Federer Foundation

Wishing our founder Roger Federer a very special birthday! We'd like to highlight the work our partners across diverse sectors have been doing in Lesotho since his visit. Lesotho's Ministry of Education and Training has shown strong commitment by aligning School Readiness Initiative (SRI) with national policies, expanding reception (pre-primary) classes, increasing early childhood care and development funding, and supporting implementation. The Lesotho College of Education has integrated the SRI’s ChildSteps into the national assessment tool, integrating it into its teacher training modules. The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and UNICEF Lesotho as well as private sector partners – including Econet Telecom Lesotho’s Higherlife Foundation, Vodacom Lesotho Foundation and Standard Lesotho Bank – have been instrumental in funding and scaling the programme. We are grateful to our implementing partners NECDOL and CRS Lesotho for their support and dedication as they continue to scale up the SRI – with the aim of reaching 800 institutions in the country. Working together, we can ensure that all children in Lesotho get the opportunity to learn, play and thrive! 🔗 More about the “Lesotho: A model for sustained early childhood care and development” event co-hosted by the Government of Lesotho earlier this year: https://bit.ly/3OOIMbk #EarlyChildhoodEducation #FoundationalLearning #LearnPlayThrive #Lesotho

We are proud to support this Proteus initiative to strengthen the use of data by all stakeholders in the education sector. The Pulse platform makes good use of existing datasets by curating them in one place, linked to six key sector priorities: ➡️ Early childhood development ➡️ Foundational literacy and numeracy ➡️ Matric results ➡️ Teacher training and development ➡️ Infrastructure, safety and wellbeing ➡️ Inclusive education South Africa's Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, said in her keynote remarks that she welcomes innovation that strengthens public administration. She further emphasised the importance of using data to improve the education system: “Countries that have transformed their education systems have not done so through guesswork. [...] Behind every decision we make, there should be data to back it up, especially in a resource-constrained environment.” We encourage all development partners and Government partners to use the Pulse platform and to contribute to making it a strong national asset. #EarlyLearning #EducationSA #EdData #EvidenceBasedDecisionMaking 

We would like to thank all our partners who made our time at FLEX2026 such a success! 🙌 Our team members returned from Lilongwe inspired and excited to continue to work through partnerships to give children across Southern Africa the opportunity to learn, play and thrive! We were privileged to be a part of the FLIGHT launch with Echidna Giving, Hempel Foundation and Gates Foundation as well as to once again join forces with Global Partnership for Education to unlock more funding for early and foundational learning in Southern Africa. Key takeaways included:  ➡️ Data is the foundation for stronger early learning systems.   ➡️ Quality foundational learning requires a whole-system approach.   ➡️ Early learning, school readiness and foundational learning are all part of a continuous journey.   ➡️ Sustainable progress is possible when governments take the lead.     A heartfelt thank you goes to the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Hub, Speak Up Africa and UNICEF for giving us the opportunity to contribute to the meaningful conversations around strengthening data and advocating for greater investment in early and foundational learning.   We’re confident that, working together with partners from across Southern Africa, we can ensure that even more children in the region acquire the strong foundation for learning they deserve.   🔗 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/epgs6yTf Early Childhood Development (ECD) Coalition of Malawi | edt | The Reformed Open Community Schools | Zambia open Community Schools #AFRICAFLEX2026 #FLEX2026 #FoundationalLearning #EarlyLearning #EarlyChildhoodDevelopment #EducationInAfrica

“By supporting early and foundational learning through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), we are joining forces to unlock additional funding for education in Southern Africa,” our CEO Maya Ziswiler stated, referring to the Federer Foundation’s pledge to mobilise $37 million for the GPE Multiplier, made at FLEX2026. The funding will support early and foundational learning in Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Namibia, with $2.5 million intended to support early learning in Namibia in partnership with the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF).   The Multiplier allows funders from diverse sectors to pool resources and to mobilise additional funding in line with government priorities. Such collaborative action ensures that investments can reinforce one another effectively, rather than being fragmented across projects. At the event, we also emphasised that children’s early education should be viewed holistically, with early and foundation learning forming a continuum. Strong foundations built in early childhood underpin all subsequent primary school learning, ensuring that all children can learn, play and thrive. #AFRICAFLEX2026 #FLEX2026 #FoundationalLearning #EducationInAfrica

Launched at FLEX2026, the Foundational Learning Initiative for Government-led Transformation (FLIGHT) aims to connect Ministries of Education across Africa with targeted catalytic African technical support that responds to governments’ existing foundational learning priorities. ➡️ Governments can now co-create an FL Reform Brief together with the FLIGHT Secretariat: info@flightafrica.org Through FLIGHT, governments, partners and funders are working together to combine resources in support of stronger education systems. Alongside Echidna Giving, Hempel Foundation and Gates Foundation, we are pleased to contribute so that even more children across the continent have the opportunity to learn, play and thrive. ▶️ In the clip below, joan.Osa Oviawe, Executive Director of FLIGHT, provides an overview of the initiative. 🔗 Further information: https://flightafrica.org/  #AFRICAFLEX2026 #FLEX2026 #FoundationalLearning #EducationInAfrica #LearnPlayThrive Baobab Institute for Health and Development | Jennifer Swift-Morgan

