Do One Better with Alberto Lidji in Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

Denis Mizne, CEO of the Lemann Foundation, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss how to achieve quality public education in Brazil for every child

 

This episode is of particular interest to anyone who cares about driving forward quality education at scale in a global context. While the Lemann Foundation is based in Brazil, its work is of interest to philanthropists, NGOs and social entrepreneurs across the globe.

Denis sheds light on the Foundation’s work, ranging from operations to grant-making, and provides a solid overview of the current state of affairs in Brazil’s education system and the opportunities for improvement.

The Lemann Foundation was launched in 2002 by self-made Brazilian entrepreneur Jorge Paulo Lemann, who is one the world’s most prolific private investors and philanthropists.  Lemann’s private equity firm, 3G Capital, boasts a portfolio that includes the likes of Anheuser-Busch, Burger King, Heinz, Kraft, SABMiller, and Tim Hortons.

Visit The Do One Better! Website at Lidji.org for a full transcript of this conversation. Please click the ‘subscribe’ button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others — thank you!

 

David Miliband, President & CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and former UK Foreign Secretary, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss the plight of refugees and displaced persons globally

 

David served as the youngest UK Foreign Secretary in three decades, driving advancements in human rights and representing the UK throughout the world. His accomplishments have earned him a reputation, in former President Bill Clinton's words, as "one of the ablest, most creative public servants of our time.”

David talks candidly about the invaluable work of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the plight of refugees and displaced persons, and sheds light on the differences between being the foreign minister of a permanent member of the UN Security Council and leading one of the worlds most impactful NGOs.

The IRC was founded by Albert Einstein, who was in Princeton, in the USA, when Hitler came to power. And he founded the International Rescue Committee, the Emergency Rescue Committee at the time, in the 1930s, and he founded the organisation out of a burning sense that while he was safe, so many others were not safe from the Nazis. 

The IRC is an organisation whose purpose is to help people whose lives are shattered by conflict, persecution and disaster. They work in 40 countries, in what David calls the ‘arc of crisis’, from the war zone in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, through to the internally displaced, the homeless in their own country, who have had to flee to the houses of cousins or strangers in refugee hosting states.  The IRC is an $825 million a year organisation, with 13,000 employees.

David sheds light on his journey, from UK politics to the NGO world; he delves into the differences between the two and the benefit of having experienced both.  He describes the IRC as an organisation that is about solutions rather than suffering.

For a full transcript of this conversation, visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org

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Amy Klement, Managing Partner of Imaginable Futures — a venture of the Omidyar Group, Founded by Pierre and Pam Omidyar of eBay fame — discusses unleashing human potential through learning

 

If you ever wondered how a Silicon Valley mindset rooted in social entrepreneurship can improve global education, then this episode is for you.  A fascinating look at an organisation that is quite different from traditional philanthropy.

Imaginable Futures is a philanthropic investment firm that combines impact investing and foundation grant-making in order to unleash human potential through learning.

Imaginable Futures spun out of the Omidyar Network a little over a year ago, where they were previously the Education initiative of Omidyar.  They were founded and are funded by Pam and Pierre Omidyar — who is also the Founder of eBay.

Amy worked for eBay, where she served as VP of product strategy and operations, and was previously one of PayPal’s earliest employees in the late 1990s. Today, she leads Imaginable Futures.  She provides great insight and projects very positive energy. 

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org for a full transcript of this episode. Please click the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others. Thank you!

 

Paul Polman, Co-Founder of IMAGINE and former CEO of Unilever joins Alberto Lidji to discuss CEO engagement in sustainable business and creating ‘tipping points’ in specific industries to drive change

 

"Redesigning how business could be and should be, to the benefit of society, is a very important thing."

We tackle a diverse range of topics, from climate change and inequality to his outlook on life and the observation that some people think greed is good but, longer term, generosity will always win.

This is a multifaceted and candid conversation. We hear how his potential to drive forward greater change in global development is actually stronger now than it was when he was still at Unilever. 

We also get a glimpse into his youth, where he notes without any hesitation that: "I wanted to be first a priest and then I wanted to be a doctor, I ended up with serendipity in business, I wouldn't do it again, today, I wouldn't go into business, necessarily, but I always felt more of an urge to help other people."

Paul Polman sheds light on his efforts to engage leading corporate CEOs and to bring key industries to a 'tipping point' whereby they start to embrace sustainable business. He speaks with great passion, insight and an unmistakable sense of urgency. 

This is a fascinating conversation from beginning to end -- enjoy it and take plenty of notes!

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org for a full transcript of this conversation and insight from over 100 podcast episodes on philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.  Please click the ‘subscribe’ button on your favourite podcast app. Thank you!

 

Tackling global hunger and malnutrition. Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), presents a sobering picture and a clear path forward

On this episode we focus on global hunger and malnutrition, which is UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).

 

We address key questions and explore the subject in depth:

 

• Should anyone be dying from hunger in this day and age?

• Must we embrace a vegetarian lifestyle?

• What is the impact of childhood stunting on long-term economic development?  

• What's the connection between food systems and the climate crisis?

• What can policymakers, corporates and citizens do right now?

 

We explore global hunger from various angles and present a clear, actionable path for policymakers, business leaders and citizens around the world to consider as we approach 2030, the target year for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org for a full transcript of this episode.

 

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Rugby star Siya Kolisi and Rachel Kolisi join Alberto Lidji to share their inspiring philanthropy journey and ambition to change narratives of inequality in South Africa through the Kolisi Foundation

 

Siya came from a challenging and humble background and, in 2018, became the first Black test player appointed Captain of the Springboks — South Africa’s national rugby team. In 2019, Siya led his team to Rugby World Cup victory.

Rachel brings a long-standing passion to serve individuals and communities across South Africa. From as early as 1990, Rachel has been involved in charitable and community development projects which have brought about transformation for many different communities.

