Cases
Find out more about what we’ve achieved and learned through our work in various parts of the world.
A strategic partnership for families in Tel Aviv
Young children have become a cross-cutting strategic priority for the city of Tel Aviv, following a strategic partnership agreement between the municipal government, the Bernard van Leer Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies… Read more
The Beginning of Life documentary
Available on Netflix and other platforms, and in multiple languages, the documentary The Beginning of Life (O Começo da Vida) emotionally brings to life the science behind the importance of… Read more
India's first smart and child friendly city
When India’s “smart cities” mission announced its ranking of applicants for support in 2016, Bhubaneswar – the capital of the Indian state of Odisha – topped the list. Bhubaneshwar was later… Read more
Home visiting services scale up in the Amazon basin
Families with young children in Acre and Amazonas – two states in Brazil’s Amazon basin – are receiving home visits as part of the Fostering PIAA (Primeira Infância Acreana e… Read more
Scaling up mother tongue-based preschool in Odisha
In March 2016, the Bernard van Leer Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Women and Child Development Department of the Government of Odisha, an Indian state with a… Read more
Harvard executive programme on scaling early childhood programmes
Demonstrating that a project benefits young children is one thing; delivering that model at scale, to benefit millions of children, presents different challenges altogether. The Foundation is working with Harvard… Read more
Advocating Paid Leave for New Dads
The MenCare campaign promotes men’s participation in caregiving and fatherhood through building evidence and global advocacy on issues such as paid leave from work for new fathers. Supporting men to… Read more
Engaging Kids to Make São Paulo's Streets Safer
Children building themselves a tyre swing in a public play space may sound like an unremarkable, everyday event rather than the stuff of headlines. But when this happened in November… Read more
Children are sanitation ambassadors in India
Open defecation is a particular problem for young children in Indian cities such as Bhubaneswar, with unhygienic conditions spreading diarrhoea and other diseases. Women are also at risk of sexual… Read more
Improving parenting at scale through existing health workers
Visits from community health workers have been shown to have positive effects on the health, nutrition, learning and safety of young children in Peru. The Foundation has been working in… Read more