Our 2025 Impact

As we close out the year, I’m happy to share the powerful impact our community made together in 2025. Thanks to your partnership, GCE-US welcomed 9 new coalition members, expanded our reach to over 90,000 people through outreach events, and saw a 20% surge in social media engagement, strengthening our collective voice for education worldwide. 

This year, we proudly re-launched our Youth Engagement Program, empowering young advocates to lead change and reach 350+ community members through their projects. Our advocacy footprint grew as we hosted Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, and held more than 60 meetings with Congress and the Administration, ensuring that education remains a global priority. 

Together, we helped secure a monumental achievement: $737 million in U.S. funding for international basic education a testament to what is possible even in the midst of historic political and fiscal challenges. 

As we look ahead to 2026, your support is more important than ever. If you believe in the power of education to transform lives and communities, please consider making a donation today. Your contribution fuels this movement and ensures that every learner, everywhere, has access to quality education. 

Donate now and help us continue this vital work. 

Sincerely,

Giulia McPherson
Executive Director

READ Act Reauthorization Anniversary

This month marks one year since the reauthorization of the READ Act, a critical step in ensuring that the United States continues to prioritize global education even in a challenging political environment. The renewed legislation reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to helping all children access quality basic education and has been an important advocacy tool for GCE-US to leverage this past year. 

As FY26 budget discussions move forward, GCE-US remains dedicated to elevating the importance of strong, consistent funding for international basic education. Sustained investment is essential for supporting children’s learning, strengthening communities, and advancing a more equitable future worldwide. 

Final Projects

Our 2025 Youth Advocates finalized their diverse and engaging community action projects with 4 out of the 8 advocates delivering GCE-US-inspired advocacy trainings to their peers in Texas, Virginia, Massachusetts, and the Gambia! Mariama, originally from the Gambia, offered a training program called the “Cross Cultural Educational Equity Project” in which she trained 2 US students and 7 Gambian students in advocacy, resulting in 5 students delivering letters to their school leaders.  

Other advocates like Imaani led education campaigns about 504 plans in her district; Helena wrote a powerful piece about being a young activist in education selected to be published in The Feminist Focus Blog; Ushna described her experience with GCE-US in a piece called, “What We Choose to Save, and What We Risk Losing.” 

Across the projects, 5 out of 8 advocates noted that their project impacted students in middle school or high school. Not only did the advocates impact their communities, but they improved their skills, especially in writing, communication, and leadership.  

Welcome New Members

This past year, we welcomed nine new organizational members to our coalition!  

These organizations bring powerful expertise and passion to our shared mission of ensuring inclusive, quality education for all. We look forward to collaborating with them to strengthen advocacy efforts and amplify the global movement for education. 

A Child's Notebook
Books Unbound
CorpsAfrica
Global Educational Community
Humanist Kids
International Rescue Committee
Lives for Literacy
Street Child US
 World Vision US

Member Spotlight: World Vision

World Vision (WV) is a global Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization dedicated to helping children thrive through education. In 2023, World Vision supported education initiatives in 66 countries, training more than 190,000 parents and community literacy facilitators to strengthen children’s learning. As a result, over 4 million children benefited from our education programs, opening doors to brighter futures.

World Vision has a holistic approach to education starting with the early years. Their Homes and Community Program (2021-2025) in Rwanda focused on supporting young children to have a safe, healthy, and stimulating home and community environment. The project partnered with a diverse group of local organizations, including faith-based organizations, to contribute to literacy outcomes.

As a result, 1,021,268 children, including 18,082 children with disabilities, 813,288 parents/community members and 26,170 volunteers were supported. WV also saw 40% of fathers engaged in their children’s reading, compared to 21% at baseline. WV Rwanda also implemented the USDA Home Grown School Feeding Program (2021-2025) in 104 schools, providing daily hot meals to 83,000 primary students. Meals addressed nutritional needs and integrated literacy, WASH, and social accountability strengthened collaboration among parents, schools, and communities, leading to improved retention, completion, and literacy outcomes.

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