Siya and Rachel co-founded the Kolisi Foundation exactly a year ago and are already making a huge impact in South Africa, tackling gender based violence, alleviating the hardships caused by COVID-19 and convening diverse stakeholders.

The Foundation has provided sustainable food parcels to more than 25,000 families and provided hygiene products to front-line health workers nationally, in partnership with The Nelson Mandela Foundation.

In this candid and warm conversation, both Siya and Rachel speak with great passion and articulate the nature of their work very clearly. We learn from both of them about the contexts that shaped their thinking, the challenging realities they’ve witnessed and how they’re leveraging their high-profile voices to convene partners, change attitudes and make a difference. 

For a full transcript of this fascinating conversation, visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org  — Download 100+ episodes in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Please click the ‘subscribe’ button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others. Thank you!

 

Cherie Blair and Helen McEachern join Alberto Lidji to discuss closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship, why mentorship matters and reaching 175,000 women via the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women

 

We hear Cherie’s personal story, from the positive influence of her mother and grandmother, to starting out as a lawyer in the 1970s when it was still rare for women to be actively involved in the workforce, to her time living in 10 Downing Street where she was lucky enough to travel the world and meet many great women across the world. 

Cherie felt that there was a gap in women's economic independence — women and girls — and if they could fill that gap by giving women skills, networks and the mentoring that they needed they  could really make a difference.  She set up the foundation in 2008 and now have reached approximately 175,000 women and girls in over 100 countries.

We hear how if women had the same opportunity to be entrepreneurs as men, global GDP could rise by about $5 trillion dollars.

Helen McEachern, the Foundation’s CEO, explains why they focus on low and middle-income countries, where the lack of economic parity is particularly pronounced. We also learn how they leverage technology to remove barriers and of the invaluable role of their global online mentoring programme.  Helen notes how the social norms that women face that hold them back are different in different countries and so they tailor their approach accordingly.

This is a fascinating conversation for anyone who cares about gender equality and embraces the entrepreneurial spirit. The conversation airs as the world marks International Women’s Day 2021.

For a full transcript of this conversation visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org  where you’ll also find 100+ thought-leadership conversations on philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.  Please subscribe on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others. Thank you!

 

Every woman must be given a chance to succeed. Vice Chancellor of the Asian University for Women (AUW), Prof Nirmala Rao, shares the impact of Bangladesh’s (and region’s) only liberal arts institution

 

An inspiring conversation for anyone interested gender equality. The Asian University for Women (AUW) was first established in Bangladesh in 2008, with a specific mission to recruit young women who have promise and potential, regardless of their background, and to offer them high quality education. 

It's a liberal arts institution — the only one of its kind in the region. It's very global in outlook and rooted in the context and aspirations of the young people of Asia, designed to address some of the inequalities endemic to the region. 

The idea for the university grew out of the World Bank and United Nations Task Force on Higher Education and Society.

For a full transcript of this podcast, visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org  where you’ll discover more than 100 thought-leadership podcast episodes in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Please subscribe and share widely — thank you!

 

Julia Gillard discusses her work at the Global Partnership for Education, sheds light on her journey to become Australia’s first woman Prime Minister and argues for quality education for everyone

 

An insightful and candid conversation with a true champion for quality education for every girl and boy across the globe.  

Born in Wales, UK, Julia migrated with her family to Australia as a very small girl. She was educated at local government schools, literally at the end of her street.  

Her father had grown up in a coal-mining village and he left school at 14. He found his way in Australia as a psychiatric nurse. Her mother worked as a cook in a care home. 

Julia has always been conscious that her life chances have been defined by coming from a loving stable family, but also by going to great schools. Fortunately, those government schools at the end of her street were fantastic schools.  And if they hadn't been fantastic schools, her entire life would have been different. 

Today, Julia is Chair of the Global Partnership for Eduction (GPE), which can be thought of as a shared commitment to ending the world's learning crisis. 

It is the only global partnership and fund that focuses solely on school education in lower-income and middle-income countries. They have got around 20 years’ experience now working with partner countries to make sure that more girls and boys not only get access to school, but the education they have at school is a quality one. 

Their model for change is really about mobilising donors, the UN family, philanthropists, the private sector, everyone basically, behind country-led plans to transform their education system. 

They’re working in 76 countries around the world. It's a broad and a deep partnership for change.

Download this episode to hear much more about Julia’s remarkable work and story.

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website for a full transcript of this episode, guest bios and useful links. Enjoy and learn from 100 episodes in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship at Lidji.org

 

President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Larry Kramer, shares his candid views on tackling climate change, adaptation vs mitigation, the merits of divesting from fossil fuels and more

 

Larry has been President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation since 2012. Before joining the foundation, Larry served from 2004 to 2012 as Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of Stanford Law School.

The Hewlett Foundation has an $11 billion dollar endowment and this conversation focuses on their work tackling climate change. Larry delves into the difference between the different approaches of adaptation vs mitigation — and he explains his preferences. 

We learn of the key players in this field today and different collaborations in place to drive change forward.  Only around 2% of global philanthropic funds are focused on climate, so there is a pressing need for more action from funders around the globe.

Larry speaks candidly about the importance of unrestricted funding where appropriate and provides his views on whether divesting from fossil fuels is the right thing for the Hewlett Foundation right now. The focus, ultimately, being about achieving most impact.

For a full transcript of this podcast episode visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org where you’ll be able to download guest bios, useful links and more than 100 thought-leadership conversations on philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.  Please click the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others — thank you!

 

CEO of Bond, Stephanie Draper, sheds light on the work of the UK’s network for organisations working in international development and discusses the challenges and opportunities to build back better

 

An insightful conversation that delves into the UK Government’s changes to its foreign aid budget, the termination of the Department for International Development (DFID), and co-ordinating with UK and international organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stephanie Draper has spent more than 20 years working to accelerate a just and sustainable future, with a focus on sustainable development. She brings extensive international experience of bringing sectors together to collaborate and shape a better future.

