Learning from Experience
We commissioned narrative case studies of several countries in which we previously had a long-term presence. Though making the transition to scale was not then an explicit aim, we wanted to see what we could learn from these experiences to inform our scale-focused partnerships today.
Small but mighty - The incredible story of the women who made sure Guatemala’s educational system didn’t leave the nation’s indigenous children behind
This case looks back at the Foundation’s funding for APPEDIBIMI (the Association for Holistic and Multidisciplinary Development) between 1990 and 2008, and its work to improve the prospects of children… Read more
Behind the scenes - From universities to state schools: the Bernard van Leer Foundation’s far-reaching impact on learning
Two distinct stories emerged from El Salvador when we asked Jean Friedman-Rudovsky to look back on our involvement in the country between the late 1980s and phasing out in 2008. Read more
Violence, breaking the cycle - How one of the world’s most dangerous nations stops brutality from spreading
It was in the late 1980s that the Bernard van Leer Foundation began to explore working in El Salvador, primarily as part of our broader Latin American approach to build… Read more
Roots of change - How a Guatemalan grassroots women’s organisation creates holistic child-centred communities, one neighbourhood at a time
From 1990 to 2008, the Bernard van Leer Foundation funded FUNDAESPRO (Fundación Esfuerzo y Prosperidad, or Strength and Prosperity Foundation), a grassroots women’s organisation in Guatemala City. Our involvement started… Read more
Building on Islamic values - A fundamental shift in Moroccan early childhood education
The Bernard van Leer Foundation’s involvement in Morocco ran from 1981 to 2008. The story revolves around one key individual – a thought leader and influencer who was the linchpin… Read more
The buried seed - How Nicaragua came to have one of the most progressive early childhood learning policies on the planet
The Bernard van Leer Foundation worked in Nicaragua during a period (1981 to 2008) of major political upheavals, which necessitated change in how we approached our aim of building local… Read more