VVOB - education for development

10/06/2026

Early childhood education is sometimes underestimated.

But the foundations built in the early years matter deeply. In South Africa, in teacher Sabashnee's early grade classroom, hopscotch is more than a playground game. As children jump around, they learn to recognise numbers, follow instructions, and wait their turn.

In Sabashnee's words, early childhood teachers are not only preparing children for the higher grades; they're preparing them for life.

Through our F.U.N. project, teachers like Sabashnee take part in structured professional learning communities where they share ideas, discuss classroom challenges, and bring practical solutions back to their learners.

Department of Basic Education South Africa SACE Ntataise Trust The LEGO Foundation VVOB in South Africa

09/06/2026

Every child deserves access to quality early learning, and that includes learning through play.

Play-based learning allows children to practice the essential skills they need to be lifelong learners. It taps into the natural ways we learn to nurture capable, confident children who become adults ready to take on the world.

Read our technical brief on play-based learning and discover the benefits of play in achieving quality education: vvob.org/technical-brief-10-play-based-learning

The LEGO Foundation UNICEF Jacobs Foundation The ELMA Philanthropies (Early Childhood Development Action Network - ECDAN Teaching at the Right Level Africa

08/06/2026

Meet Ngandu Siamwaanja, an early childhood education teacher in Zambia, and a supporter of our IT'S PLAY project.

Ngandu waited 12 years after qualifying in early childhood education (ECE) to get a teaching job because ECE wasn't part of the curriculum back then. Thankfully, it's now embedded in national plans, helping more young children access the early learning opportunities they deserve.

Her classroom is a place where children learn by doing, and where play helps them build confidence, responsibility, and joy in learning: “A good learning environment for the little ones should be hands-on where learners are given a platform to explore, to experiment. A room for them to do whatever they dream of.”

This International Day of Play, we celebrate teachers like Ngandu, who remind us that play is not separate from learning. For young children, play is how learning begins!

The LEGO Foundation

05/06/2026

Climate action will not succeed through technology alone.

Even when solutions exist, people need the knowledge, skills and confidence to use them.

That makes a critical part of the climate response.

Schools can help learners understand climate change, connect it to their lives, and develop the capacity to act. But this depends on teachers being supported, not expected to carry the responsibility alone.

As we mark World Environment Day, Tom Vandenbosch's article in Diplomatic Courier offers a timely reminder of education’s role in turning climate ambition into action 👇

Jun 05, 2026 // The real climate bottleneck is education, not technology or finance—the capacity to learn and adapt, writes Tom Vandenbosch.

04/06/2026

For 13-year-old Akhona Hadebe, climate change is no longer just something she reads about in a textbook.

Through the Keep It Cool Climate Change Education programme in South Africa, Akhona and her classmates are learning about climate change, food security and care for the environment through practical activities in their school garden.

They are growing spinach, cabbage and beetroot. They are learning how gardens can help lower temperatures, support food security and bring climate concepts closer to daily life. And the learning does not stop at school.

“At home, the lessons continue,” Akhona explains. “We started a garden. We recycle plastic and cans and separate them.”

As World Environment Day approaches tomorrow, Akhona’s story shows how climate education can help learners see themselves as part of the solution.

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Department of Basic Education South Africa VVOB in South Africa Office for Climate Education

01/06/2026

In recent years, Zambia has made major progress in getting more children into school through the government’s free education policy. Yet increased attendance has not always translated into better learning. Many children are in the classroom, but still struggle with foundational skills such as reading.

For Megan Nankana, this challenge became personal when her daughter began falling behind. Although she was attending school, she often came home discouraged by her difficulties with reading, and Megan was unsure how best to support her. When she heard about Catch Up, she decided to give it a try. This remedial programme not only helped her daughter make progress, but also changed how Megan saw her own role in supporting learning at home: "Because my child is eager to learn, I feel the energy to help her more", she shares.

Learn more about how schools and communities can support parents to engage more confidently in their children’s education: https://vvob.org/stories-news/encouraging-parents-to-support-learning-what-works

Zambia Open Community Schools The LEGO Foundation Teaching at the Right Level Africa

28/05/2026

More than half of the world’s population is under 30.
Yet too often, young people are asked to fit into systems they had no hand in shaping.

When learners feel in control of how they learn, motivation grows, confidence follows, and learning becomes something they do, not something that happens to them.

We stand with teachers, school leaders, and learners worldwide who are proving that education works best when young people are part of shaping the systems around them. Are you with us?

22/05/2026

Women school leaders are more likely to foster inclusive and collaborative school cultures.

- They prioritise student well-being and gender-sensitive policies.
- They invest in teaching and mentor staff for professional growth.
- They build teams, listen closely and reduce teacher absenteeism through collaboration.

We need more of this leadership at every level. Yet, too few women hold leadership positions in education.

Find out how to close the leadership gap in the : https://bit.ly/2025genderreport

GEM Report Unesco

21/05/2026

"In this time of global peril, gender-transformative education should not be swept off the table, it should be its centerpiece." – Antara Ganguli, Director of UN Girls' Education Initiative

When resources are tight, gender equality is often treated as optional.

This report makes a clear case for why that’s a mistake by highlighting how addressing harmful gender norms through education can:
- improve learning outcomes for girls and boys
- reduce violence and inequality, which carry enormous social and economic costs
- support healthier transitions to adulthood and work, especially for young women.

The message is clear: education systems already shape norms, the question is whether they reinforce inequality or actively challenge it. Gender-transformative education offers a system-wide approach to do the latter, even in contexts where funding is under pressure.

Read the report 👇

This advocacy brief shows how and why gender-transformative education is a strategic investment to deliver impact across multiple development areas including health, economic prosperity and peace. In the brief, developed in partnership with the Feminist Network for Gender Transformative Education, e...

15/05/2026

Education does not begin when a child walks through a school gate. It begins long before that, in conversations at home, in moments of play, and in the relationships that shape a child’s world.

This International Day of Families, we recognise that families are a child’s first teachers and one of the strongest influences on their learning and wellbeing. Strong partnerships between families, teachers, and schools create the foundation for inclusive, quality education.

Because learning does not happen in isolation. It takes a community to help every child grow with confidence!