For a full transcript of this conversation visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org, where you’ll also be able to download guest bios, useful links and 100+ episodes on philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

 

Dr Charlie Teo, renowned Australian neurosurgeon, talks about his foundation’s work in driving forward brain cancer research, the latest medical advances and his sense of urgency to find a cure

 

An insightful conversation with a highly passionate and respected practitioner and advocate. Charlie provides an overview of the state of affairs in brain cancer research today, sheds light on the medical advances he has witnessed since his days as a medical student and shares his optimism for much less invasive and much more effective treatments in the not too distant future.

From founding the Charlie Teo Foundation to helping set up a pro bono hospital in India, Charlie’s story will inspire and inform you.

Charlie was, and remains, instrumental in the development, dissemination and acceptance of the concept of keyhole minimally invasive techniques in neurosurgery. He runs a fellowship program that attracts over 600 applicants yearly and has trained many of the world’s leading figures in neurosurgery at distinguished centres such as the Barrow Neurological Institute and Johns Hopkins, Duke, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Harvard Universities.

He has raised over $20 million that has been used to fund research scientists both in Australia and abroad.  Charlie dedicates 3 months every year to pro bono work in developing countries.

Charlie was named as a Member of the Order of Australia (for contribution to the development of minimally invasive neurosurgery). In 2012 he was invited to give the Australia Day Address to the Nation and in 2013 was honoured to be the first non-politician Australian to address the US Congress on the need for more funding for brain cancer research.

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org for a full transcript of this conversation, guest bios and useful links. Download 100+ podcast episodes on philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. 

 

Social entrepreneur, Chris Robson, is Founder & CEO of Living With — a digital health company focused on remote condition & patient management. A conversation on success, failure + making a difference

 

Chris shares his insight on the social entrepreneurial journey and his current venture, “Living With”, which helps patients, doctors and researchers to manage conditions remotely and derive  valuable data in the process.

Chris has 20 years’ experience of building fast growth, multinational companies and products, from £0 to £50m turnover. Among other ventures, he built and floated digital agency, Syzygy, on the German Stock Exchange and co-founded Ink Publishing, the world’s largest publisher of inflight media. He holds an MBA from London Business School and a degree from Oxford University.

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website for a full transcript of this podcast episode, guest bios and useful links.  Please click the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others. Thank you!

 

Director General of the MAVA Foundation, Lynda Mansson, discusses the strategic challenges of winding down a foundation that’s granting around $100m annually and will cease to operate in late 2022

 

The foundation will sunset in a couple of years’ time, and the dynamics are much more complicated than one would expect. From ensuring the foundation’s key staff are motivated until the end to sharing institutional knowledge with others and helping partners and beneficiaries thrive in the long-term.

The MAVA Foundation is a family philanthropic foundation based in Switzerland.  They were founded about 25 years ago by Dr Luc Hoffmann, who is the grandson of the founders of Hoffmann-La Roche. 

The foundation will be closing and will stop their grant-making after 2022. Over their lifetime, they have granted out more than one billion dollars.

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website for a full transcript, guest bio and useful links.  Please click the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others. Thank you!

 

Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) Executive Director, Ashlee George, talks about their work in support of youth in South Africa through the lens of HIV/AIDS prevention

 

Learn how Charlize Theron, one of Hollywood’s biggest names, founded CTAOP in 2007 and is today driving a strong network of charitable partners, supporting youth in diverse ways and working with a team of professionals to help improve young people’s lives as we approach the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.

Ashlee George has been part of Charlize Theron’s team for 15 years and over the past decade has been leading CTAOP’s efforts to oversee dramatic growth, including increasing the foundation’s grant making, communities served and youth engaged — underscoring CTAOP’s vision of a future where all youth are empowered to live healthy, HIV-free lives.

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website for a full transcript, guest bio and useful links.  Please click the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others. Thank you!

 

CEO and Co-founder of the EkStep Foundation, Shankar Maruwada, explains how they’re leveraging technology, big data and mobile platforms to drive forward education at scale in India

 

Infosys Chairman and Co-founder, Nandan Nilekani, and Rohini Nilekani, are the other two Co-founders of the EkStep Foundation.  Both Nandan and Rohini are signatories of The Giving Pledge — a commitment made by billionaires to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.

Infosys is one of the world’s largest IT firms and Nandan Nilekani’s involvement places the EkStep Foundation in a strong position to leverage technology in pursuit of education — the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4).

The EkStep Foundation was set up in 2015. The idea was to think big: they aimed for a big goal to reach 200 million children in India and improve their access to learning opportunities and help them achieve improved learning outcomes.

At EkStep, they have a sense of urgency and believe that social good can be done at the scale of the entire population. Time is of the essence since every single year there are 20 million children in India who enter and exit the education system. Therefore, every year wasted is tremendously costly.  In addition to speed and scale, the third key consideration is ensuing their work is sustainable.

Organisationally speaking, the EkStep Foundation is relatively small and only has approximately 40 members of staff — considering they’re reaching more than 200 million children, this is quite a good ratio.

Shankar sheds light on the technology and methods they’re embracing to improve education for millions of children. One of the challenges is ensuring their approach is compatible with the sheer scale and diversity of India, with 25+ formal administrative languages and hundreds of dialects. 

The technology should also help the existing ecosystem of actors since at EkStep they’re not interested in becoming yet another player in this field but, rather, they wish to facilities and improve the capacity of what’s already in place. The technology should fit in with the existing constraints and habits of the chidden, the schools and the education systems in place.

At EkStep, they thought long and hard about the possible ways in which they could help and ultimately ended up focusing on the humble textbooks that are delivered to millions of households annually.

In India, a billion textbooks are printed and distributed to children across the country entirely for free every year. A child may lack many things but a textbook is unlikely to be one of them.

Instead of thinking of the textbook as an outdated technology, they looked at imbedding QR codes so that when you access these QR codes you get content that’s relevant to the chapter and book you’re studying from.  It’s a gateway to content that is interactive, trusted and relevant to the learner.  It is a simple but effective approach.

