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One Billion
Futures
A Movement to Advance Learning Equity in the Global South
Ever watched a seagull
learn to fly?
Not taught by instruction,
but shaped by space, wind, and -
repeated attempts.
It is meant to fly, but -
what it needs is the right conditions to do so.
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Across the Global South, 1.5 billion children and young people carry curiosity, talent, and aspiration. Yet too many grow up in contexts of deep inequality, constrained by systems that deny them the space, support, and belief needed to learn, grow, and thrive. At One Billion Futures, the question is simple: What would change if our systems were designed to create conditions for flight, rather than limit it? Together, can we redesign those conditions so that learning systems foster growth, agency, and possibility - at scale?
One Billion Futures is a global movement to advance learning equity for 1.5 billion children and youth of the Global South
This movement is about transforming systems for a billion individuals across Asia, Africa, and Latin America - unlocking their potential to shape the future of their nations and the world — and restoring
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Education as a
Flywheel for Transformation
Education is more than a public service; it is a flywheel for social justice, upward economic mobility, gender equity, climate resilience, democratic participation and a fundamental right. Studies have consistently shown that access to quality education transforms not only individual trajectories, but also the prosperity and peace of entire communities and nations.
Global South:
A Shared Legacy, A Shared Aspiration
The Global South carries a shared history of colonization, economic dependency, and policy models imposed from the outside.
For millions of children across the global south - Africa, Asia, and Latin America, education unfolds in similarly extreme conditions:
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Equity remains elusive in the global south. Despite decades of effort, large segments of the population in the Global South, particularly girls, rural children, marginalized castes and ethnic groups, are still denied access to quality education.
This is not a lack of talent or aspiration. It is a lack of learning equity.
One Billion Futures exists to change that — by building a coordinated, collective response that matches the scale and urgency of the crisis.
We believe:
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Education is a fundamental human right
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Equity is essential for dignity, democracy, and development
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Sustainable change must be locally led and globally supported
OUR PRINCIPLES
How we fly together
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Collective Ownership
Education equity cannot be achieved by any single actor. Governments, communities, educators, youth, civil society, and institutions must move together — with shared purpose and responsibility.
Agency at the Margins
Those closest to the challenge are closest to the solution. Girls, youth, rural educators, and frontline leaders are placed at the centre of decision-making and innovation.
Micro-Change,
Mega Impact
Transformative change emerges from thousands of small shifts — one classroom, one policy, one community at a time — compounding into system-wide impact.
Systemic Coherence
for Scale
Lasting progress requires alignment across curriculum, pedagogy, teacher training, assessment, and policy. We work with systems, not around them.
Context Matters
There is no single coastline. Equity must reflect local language, culture, history, and lived realities — not imported templates.
MOVEMENT PARTNERS
A Global Flock, Locally Anchored
This movement is not led from a single hub.
It is a constellation — each partner carrying a piece of the shared mission.
Co-Builders
Strategic Partners
Country Anchors
Global networks, funders, learning institutions, and multilateral actors
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WHAT WILL THE MOVEMENT ACHIEVE
One Billion Futures will create the collective muscle, mechanisms, and
shared spaces to drive urgent and sustained progress on advancing learning equity
across countries. Over the next 5-10 years, the movement will work toward the following strategic outcomes:
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A Shared Global Narrative on Learning Equity
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South-South Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Building
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National Missions for Education Equity
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A Global Architecture for Accountability and Collective Action
JOIN US
Education inequity is a quiet crisis — cumulative, enduring, and devastating. But it is also solvable.
Just as the world mobilized around climate change and global health, it is time to treat learning equity with the urgency it deserves.
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This is an invitation to:​
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Shift from fragmented programs to a unified movement
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Elevate education equity as a national and global priority
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Invest in locally led, system-wide change
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Stand with one billion children and youth as they learn to fly