This week, Lilongwe is the place to be for the foundational learning sector! We are are attending FLEX - the African Foundational Learning Exchange. This year’s theme, "From commitments to results: Delivering foundational learning at scale", lies at the very heart of what we do.   We are looking forward to connecting with key stakeholders in the sector, diving government-led reform, and exploring sustainable financing solutions to scale foundational learning.   Stay tuned for updates over the coming days as we join forces with key actors to ensure that all children can learn, play and thrive!    #AFRICAFLEX2026 #FLEX2026 #FoundationalLearning #EducationInAfrica #EarlyChildhoodDevelopment Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)

Zimbabwe has made early learning a national priority, recognising it as the bedrock of national growth and social development. It was incredibly energising to take part in a high-level event organised by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, reflecting on the future of early learning in the country, last month.    In his address, the Hon. Minister Torerayi Moyo commended the results of the School Readiness Initiative (SRI) for having shown how strategic investment in early learning can strengthen quality, inclusivity and system coherence across the sector to unlock every child’s potential. In his words, “It has helped position early childhood development not as a peripheral concern, but as a national priority with far-reaching benefits for the future of our education system.” He added: “These results remind us that investment in early learning is not only sound education policy; it is a powerful investment in human potential, social justice, and national prosperity.”    Data is becoming a system asset, with the Smart Tablet Early Learning Assessment (STELA) evolving from an assessment tool into the backbone for monitoring, planning and decision-making. The results from our process evaluation have also shown that the hard work by teachers, communities and our partners has resulted in significant changes to early learning in the country. Our deep thanks also go out to our partners, Child Protection Society, edt, Municipal Development Partnership for Eastern and Southern Africa (MDP-ESA) and Zimbabwe Network of Early Childhood Development Actors (ZINECDA), as well as the University of Zimbabwe for their commitment to the children of Zimbabwe. Working together, we will ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn, play and thrive. 🔗 Read more about the process evaluation for the School Readiness Initiative in Zimbabwe: https://lnkd.in/e-hc7D9u #EarlyLearning #FoundationalLearning #Zimbabwe #ChildDevelopment #LearnPlayThrive Ange Nothando Chitate | Veli M. | Rugare Ncube | Maya Ziswiler

Today, we celebrate Malawi's independence. A powerful thread connects this milestone to what's coming next: Malawi will host the Africa Foundational Learning Exchange (FLEX2026) in Lilongwe from 15 to 17 July, bringing together education ministers, policymakers and civil society organisations from across the continent. Nations are built not just on the freedoms won, but on the futures we equip our children to create. FLEX is about turning commitments into results. This means ensuring that every child gains the literacy, numeracy and foundational skills that unlock a lifetime of learning and opportunity. Investing in early and foundational learning is an investment in a nation's future prosperity. We look forward to engaging with many of you at FLEX, right at the Warm Heart of Africa, to help ensure that children can learn, play and thrive. #MalawiIndependenceDay #AFRICAFLEX2026 #FLEX2026 #FoundationalLearning #LearnPlayThrive Martha Khonje (CBA, MBA, BSc) | Carien Vorster | Maya Ziswiler

We join Fondation Botnar • Fondation Arcanum • Fondation Audemars-Watkins (FAW) • Arthur Waser Foundation • BeThatGirl • Jacobs Foundation • LGT Venture Philanthropy • PeaceNexus Foundation • regenerative Foundation • Fondation Pro Victimis • Somaha Foundation • Stanley Thomas Johnson Stiftung • The Dariu Foundation • Ursimone Wietlisbach Foundation • Wyss Academy for Nature • Z Zurich Foundation in issuing a joint statement on the future of Switzerland’s international cooperation. In our 20+ years in the sector, we have seen firsthand how investing in education expands opportunities, strengthens community self-reliance, promotes human rights, and lays the foundation for shared prosperity. Maya Ziswiler | Ramona Luminati

We’re excited for the upcoming FLEX2026 Africa Foundation Learning Exchange, where we’ll be in engaging a diverse range of stakeholders in the early childhood education and foundational learning spaces – also focusing on the continuum between them. As a collaborating partner for this important regional event, we’re proud to be supporting the host country Malawi and its partners, to catalyse long-term systems strengthening and systemic change in the early and foundational learning space. Our team looks forward to meeting with key players who are working alongside us to ensure that more children in Southern Africa can learn, play and thrive – be sure to reach out! #AFRICAFLEX2026 #FoundationalLearning #EarlyLearning #LearnPlayThrive Martha Khonje (CBA, MBA, BSc) | Ramona Luminati | Carien Vorster | Maya Ziswiler