QR codes tend to be present within each chapter; perhaps 10 to 15 QR codes per book, on average.  

Shankar provides examples: For instance, a 2nd grade student follows the sequencing of chapters in her textbook and the QR code in each chapter provides free content that is created and curated by her school authority — so it’s trusted. 

In a chapter about fractions, for instance, the content could show a video of a cake sliced into 5 pieces, so as to show the concept of fractions. This, in turn, could be followed by questions or a practice test, which then helps you know whether the content has been understood well.

One could say the QR code is somewhat equivalent to a GPS system within the textbook.  It’s like that 2nd grade student is telling the system, here I am right now, I am looking at fractions and, yes, I am understanding this content well. 

A fascinating aspect of this approach is that the content being shown to that student can change dynamically so that at the start of the year it’s more about explanations, while towards the end of the year it might be more about revision and mock texts.  Each individual state in India decides on content and how to sequence it.

In most traditional education systems, there is only limited (if any) feedback of what content individual children are finding engaging. Now, with these QR codes and targeted, dynamic content, they do have remote sensing of data that enables the education system to understand patterns, content engagement levels, learning outcomes, mock exam outcomes and what content students are spending most time on.  Are they focusing more on writing, mathematics, science etc? 

They created technology as a digital infrastructure and they’ve called it ‘Sunbird’ — Shankar remarks that one can think of it as a kind of Linux equivalent for learning. Open infrastructure and free. Anyone who’s interested is welcome to have a look at it and embrace this platform if they wish, irrespective of where in the world they might be.

It wasn’t straightforward to be allowed to operate in around 28 states in India and to reach the 200 million children they had originally envisioned.  But, with a clear focus on their original scale target and by not being precious about their brand, they have succeeded and are impacting millions of children.  They decided that the EkStep brand should never be in the picture, they collaborated with many others and they made their solution open source, free, and available to anyone who wishes to use it.

A question that often comes up pertains to the reality that many children simply don’t have mobile phones or smartphones that can access QR codes. Indeed, that is a limitation Shankar recognises. He mentions that half of children in urban India may not have access to mobile phones, and that number increases even further in rural India. However, he points out that every teacher has a device. So, if the teacher accesses the content they can teach better and enhance the traditional chalkboard they have in the classroom.

Moreover, as a result of COVID-19 schools are closed. So the government is coming out with TV programmes that also have QR codes that are connected to textbooks. They’re connecting the physical to the digital, trying out innovative ideas and aiming to ensure that no child should suffer for lack of access to technology.

Shankar’s key takeaway: When you’re thinking about making a social impact, think big. Don’t constrain yourself by the limited resources you have, because whether you think big or think small, the amount of thinking is the same. When you’re thinking big, don’t worry about not having a perfect plan, or about limited resources or worry about failing.  Shankar has seen great things happen when you set a goal that is way above your means to achieve but it’s so inspiring that you start to attract people around you who are equally inspired and who help you achieve your goal.  With that in mind, if you let go of the need to control the journey, be prepared for a fun ride. And, miraculous things will happen. Even if you don’t achieve your goal, you will end at a place that is far better than what you would have had if you had thought small and only achieved that.

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website for guest bios, episode notes and useful links. Please subscribe to this podcast on your favourite app and share widely with others -- thank you!

 

New Year’s Special with Alberto Lidji - Key Takeaways from 2020. Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

 

A New Year's special episode featuring key takeaways from some of the fascinating guests who joined us on The Do One Better! Podcast during 2020, including:

• Fran Perrin - Chair of 360Giving

• Sir David King - Former UK Government's permanent Special Representative for Climate Change

• Per Heggenes - CEO of the IKEA Foundation

• John Goodwin - CEO of the LEGO Foundation

• Ben Davies - Executive Director of the Johnson & Johnson Foundation

• Tony Nader - CEO of Transcendental Meditation organisations

• Craig Silverstein & Mary Obelnicki - Co-founders of Echidna Giving and signatories of the Giving Pledge. Craig was Google's first-ever employee

• Tariq Al Gurg - CEO of Dubai Cares

• Sandro Giuliani - Board Trustee of the Roger Federer Foundation

• Brian Gallagher - President & CEO of United Way Worldwide

• Howard Taylor - Executive Director of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children

• Anurag Banerjee - Co-Founder of Quilt.AI

• Matt Reed and Tinni Sawhney - CEOs of Aga Khan Foundation in UK and India

• Jeffrey Abramson - Co-founder of the Rona and Jeffrey Abramson Foundation

• Edwin Macharia - Global Managing Partner of Dalberg Advisors

• Mabel van Oranje - Founder of Girls Not Brides

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website to listen to the full episodes with the above guests and nearly 100 episodes with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

Thank you for making The Do One Better! Podcast such a success in 2020. Happy New Year!

 

Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy, Clare Woodcraft, discusses philanthropy in emerging markets, the Global South / Global North power imbalance and the need for collaboration

 

The Centre for Strategic Philanthropy was founded by Badr Jafar and is based at Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge.  It was launched in June 2020 and is focused on emerging markets, with particular concern for the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. Its geographic focus is something that sets the Centre apart from other academic outfits in the field of philanthropy.

They have three core pillars of activity: (1) they are a research centre, (2) will provide executive education commencing in early 2021, and (3) are a convening platform bringing together diverse voices, especially from the Global South.  

Clare provides insight into philanthropy in emerging markets and delves into some of the findings from their recently-published report Philanthropy and COVID-19: Is the North-South Power Balance Finally Shifting?

There is tremendous growth of philanthropy in the Global South and Clare explains how young philanthropists are increasingly moving away from establishing a straight forward foundation and, instead, are starting to consider alternative routes to doing good, such as creating an impact fund or starting a social enterprise.  

The Centre wants to help new, up-and-coming philanthropists to deliver more impact at scale, and to do so collaboratively.  They convene, attract new voices from diverse countries and encourage collaboration. 

