Inclusive Education

Our Work

Every child has the right to inclusive, quality education. Yet tens of millions of children with disabilities are being left behind. At Light for the World, we work hard to dismantle harmful stereotypes and discrimination towards children with disabilities within communities and education systems.

We are passionate about resetting the starting line; creating enabling conditions that allow girls and boys with disabilities to thrive and reach their full potential.

258 million children worldwide do not go to school
32.5 million are children with disabilities from low-income countries
90% of a child’s brain is already developed by the age of five

Our strategic focus is on:

Inclusive early childhood development
A child’s earliest years – from the moment of birth to the age of five – are their most important developmentally. Light for the World fights for the educational rights of the youngest children with disabilities. We advocate for the importance of play and parental support. We work towards making early childhood development services disability-inclusive using the Nurturing Care Framework.

Access to technology
Light for the World works with partners to harness the power of technology so students with disabilities can access the curriculum. We support digital storytelling with embedded sign-language to promote literacy and socio-emotional development among preschool children who are deaf and hard of hearing. From audio books, to e-print, to tablets to digital storytelling; we believe technology can improve student outcomes across the board, reduce teacher stress, and support quality social and emotional learning with parents.

Youth leadership for change
We train young people with disabilities as teachers and inclusive education champions. They not only bring lived experience to the classroom but have huge power as role models. They are leading change by serving as advisors to mainstream organisations and promoting the inclusive development of schools.

Training our education workforce
Teachers are the bedrock of inclusion. Light for the World supports teacher training institutions to deliver quality inclusive education training and provide further professional development for education leaders, in-service teachers and specialists. We advocate for greater investment in a workforce that can support the needs of all learners, including those with disabilities.

Education in Emergency
When disaster strikes, education is more important than ever. Education can protect a child’s stability and future life chances through war, famine and natural disasters. We engage with partners on inclusive education in emergency contexts, to ensure no child is left behind.

Education financing
Our evidence-based advocacy campaigns on investing in inclusive education, early childhood development and the education workforce are changing systems at both international and national level. With key partners, Light for the World makes the case for governments and donors to urgently increase investment in disability-responsive education financing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Staff member Sophia Mohammed sits on the ground in the refugee camp in South Sudan helping a girl with her rehabilitation exercises.

We help children with disabilities through cataract surgery, the use of a prosthesis, wearing glasses or physiotherapy.

A man sits in front of a girl on the armchair and talks to her in sign language. She is wearing a white dress and looks at him intently while he explains with a smile.

Promoting pre-literacy skills, teaching sign language or receiving information and communication technologies enables children to better communicate.

A teacher in a colourful shirt gives a boy back his notebook in the classroom.

Equipping teachers with skills to teach inclusively and children with necessary school materials.

Abdi is sitting in his mother's lap. She is wearing a grey T-shirt and grey leggings, he is wearing a blue shirt. The boy smiles and points to a pen with a purple plastic duck that his mother is holding up.

Emotional level: Self-esteem and self-confidence are strengthened and children with disabilities can increasingly communicate their wishes, needs and rights.