To solve the world’s toughest problems, we need more change-makers who truly understand them. But those who do have the lived experience needed, rarely have the opportunity to become the leaders needed to bring about change.
The challenge
A worldwide challenge
Too many brilliant children worldwide are held back by poverty, racial inequalities, gender stereotypes, poor education and the pressure to work and earn a living.
Schools can be inadequate or under-resourced.
Around 53% of children in low-and middle-income countries cannot read and understand a simple story by the end of primary school.
Millions of children are forced to work to support their family.
63 million girls and 97 million boys were in child labour globally at the beginning of 2020.
Girls are often the first to lose their right to an education.
Globally, 1 in 5 women who are now 20-24 years of age, were married in childhood.
“My life before joining Pestalozzi was going to be very hard, I didn’t even see myself completing primary school.”
— Joseph, Zambia
“In 2013, Pestalozzi World selected me for a scholarship. For the first time I slept in a bed, and had books, shoes and a uniform."
— Burton, Malawi
Selecting our students
Today we work in poor rural areas of India, Nepal and Zambia. Here, our teams work with local families and communities to select the best and the brightest students - at least two girls for each boy, and all from underprivileged backgrounds - to enter our programme.
These children today come from 12 different countries. Many are refugees. All of them are exceptionally gifted but are unable to realise their potential in local schools and under conditions of poverty.