Part of the rationale for Badr Jafar’s founding of the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy was the lack of existing research into philanthropy in the Global South.  When asked what success for the next 10 years looks like, Clare replies that she’d like to see the Centre fill research gaps as much as possible, develop a better understanding of the landscape and have more robust data. Moreover, there is also a need to determine and showcase what best practice looks like.

Clare’s key takeaway: It’s about insuring that good intentions translate into impact. We really need to look at the evidence around what works and what doesn’t work. She cautions that before rushing in to create a programme or an intervention, one should really try to look at who’s already working in the space in question and aim to collaborate if possible. Yes, bring your passion, but be aware that intentions need to be matched by evidence.

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website for guest bios, episode notes and useful links. Please subscribe on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others -- thank you!

 

CEO of the FrameWorks Institute, Nat Kendall-Taylor, discusses the science of framing + how best to translate evidence-based research into effective communications for mass audiences and policymakers

 

The FrameWorks Institute has been around for 20 years and they currently have a staff of around 25 professionals, comprised largely of PhD-level social scientists. Nat describes the team as a motley crew of disenchanted academics. Interestingly, they really don’t have folks in the team who come from a communications background, which is a bit ironic considering they focus on communications.

Nat describes FrameWorks as a non-profit, communications, social science research think tank. They are mission-driven to use social science research to support the communications capacity of the non-profit sector. 

They do this by focusing on three areas: 

1) they study, and are interested in, how people think about complicated social and scientific issues — it’s not about what people say or how they answer polling questions but, rather, it’s about how people use common cultural ways of understanding to make meaning of complicated social issues; 

2) they look at ‘framing’ and explore how presenting information in different ways influences how people think, feel and are willing to act — this is the science of framing; and 

3) they take results from this research and partner with organisations that are active in key sectors and they use these findings to improve these organisations’ communications.

There’s an overarching observation Nat makes clear early on: don’t assume that you are your audience. Nat notes that it is extremely common for people who are communicating about specific issues to make the erroneous assumption that they are their audiences. 

Data and evidence don’t necessarily make for effective communications. Nat asks, how many times have we seen presentations that start with data, have another piece of data, then include some charts and graphs about data, and then conclude with yet more data.  

We assume that this data layering speaks to our audience the way it does to us.  But this is by no means the case. Different people may need different elements in order to be convinced.  Always keep in mind that you are not your audience. One needs to draw a distinction between data and various other aspects that activate common, widely-shared values.

We also have a tendency to think of misperception as being analogous to people being wrong, or incorrect or simply unable to understand. This is dangerous. It’s not necessarily that people are wrong but, oftentimes, that people simply have developed different ways of thinking about certain issues or understanding the world around them. 

We hear how there’s a need to tweak the message to local cultures. The holy grail would be a single message that simply works all over the world — one size fits all. But in reality, while you may have a point you want to make to everyone in the world, how you make that specific point is going to have to be honed and made particular to given regions and countries, cultures and subcultures. You need to acknowledge the role that culture plays in how people think and process information.

Nat then sheds light on FrameWorks’ fascinating partnership with Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child and its director, Prof Jack Shonkoff. This collaboration stretches back further than a decade. 

We hear how FrameWorks helped the Center to translate complex research on early childhood development into highly effective messaging that helps a mass audience understand its meaning and helps increase awareness, change attitudes and drive forward positive behaviours.  

We hear of the development of specific phrases, such as ‘brain architecture’, ‘toxic stress’, and ‘serve and return interaction’, that were created to help research findings from the field of early childhood development reach and impact a broad, international audience.  

While these phrases seem fairly straightforward and sensible, Nat notes the work that went into developing these concepts took a great deal of effort and extensive development and testing; followed by extensive pushing and pulling between academics around how best to incorporate them.  Nat expands on these key steps, providing rich insight into the nuts and bolts of this process.

Nat’s key takeaway: firstly, it’s important to realise that you are not your audience. As a mantra, if you can repeat that, you’ll fall into fewer traps and you’ll make better decisions as a communicator. And the second piece revolves around the role of ‘framing’ in the process of change-making. Keep in mind that what you know is important, but there’s the bit about how you say what you know — the significance of framing. Realise that it’s not just about ‘what’ you know, but it’s about ‘how’ you communicate it in order to have impact with your information.

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President and CEO of World Vision International, Andrew Morley, talks about their work in supporting the most vulnerable children across 100 countries, with 37,000 staff and 100,000 volunteers

 

In 2020, they are celebrating their 70th birthday. World Vision International operates in most countries across the world and is a $3 billion organisation focused on ending violence against children in all its forms and supporting children, particularly in some of the most challenging countries, such as the DRC and Syria.

 

While World Vision is a Christian organisation, they serve those of all faiths and of no faith at all. They’re structured globally by setting up separate legal entities in the countries where they operate (such as World Vision South Africa) — these entities all agree to work in partnership with all the other World Vision entities around the world. They also work with delivery partners in local settings. Many of World Vision’s in-country team leaders come up from local communities, as opposed to being expats placed there from overseas.

 

Andrew sheds light on World Vision International’s funding.  Their primary funding is derived through their child sponsorship model.  This is a model that aims to develop communities — not just the individual child but also the communities where that child lives. 

 

Since they are a $3 billion organisation, they are fortunate in having adequate resources to withstand a shock such as that posed by COVID-19. Part of the reason why their funding streams are robust is the strong link between sponsors and the children and communities where these children live.

 

We also hear of Andrew’s career trajectory. He started off in the private sector and only later on in life moved into the non-profit world. He was always selling things from an early stage in his childhood and, then, also as a teenager.  The idea of marketing was something he was passionate about. Then, at 30, he had a powerful coming to faith moment and felt a calling to become a Christian. His life turned around at that point. At the time he was working for Sky TV as sales and marketing director — he recalls how back then he was the youngest executive on their Management Board.  

