute
Franco MOSSO
Co-founder - Enseña Perú
Marc SANTOLINI
Associate Researcher, Learning Transitions Lab - Learning Planet Institute
Radi SHAFIQ
General Manager - Friendship Bangladesh
Michael STEVENSON
Senior Strategy Adviser & Consultant, High Performing Systems of Tomorrow - OECD Education & Skills Directorate
