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Written by Rachel Bentley OBE

July 29th, 2025

This article takes 2 min to read

Our 35th Year: Where Community Strength Meets Global Challenges

I’m delighted to share our latest Annual Report, full of inspiring stories from the past year that really reflect our mission. This report isn't just about numbers; it's about the resilience of communities and the powerful changes they're leading for their own children. 

Navigating the complexities of a global economic downturn and increasing geopolitical instability, this year brought unprecedented challenges for international development. However, thanks to the dedication of our supporters we have been able to hold our ground. Our local partners have celebrated some exciting breakthroughs, directly impacting the lives of children they serve. 

35 years of working with international partners has only strengthened our belief that community-driven change is the only sustainable change. We work with, learn from and strongly invest in local people, rejecting the short-term wins that create dependency.

In a world seemingly dominated by rigid tick boxes and fixed goals, we cultivate organic partnerships with communities. This requires patience and flexibility, recognising real change can unfold in unexpected ways. We understand that true progress is rarely linear, and we're grateful to have supporters who value both the subtle shifts and the dramatic breakthroughs that come along the way.

To highlight a few of these milestones…

Embodying the 'It takes a village to raise a child’ African Proverb - the growth of community-led Child Protection Teams has yielded real progress in Karamoja. Local people here are increasing school attendance, reducing trafficking, improving sanitation, and enhancing food security.

Through our 'Hanifi script' education pilot, Rohingya children achieved rapid language fluency and 82% higher exam scores, demonstrating the power of mother-tongue learning. This success, rooted in and strongly supported by the refugee community, is propelling the programme’s expansion to 6,000 more children and sparking conversations about sector-wide adoption.

After developing a new play-based learning curriculum and assessment tool with Congolese refugee communities in Uganda, it has been inspiring to see a number of other thought leaders and grassroots organisations come together to learn about the approach, with a view to applying it within their own early learning initiatives.

Denied even the most basic rented space due to severe caste discrimination, the Dalit communities we support in India now possess their own centre building. This space provides vital offices, classrooms, and safe gathering areas. It creates a sense of belonging and promises years of positive impact for Dalit children.

With over a million girls cut off from education by the Taliban, we supported a dynamic educator from Afghanistan to strengthen the organisational foundation of her online school for over 800 children. By the end of the year, ‘Afghanistan Education Action’ was registered as a UK charity, ready to independently raise funds to support thousands more women and girls to realise their rights.

These milestones reflect how we are working to put communities in charge of their children's well-being, helping them use their inherent strengths to succeed, until we can step away. 

We are encouraged to see how, even in challenging times, meaningful change is possible when we work from the grassroots, and we are deeply grateful for your support in making it happen. 

Read the Full Report.

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