English as a Second Language (General ESL)

Location: Pakistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan

Status: Active

Sponsor:

Herzing Educational Foundation, USA
Suzanne and Henry Herzing
Rotary Club of Edmonton Mayfield, Canada
Rotary Club of Edmonton South, Canada
Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) Foundation, USA
Margit and Erwin Herrick Charitable Family Fund at Vanguard

Current Impact: 1100 Learners

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Global Virtual School’s General ESL Program focuses on the expansion of access and improvement of English-Language Skills Training in some of the poorest and most underserved regions of the globe. In these regions, valuable English-language skills represent an escape from multi-generational poverty.The program promotes Gender Equality and boasts an admission policy of fifty-percent female in every learning space. To offset the embedded issue of gender inequality and discrimination in the regions we work in, we strongly encourage female learners to participate while striving to ensure their safety. For example, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, WEF conducts separate classes for girls as co-education is not allowed.In addition, the program promotes Global Competence by encouraging learners, even in remote villages, to challenge themselves in language-proficiency and attain native-speaker mastery of English. GVS provides learners with a non-conventional classroom environment allowing them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills not encouraged in traditional settings but sought after in the job market. The youth-to-youth connection fosters a friendly learning environment and boosts learner confidence.Lastly, because of the program, GVS has facilitated an outstanding Cultural Exchange. The program provides an unprecedented opportunity for the learners and virtual volunteers to socially interact. This interaction deepens their understanding of their cultural and social differences, and, more importantly, their similarities.GVS acts as a bridge between countries and creates a cross-cultural environment of learning, understanding, and tolerance.

CURRENT IMPACT

WEF opened its first Global Virtual School (GVS) in 2018 at the American Spaces Center in Khorugh, Tajikistan. Since then, the program rapidly expanded into 31 learning spaces servicing 19 cities in 3 Central and South Asian countries.These include:14 Learning Spaces in Tajikistan including 4 for Afghan Refugees
10 Learning Spaces in Afghanistan (currently on hold)
7 Learning Spaces in PakistanCombined these serve more than 1,100 learners weekly.

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

HERZING EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, USAFounded in 2009 and receiving designation as a 501(c)(3) charity in September 2010, the Herzing Educational Foundation began with the core belief that career colleges and universities have an important impact on student learning and the communities they serve.The Foundation serves to support students attending Herzing University with scholarship opportunities and funding for community projects.The Herzing Educational Foundation Scholarship was funded through an initial donation made by Henry and Suzanne Herzing, the founders of Herzing Universities and Colleges.ROTARY CLUB OF EDMONTON MAYFIELD, CANADA AND ROTARY CLUB OF EDMONTON SOUTH, CANADARotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. It is a non-political and non-religious organization.MILLION DOLLAR ROUND TABLE (MDRT) FOUNDATION, USAThe MDRT Foundation was created in 1959 to provide MDRT members with a means to give back to their communities. Since its inception, the Foundation has donated more than $30 million in more than 70 countries throughout the world and in all 50 U.S. states. These funds were raised by MDRT members and industry partners.For more information, please visit: www.mdrtfoundation.org

ABOUT OUR PARTNERS

AMERICAN SPACES/AMERICAN EMBASSY PROGRAM:With more than 650 locations worldwide, American Spaces provide strategically powerful, public diplomacy tools that support U.S. foreign policy goals by providing technologically modern and welcoming places for direct foreign audience engagement.American Spaces include American Centers, American Corners, and Binational Centers, all of which operate on different models. The majority are managed through institutional partnerships that provide tremendous value, generally with rent-free space and no-cost staff support.Programs at American Spaces are free and open to the public, equipping the U.S. government with effective and attractive platforms for person-to-person foreign interaction on topics including media literacy, economic development and American culture, society, and values. The direct audience engagement at the core of American Spaces provides the U.S. government with influential opportunities to counter disinformation, promote policy objectives and exert a strong, positive impact on how the United States is understood and viewed around the world.UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ASIA-SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL AND CONTINUING EDUCATION (SPCE):The School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) was founded in 2006 and offers post-secondary and continuous education, giving young people and adults professional and vocational qualifications and income generating opportunities.UCA-SPCE provides its services in 14 learning centers located in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan