VVOB - education for development

A good conference sparks ideas. A great conference turns those ideas into action.

Originating from a contribution to The Education and Development Forum - UKFIET conference in 2025, VVOB en Ecuador has developed a practical Teacher Guide to help teachers and students submit strong projects to the agriculture and climate change category.

The guide shows how the right conversation, in the right room, can lead to solutions that respond to real needs.

Read the full article published on UKFIET: https://www.ukfiet.org/2026/growing-solutions-how-a-conference-conversation-became-a-teacher-guide/

Let's start the week with a little reflection.

Finish this sentence:
Every learner deserves a classroom where...

What would you add? Share your thoughts in the comments!👇

When school attendance drops, learning doesn’t have to stop.

In Zambia, Teacher Mary Lungu has seen how economic pressures pull children out of class, especially during farming season. But she doesn’t give up on her learners.

Instead, Mary reaches out. She talks to parents, explains the impact of missed school days and encourages learning to continue at home.

“Most of the children are left alone. Their parents go for work. So we call the parents, we discuss. We try to put measures in place at home.”

Mary’s story shows that when teachers and parents connect, even tough circumstances can become opportunities for shared sense of responsibility and better learning outcomes.

For early childhood development practitioner Evodia Mzizi, children learn what is possible by watching what adults do.

After taking part in the Siyalingana course, Evodia started challenging gender stereotypes in her classroom through everyday play and interaction. She plays along in their games, and in doing so, helps children understand that toys, colours and activities are not defined by gender.

When children see their teacher tackling gender stereotypes, they begin to question them too.

The Siyalingana course is an initiative by the European Union's Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa ( ). Through RTIA, we’re promoting gender-responsive pedagogy, a teaching approach that challenges stereotypes and promotes equality.

Read Evodia's inspiring story in our 2025 Annual Report: bit.ly/VVOB-Annual-Report-2025

In case you missed it, our 2025 Annual Report is ready to explore!

From Zambia’s Catch Up programme, now reaching more than 2 million learners across 6,400 schools, to new work on foundational learning in Malawi, our focus is on supporting education systems from pilot to scale, building the evidence needed to expand approaches that respond to learners' needs.

Read the report: bit.ly/VVOB-Annual-Report-2025

What helps teachers bring out their best?

For school principal Ms. Le Thi Hien, it's when teachers no longer wait for instructions, but confidently share and learn from each other.

Through the TALK project, VVOB works with partners in Vietnam to strengthen school leadership and create school cultures where teachers collaborate, reflect on their practice and continue to develop professionally.

Because supporting teachers is one of the most effective ways to improve learning for every learner.

Read the full article on Vietnam.vn: https://www.vietnam.vn/en/trao-quyen-chia-khoa-khoi-mo-su-sang-tao-cua-giao-vien

VVOB in Vietnam

Join us on 28 July for a webinar exploring evidence from Zambia's national Catch Up programme, a government-led adaptation of Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL), now reaching more than one million learners each year.

The session will unpack findings from the first randomised evaluation of a national-scale TaRL programme, showing that strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy leads to broader learning gains over time.

This discussion will bring together panelists from the Gates Foundation, Zambia's Ministry of Education, VVOB, and Teaching at the Right Level Africa, with moderation by the Center for Global Development.

Register now👇

Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)

Webinar: Targeting foundational skills to improve learning at scale in Zambia Join us for a webinar presenting rigorous evidence on the impact of Zambia's "Catch Up" program, a government-led adaptation of the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach.

Tanzania’s first School Leadership Engagement Week marked an important step towards stronger and more coordinated education leadership.

Organised by ADEM and the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL), the week also highlighted progress under the Leaders in Teaching initiative. As a coordinating partner of the ACSL, VVOB contributes to this wider effort to strengthen the systems, evidence and professional support that school leaders need.

Key milestones included the dissemination of Tanzania’s School Leadership Mapping Report, the inauguration of a national coordination task force, the launch of a National School Leadership Research Agenda and the validation of 14 Tanzanian research proposals.

Learn more about the School Leadership Engagement Week: https://africancentreforschoolleadership.org/tanzania-to-host-school-leadership-engagement-week-to-drive-the-structural-transformation-of-education-leadership/

Getting children into school is essential. Ensuring they learn once they are there is the next defining challenge for education systems.

This article from the Australian International Development Network looks at Cambodia’s shift towards improving learning outcomes by investing in teachers, school leaders and sustained professional development. It also highlights VVOB’s work with Cambodia’s Ministry of Education and local partners to support improvements that are locally led and built to last.

A timely reminder that quality education is about more than access. Lasting change depends on strengthening the whole system around teachers and learners.

VVOB in Cambodia

From access to learning: What Cambodia reveals about a defining shift in global education reform. - Australian International Development Network Sally Miles, CEO of SeeBeyondBorders Australia, examines the shift in global education reform: from increasing access to education numbers, to ensuring quality education. This shift requires emphasis on teacher professional development, leadership that prioritises teaching, learning and supporting t...