Stories of change
For the first time, a ten-year Local Level Education Plan – developed collaboratively by local government, communities and civil society, is providing a single framework to guide education priorities in Barahatal Municipality in Nepal.
In Northern Ghana, young women and girls in Girls' Caucuses have increase enrolment by creating spaces to speak openly about barriers to education and hold decision-makers accountable.
Thousands of Ukrainian refugee children have been welcomed into schools in neighbouring Moldova. The national education coalition has played a central role in responding to the refugees’ needs.
In primary schools in Namayingo District, Uganda, enrollent has risen by between 28% and 474% since 2023—after communities began actively tracking which children had dropped out, speaking directly to parents, and holding local authorities accountable.
What began as a local concern over long waits for much needed speech therapy, grew into a powerful community-led advocacy success — bringing five extra therapists to help children in Drochia catch up with their peers.
Once, many children left school at lunchtime because their families could not afford to contribute to school meals. Today, an expanded program—shaped by sustained civil society advocacy—is helping ensure every child can stay in school, eat and learn.
Over 2 million people have been displaced in Burkina Faso. Civil society are helping children access education in their host communities and elevating local voices, turning individual struggles into collective, national change.
In communities across Liberia, activists working through the Educate HER coalition are ensuring that national commitments — notably the National Policy on Girls’ Education (NPGE) — do not remain on paper, but take root in homes, schools, and everyday community life.
Ghana is introducing a new policy to improve salaries and working conditions for teachers in rural areas — a reform championed for years by civil society, and seen as a potential solution to persistent teacher shortages and difficult learning conditions.
Youth in Tupiza, Bolivia, are taking the lead in confronting rising bullying and school violence. Supported by Education Out Loud, CEMSE and ACLO, student governments organized trainings, which empowered them to draft a municipal law to prevent and address school violence.
Political upheaval, economic instability, and conflict constantly test even the most carefully designed strategies. Yet across the region, education coalitions are finding ways to stay agile and relevant, reshaping their approaches to ensure learning continues despite the odds.
This community school near Kigali is practicing the inclusive education policies advocated by Rwanda Education for All Coalition (REFAC). Teacher training, parents’ engagement and inclusive teaching practices are helping learners perform better in class.