The alliance's work aims at supporting transnational alliances in carrying out multi-country advocacy to influence transnational and national policy frameworks. The alliances participated in the competitive call for applications in September 2020. 173 concept notes were received from highly qualified alliances representing 59 countries (based on the lead applicant of the alliances) and many more countries represented in alliance partners and intervention countries. Alliances were chosen through a thorough assessment process which resulted in the final selection by our Global Independent Selection Panel.

All nine have now initiated the Year Zero process, an important part of the EOL learning agenda and functioning as a developmental pathway for the alliances. Over a duration of five months, they will be provided with support for organisational capacity building, development of transnational advocacy agendas, as well as support to develop a sound theory of change and learning plan. This will provide candidates with a strong foundation to develop their final project proposals. These will be considered and decided upon by EOL before the end of September 2021. Additionally, the period gives the candidates a chance to test their approaches and initiate relationship-building with key actors, including other EOL grantees.

We look very much forward to provide this support to alliances and warmly congratulate all nine alliances and their members.

More information about the 9 alliances below:

The GEAR alliance consists of four different organizations. Students And Youth Working on reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) is the lead organization of the alliance, and is based in Zimbabwe. The other alliance members are Farming Communities Education Trust (FACET) based in Zimbabwe, National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) based in Zambia, and Girls Activists Youth Organization based in Malawi. SAYWHAT has experience with youth participation and intercountry coordination. The alliance partners all have expertise within the field of girls’ education in rural and farming communities at the national level. In Year Zero, the alliance will develop a project aiming to ensure inclusive and equitable education systems for girls in rural and farming communities of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as progressive frameworks on education at the national, regional, and international level.

Children Believe is based in Canada and is the lead applicant of an alliance also consisting of Child Fund Zambia, as well as 9 local partner organizations in Zambia, Ethiopia, and Ghana. Children Believe has experience in implementing education programs globally and focuses their work on vulnerable children and youth’s access to inclusive, equitable and quality education. The project to be developed during Year Zero is called The Education Policy in the New Normal, and aims to foster positive change in education policy and investment with a focus on rural, remote and marginalized contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa in the face of climate change, globalized economies, and health pandemics.

Le Partenariat is based in France and is the lead organization of an alliance also consisting of FOUTA Education Au Développement (FEDD) in Senegal, AESVT in Morocco, SEN-EAD in Senegal, Club des Amis du Monde in Guinea, and Ligue Régionale des Parents d’Elèves based in Morocco. Le Partenariat and the alliance members have previously collaborated to support public policies and advocate for more inclusive education. The alliance aims to utilize their national expertise to bring their voice to the national and transnational level in the development of education policies. The project to be developed during Year Zero aims to address the issues of Water Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) and how these relates to school dropout and academic failure, especially for girls.

Consejo de Educación Popular de América Latina y el Caribe (CEAAL) is based in Mexico and is the lead organization in an alliance also consisting of Red Alforja in El Salvador, Colectivo Atoj Antoño in Bolivia, and Instituto Mexicano para el Desarrollo Comunitario IMDEC also in Mexico. CEAAL is a large network of organizations working with education in Latin America and the Caribbean and has experience with cross-country cooperation. The partner organizations have different areas of expertise, including gender approaches to education, indigenous peoples, construction of education processes with excluded sectors, and non-formal education. The project to be developed during Year Zero focuses on education of young people and adults and aims to address the marginalization of uneducated young people and adults and to move these issues into decision-making spaces.

L’initiative OASIS is based in Niger and is the lead organization in the alliance also including L’Association pour la Promotion de l’Education Non Formelle in Burkina Faso, Université Populaire in Tchad, and Organisation d’Appui aux Populations Rurales in Mali. L’initiative OASIS has expertise with leadership and training, implementation of programs for women and adolescent girls, as well as research and transnational advocacy. The alliance members have experience in vocational training, training of women and young people, functional literacy, and in quality non-formal education. The project to be developed during Year Zero focuses on the importance and development of non-formal education in the Sahel region. It aims to create a Sahelian framework for promotion of the non-formal education sector as an alternative for training adults and integrating those excluded from formal education systems.

Global Integrity is based in the United States and is the lead organization in an alliance also including Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) in South Africa, Agenda 2063 Academy in Eswatini, Forum for African Women Educationalists in Malawi and Zambia, Center for Civil Society Learning and Capacity Building (CESC) in Mozambique, Policy Forum in Tanzania, and Teach For Zimbabwe and Stimulus Africa in Zimbabwe. Global Integrity has experience with facilitating connections to transnational spaces. The alliance members have different areas of expertise including cross-country and collaborative learning about social accountability, and dynamics connected to the learning crisis, as well as working with both state and non-state actors. The project to be developed during Year Zero aims to build the capacity of civil society networks in order for them to play a more effective advocacy and engagement roles in education-focused systems and drive progress towards improved and equitable learning outcomes.

Rays of Hope is based in Malawi and is the lead organization in an alliance also consisting of Kesho Kenya, Shure Direct in Tanzania, and Fount for Nations in Malawi. Rays of Hope has great experience in shaping education policy at district and national levels and with the practical application in targeted populations. The alliance members have different areas of expertise including education for children with intellectual disabilities, technology for education, and strategic advocacy communication. The project to be developed during Year Zero aims to reduce the implementation and awareness gap that exists between inclusive education policies and programming by implementing a policy monitoring. This tool will be used to increase public knowledge of policy and make policy-makers accountable for implementation.

Stichting VSO is an organization based in the Netherlands and functions as the lead organization in an alliance also including Reality of Aid Africa Network in Kenya, and The African Women’s Development and Communications Network (FEMNET) in Kenya. Stichting VSO has experience in the field of TVET, with youth engagement and influencing policies at the regional and international level. The alliance members have expertise in a number of areas including advocacy for eradication policies, and women’s development and empowerment. The project to be developed during Year Zero aims to strengthen the capacity of CSOs to influence and lobby for effective aid in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) financing and policy reforms around inclusive training and market relevant skills. The project will focus on Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, and aims for the TVET sector to be inclusive and provide youth, women, and people with disabilities with the relevant skills for labour markets.

World Vision UK is the lead organization in an alliance also including RESULTS Educational Fund based in USA, Education Coalition of Zimbabwe (ECOZI) based in Zimbabwe, Coalition Nationale de l'Education Pour Tous (CONEPT) based in DRC, and Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER) based in Uganda. World Vision UK works with supporting education in over 60 countries and has experience in the field of social accountability, and in achieving policy change and quality improvements in education. The alliance partners are experienced in citizen-based advocacy and working with a range of organizations within the field of education in their national contexts. The project to be developed during Year Zero is called the Adolescent Mothers Education Initiative (AMEI) and aims to bring together community-based, national and regional actors for positive change in girls’ education in the Southern and Eastern Africa regions.