 

He stayed in the corporate world for 20 years, spending time at high profile organisations, such as Google and Motorola Mobility.  In 2017, he was ordained as an Anglican Vicar in St Paul’s Cathedral. Now, alongside his work at World Vision International, on Sunday mornings Andrew serves at a London church called Holy Trinity Brompton. He loves combining the two.

 

We hear how transitioning from the corporate world to the non-profit world is not that straight forward. The remuneration is much different and in the non-profit world everything is about excellence at a minimum cost, while in the corporate world it is about excellence at an acceptable cost. In the non-profit world, funding decisions often impact whether a child goes hungry or not. Andrew advises the audience: if you feel pulled towards the non-profit world, then go ahead and give it a try.

 

One of the major programmes at World Vision is focused on ending violence against children. Andrew notes how lockdown and COVID-19 have meant that children are at home more, and they’re away from the protective environment of school and are often not given access to the adults who might protect them. So, the risk of violence against children is exacerbated.

 

When asked what success for the next 10 years looks like to him, Andrew answers that he’d love to see an end of extreme poverty in all its forms by 2030. He’s optimistic and explains that despite the backwards steps in economic indicators due to COVID-19, what we’ve also learned from this pandemic is that when people come together and have a common goal that we can achieve lots.  He’d also like to see an end of violence against children in all its forms and have World Vision play its part in making that happen. 

 

Andrew’s key takeaway: Think about how your life is having an impact on the world, and ask yourself what you want your legacy to be. Most of us want to have a legacy that makes the world better in some way, so think about how you can do that. Have the belief that you can make a difference.

 

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CEO of the Scouts UK, Matt Hyde, talks candidly about painful decisions taken on restructuring, redundancies and disposing of assets in the face of COVID-19. Invaluable insight on weathering the storm

 

Scouting prepress young people with skills for life. It has been around for 113 years and is active in 190 countries. There are 53 million scouts worldwide and 460,000 in the UK. Moreover, there are 160,000 adult volunteers in the UK and 60,000 young people who are waiting to join the Scouts.

 

In the UK, the Scouts are a federation of 8,000 Scout charities. The organisation has numerous income streams and areas of operations.

 

Matt sheds light on the dynamics of how the Scouts operates in the UK and we discuss how different parts of the organisation have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.  He describes in detail the painful realisation over the late summer, 2020, that this pandemic wasn’t going to be going away quickly and, therefore, they needed a decisive plan.

 

Consequently, the team has been reduced from approximately 390 staff to around 260, and many property assets, including Baden-Powell House in central London, are being disposed.

 

This has been painful for the entire organisation and staff morale has clearly been affected. And, yet, there is a realisation of the importance of focusing on the Scouts’ mission and ensuring everything works towards achieving that.

 

Matt’s key takeaway for other leaders trying to weather the storm: The first thing is to go back to your mission. Ask yourself, is everything you’re doing furthering your mission?  And, are you taking those difficult but courageous decisions that you need to take?  Because, sometimes, to build the new you have to give up some of the past, and that’s difficult — and it’s emotionally difficult. We often don’t talk enough about the emotional drain on leaders. It’s about a mindset shift that says, OK, we’re going to build something new and therefore we’re going to take these difficult decisions. And then, ask how are you adapting your strategy in order to deliver that — in order to return to a time when you can be more optimistic about the future. You have to go to the depths of those difficult moments to come out on the other side.

 

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CEO of United World Schools, Tim Howarth, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss strategic exit planning, transitioning schools to local education authorities and expansion into new geographic regions

 

UWS is an educational NGO, based in the UK, with an international approach and a presence in Cambodia, Myanmar and Nepal. 

 

Through education, UWS transforms the lives of some of the poorest children in the world who would otherwise have no access to education. They work with local communities to build and nurture schools and, then, to transition these schools into the government system. 

 

They have launched 226 schools and learning sites in Cambodia, Myanmar and Nepal. Each school typically serves 150 children. 

 

UWS looks to build schools in places where there is a good fit. They identify regions where there are large populations of out of school children, which are remote, difficult to reach and are marginalised for various reasons.  

 

They identify these communities by liaising with local government and by working closely with teams on the ground. Importantly, UWS engages with local ethnic minorities who have key insight on where needs are greatest.

 

Each school is different and has its own life journey.  It may take a year or two to develop a school. Then, it’s about developing the enrolment and getting students in the habit of turning up — after all, these are often communities where the concept of attending school regularly is new. From there, it’s about maturing, whereby schools are brought up to a certain quality standard.  

 

This whole process takes several years; possibly a cycle of between 5 and 10 years. Once the school in question is working very well, then UWS looks to transition it into the local education authority — thereafter providing very light touch support.

 

We hear how the actual workforce is key to success, and how the whole endeavour is much more than simply constructing a new school building. Local communities, teachers, education authorities  — everyone is vital for success.

 

One of the hardest things UWS needs to do is figure out where they’re going to invest their finite resources. This means that if they find an education authority that is engaged and provides good political capital, there is an incentive to work with them repeatedly.

 

When looking to expand geographically, they consider (1) whether the level of need is there — ensuring they only go into places that have a clear need; (2) whether there is the potential for good partnerships, particularly with national and local governments, with good political capital where the government helps with the process; and (3) whether UWS can engage their supporters and donor-base to ensure there’s sufficient funding available.

 

Tim’s key takeaway: UWS uses this transition concept as an absolute guiding light for their overall strategy because it means they ultimately can deliver their mission and are leaving behind an empowered, well-run, robust project.

 

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President of Rotary International, Holger Knaack, discusses the importance of attracting more female members and young professionals; ensuring diversity within their 36,000 clubs and 1.2m members

 

We discuss Rotary International’s charitable work in local and global settings. They are the largest service club organisation in the world and operate in more than 200 countries.  While clubs are independent they all follow core values. 

 

Holger is looking to increase the number of female members who join Rotary International as well as the number of young professionals. Diversity is vital and much progress has been achieved on this front in recent years.

