Education: the gift that keeps on giving

School enrollment across Africa has improved drastically in recent years, yet learning levels remain low. J-PAL, a global research center, has identified inefficiencies in the school system as the root cause: schools simply aren’t designed to meet the needs of students who are the first in their family to attend school, or who enter school without early-learning skills for home.

Teaching at the Right Level is a strategic approach to tackling this problem. Students are grouped by learning needs, instead of by age, and time is dedicated to basic skills rather than a rigid curriculum. This makes sure students are taught at a level that is right for them – so no child is left behind. This model has already been implemented successfully in India. We need your support to expand this model into Cote D’Ivoire so more children can benefit.

Maximize your impact: Give before December 26 and the Jacobs Foundation¹ will double your donation.

¹The Jacobs Foundation is a Swiss registered foundation that is focused on investing in the future of young people and has contributed the match funding for this program.

India has achieved a 99% rate of school access – but literacy and numeracy levels remain low, leading to a shift in focus to the quality of education¹. To address this challenge, you can join with UBS and funding partners to pioneer the Development Impact Bond (DIB). This new way of supporting education programs has a focus on outcomes, rather than methods – ensuring a transparent, measurable social investment.

Your support through the UBS Optimus Foundation will provide the startup funding to allow organizations to deliver their programs on the ground. Large institutional funders then pay for programs only when targets are met. If a program is successful, your initial donation can be re-deployed in another promising program – increasing your philanthropic impact.

The UBS Optimus Foundation is a pioneer in the field of social finance and DIBs.

¹ World Bank data, Annual Status of Education Report (2014), Estimates based on existing track record of Indian NGOs

The Skills Builder approach uses a special curriculum focussing on eight essential skills: listening, presenting, problem solving, creativity, staying positive, aiming high, leadership and teamwork.

The most recent Impact Report showed that 93% of teachers saw tangible progress in their students’ skills through this approach. We need your support to expand this proven model to more schools across the country – and help more students acquire the essential employability skills they need to thrive.

Maximize your impact: UBS will match all donations to this project by 10%

“Schenk mir eine Geschichte” (Tell me a story) is a program run by the Swiss Institute for Children's and Youth Media. Its goal is to boost immigrant children's reading and writing skills so that they can integrate more easily and enjoy equal opportunities when it comes to education.

According to the 2018 Opportunity Index¹, there are 5 million 18-24 year olds in the US who lack access to stable career pathways due to systemic barriers. Yet according to a Georgetown study, our country is facing a projected shortfall of 12 million skilled workers by 2025.

By investing in Year Up, you can tackle both these challenges head-on. Year Up empowers young adults to move from minimum wage to meaningful careers in just one year, by equipping them with the skills employers need. Students spend six months learning in-demand technical and professional skills before applying their skills during a six-month corporate internship. Last year 90% of graduates were employed and/or enrolled in postsecondary education within four months of program completion. You can help empower more young adults to reach their full potential.

Maximize your impact: UBS will match gifts to this project by 10% up to USD 1.5 million. Give today.

¹ The Opportunity Index is an annual report that provides data to show what opportunity looks like in the US.

Globally, over 73 million youth are unemployed. Preparing youth for the world of work is crucial to remedy this. The "Joblinge" concept combines practical qualifications with personal and individual development. This significantly increases participants' chance to find an apprenticeship or a job on their own initiative. In order to make this possible, "Joblinge" bundles together the commitment and skills of different actors and institutions from economy, state and society. 10,000 young people throughout Germany have already participated in the program. 75 percent of them make the leap in the first labor market - for comparison: other programs with the same target group reach only 20 percent.