 

Rotary International supports a wide range of charitable activities.  Holger specifically references polio eradication, a successful initiative they started decades ago in the Philippines, which has led them to collaborate with key global partners, such as WHO, UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

 

Holger also talks about Rotary International’s support of peace initiatives and notes they’re currently partnering with seven universities in the world to run peace projects; where people are conducting masters studies in peace to drive this field forward globally.

 

Rotary International is both local and global. They support local service projects as well as international projects focused on water, and on maternal and children’s health in Africa and India, for example. Since Rotary clubs are everywhere, they can interact internationally for charitable work unlike many other organisations.

 

Rotary International is a very flat organisation and has been around for 115 years. There’s just one president — interestingly, Holger’s term is just one year in duration — and there are 17 directors, and then 530 district governors around the world.

 

Holger’s key takeaway: Rotary is probably different than you thought. It’s a different organisation than it was 100 years ago. It’s not an old man’s organisation that is about going to lunch. Rotary is a vibrant organisation with many different clubs that fit your needs. Rotary clubs are looking to make lasting, positive change in the community, in the world, and within ourselves.

 

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CEO of Gorongosa Trust, Matt Jordan, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss social enterprise + wildlife conservation at Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique. One of the most biodiverse places on the planet

 

This conversation provides great insight into a public / private partnership with a strong philanthropic underpinning that simultaneously drives forward human development and wildlife conservation at scale — within a challenging context that in recent years has included conflict, local fighting, a commodities crash, a currency devaluation and a massive cyclone. 

 

A focus on forestry, ecotourism and agribusiness has resulted in robust social enterprise activities that  incorporate local communities while helping tackle climate change. 

 

There are 200,000 people around Gorongosa National Park and 80% of them are subsistence farmers living on under $2 a day. They are vulnerable to malnutrition, poor education and other challenges. 

 

Creating small businesses, helping with skills and fostering greater access to finance helps establish the ‘enabling’ conditions that transform livelihoods for the long term.

 

Matt’s key takeaway: Be part of something that creates a world where people and planet thrive together! 

 

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Co-Founder of Quilt.AI, Anurag Banerjee, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss the power of artificial intelligence, big data and the Internet to drive forward the global development agenda

 

A fascinating and thought-provoking conversation for anyone who's looking to understand attitudes and drive behaviour change at scale for the betterment of society.

 

What drives misogynistic attitudes? How do you know whether your philanthropic intervention is making a difference?  Can AI and big data help improve girls' education and expected career outcomes? What about privacy considerations when analysing mass behaviour online?  We discuss these questions and many more.

 

Quilt.AI is a mission-first technology company, seeking to increase empathy in the world. Using the Internet as a source of knowledge, inspiration and communication, Quilt.AI works on issues including climate change, gender equity and health across the world. Their work has focused on a range of thematic areas across the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

The firm’s clients include some of the world’s most recognised for-profit and non-profit organisations. They’re headquartered in Singapore with a presence in New York, London, Zurich and New Delhi.

 

An insightful conversation that's perfectly aligned with today's global development needs and technological advances.

 

Anurag’s key takeaway: The Internet is still in its infancy.  We think of it as something that’s been here forever but it’s still relatively new. The next version of the Internet, the way information is indexed, the way we experience it, these things are all still to come. These are fascinating times.

 

Editor's Note: This interview was conducted in August 2020.  In October 2020, Quilt.AI became a corporate sponsor of The Do One Better! Podcast.  The original interview was conducted well before there had been any conversations around sponsorship.  Anurag Banerjee was invited as a guest on The Do One Better! Podcast purely on the merits of his work.

 

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Co-Founder & CEO of the Geanco Foundation, Afam Onyema, talks about transforming lives in Nigeria, working with A-list celebrities and taking the plunge into philanthropy straight after Stanford Law

We hear how Afam’s father, and his dream to improve lives in Nigeria, was the inspiration that led to the creation of the Geanco Foundation – a charity based in Los Angeles. His father is originally from Nigeria and Geanco is very much a family story; they led with a dream and figured everything else from there.

 

Afam studied at Harvard and Stanford Law, yet his calling to serve guided him to the world of philanthropy and development work, and he co-founded the Geanco Foundation in 2007 right after completing his law degree.

 

He explains how declining numerous corporate law job offers in order to launch a foundation was not an easy choice – and indeed his mother certainly raised an eyebrow when she learned of this – but the decision simply felt right and Afam has never looked back.

 

Even though Afam had no experience in fundraising – an essential ingredient for any nascent charity – he was incredibly fortunate to get immediate financial backing from some of his classmates who organised a fundraiser for him early on and, also, from one of his professors who had done very well in the tech sector and had decided to support Afam and his work at Geanco for the first year.

 

The Harvard and Stanford networks played important roles and Afam advises listeners not to neglect the power and potential of your alumni networks.  His base of support today has much to do with the thousands of emails he sent to Harvard alumni and Stanford alumni over the years. 

 

Afam presents a sobering picture of the many challenges faced by the people of Nigeria today, from poor education and health, to gender inequality and the threat from terrorism. The Geanco Foundation tackles many of these challenges in its own way, by developing and driving highly targeted and meaningful interventions.

 

On healthcare, they organise medical and surgical missions in Nigeria, carrying out hip and knee replacements and various other types of operations. They also help improve outcomes in prenatal care by, among other things, helping to screen hundreds of women each month for anaemia and distributing ‘Mama Kits’ in rural parts of the country, which contain all the essentials one would need to deliver a baby safely in rural settings.

 

On education, they provide a variety of services and support, which range from delivering tablets to schoolchildren so they can read and study during lockdown, to helping build sports facilities and ensure schools have the right equipment.

 

Afam talks with great passion of the David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship for Girls, which the Foundation launched with the invaluable support of David Oyelowo, a world-renowned actor who cares deeply about the work of the Geanco Foundation.  David is just one of the many Hollywood celebrities who supports Geanco in a meaningful and substantive way – a partnership in the true sense. 

 

The Scholarship supports girls – many of whom have been left orphaned by terrorism in the country – in a comprehensive and meaningful way by providing support ranging from school tuition, room and board, healthcare and even by having representatives of the Foundation attend parent teacher conferences. 

 

The Scholarship started with just 3 girls in a single school in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, and today serves 35 girls in 4 schools throughout the country. In the coming years, Afam would like to see this grow further.

 

He notes that while these numbers may seem modest, the ‘Leadership Scholarships’ are truly comprehensive, meaning it’s not simply a matter of writing a cheque.  In the case this Scholarship, they literally help girls across pretty much every meaningful aspect of their lives.

 

There is no question that celebrity support has been invaluable to the Geanco Foundation. Afam notes that this support took time to secure and nurture, but with transparency, trust and real partnership it is proving extremely fruitful.  These celebrity engagements are true partnerships that go well beyond the simple endorsement one might think of.

 

Interestingly, Oprah Winfrey was the first funder of the David Oyelowo Leadershp Scholarship for Girls, and celebrities such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor ,Jimmy Kimmel and Charlize Theron  have been invaluable in supporting the Foundation by making introductions, getting involved and being part of the Geanco family.

 

Afam’s key takeaway for listeners:  He points us to his life’s mantra, which is simply to be kind to others and to serve. Our world is becoming angrier, sharper and more divisive.  Just find ways to be kind and always ask yourself how can you serve in any given situation.

 

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website for guest bios, episode notes and useful links. Please click the subscribe button on your favourite app and follow us on LinkedIn. Thank you!

 

Executive Director of the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, Ben Davies, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss the importance of supporting frontline healthcare workers

 

Ben Davies provides great insight into the work of the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, their support of frontline healthcare workers, their $250 million investment and their aim to reach 100 million people... and much more.

 

Highly consequential work, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.  This conversation sheds much light on corporate philanthropy and how the private sector plays a role in driving forward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

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Executive Director of Concern Worldwide UK, Danny Harvey, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss their strategic thinking, ambitions for the future and how management has coped with COVID-19

 

Danny Harvey has more than 20 years' experience in the humanitarian aid and development sector, working with a number of organisations, including Concern. She has lived and worked in a number of countries including Cambodia, East Timor, Uganda and Indonesia. 

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website for full episode notes, guest bios and useful links. Please click the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app and share widely -- thank you!

 

Sir David King, Founder & Chair of the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge University, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss innovative technologies to tackle the climate crisis

 

A fascinating discussion on the urgency of the climate crisis, including insight into some highly innovative technologies being pursued to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and to refreeze the polar regions.

 

Sir David King was the UK Government's permanent Special Representative for Climate Change from September 2013 until March 2017 and was previously the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor from 2000 to 2007, during which time he raised awareness of the need for governments to act on climate change and was instrumental in creating the Energy Technologies Institute.

 

He also served as the Founding Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment at Oxford; was Head of the Department of Chemistry at Cambridge University 1993-2000 and Master of Downing College at Cambridge 1995 -2000.

 

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Vikas Pota – former Chairman of the Varkey Foundation, and education policy expert – joins Alberto Lidji to talk about the inaugural World Education Week taking place on 5th-9th October 2020

 

Vikas is a repeat guest on The Do One Better! Podcast. He first came on the show in 2019 when he was heading the Varkey Foundation – the organisation behind the one million dollar Global Teacher Prize.

 

He is an education policy expert and in this episode Vikas talks about the upcoming inaugural World Education Week, taking place 5^th to 9th in October, virtually. The event is organised by T4 and Vikas is driving it forward.

 

Vikas notes how the biggest lever of change we have in education is the teacher, so they’ve decided to have the inaugural World Education Week commence on 5^th October, which is World Teacher Day.

 

A key driver behind all this is the need to accelerate progress in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which focuses on education.  The exciting thing is that digital platforms, such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, allow for new voices of folks to share experiences and share perspectives. It enhances debate and discussion.

 

Vikas explains that teachers trust teachers, and schools trust schools, so when a school leader speaks from their experience as to how they’ve done XYZ, the likelihood of other teachers in similar situations listening and taking note is much greater.

 

This is why they’re also organising  a ‘Global Showcase’ during World Education Week, where they have 100 schools from around the world that are going to demonstrate an area of expertise to others.

 

There are 5 areas they’re asking schools to consider: (1) the use of technology, (2) employability, entrepreneurship and the development of life skills, (3) deepening family and community engagement, (4) the science of learning and the science of teaching and (5) wellbeing.

 

The power of World Education Week is in its targeted approach. Vikas prompts listeners to keep in mind that events are a tool in one’s efforts to promote or take part in some sort of advocacy effort. In the case of World Education Week, it’s an important initiative to drive the conversation as to what is possible with regards to accelerating progress in SDG4, as opposed to merely having 100 events around the world on education.

 

Capturing of knowledge and making the conference freely available to people is important. By amplifying the teacher experience you really do change the discussion.  It’s important to make sure teachers are included.

 

Vikas also underscores the need to increase the social status most societies grant teachers. COVID-19 has in some ways prompted parents to recognise exactly how much work teachers do every single day; something that came into sharp focus as parents had to deliver home schooling during lockdown.

 

To achieve SDG4 by 2030 (the target year of the UN Sustainable Goals) we need 69 million new teachers to be brought into the profession.  Vikas remarks: How can you recruit so many teachers if we keep on treating teachers the way they’ve been treated thus far.

 

Vikas’ key takeaway: The parting thought is one that fills Vikas with hope and optimism, born out of seeing what happens in schools all around the world. There’s so much excellence in all parts of the world that by convening and bringing teachers and schools together we actually have for the first time, because of the use of digital communications platforms, the ability to influence schools in other parts of the world, and also in ours, to do a better job and to raise the standard of education, and that fills Vikas with a lot of hope.

 

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website for guest bios, episode notes and useful links. Please click the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others – thank you!