Together, WE CAN transform education
Our Mission
Founded in 2020, the Age of Learning Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission to fundamentally improve the education of children in low- and lower-middle-income countries worldwide. In partnership with governments and NGOs—including UNICEF and UNESCO, as a member of their Global Education Coalition—we strive to help families and educators ensure that even the most disadvantaged children are able to build a strong educational foundation. We do this by providing highly scalable, sustainable digital learning programs that measurably improve academic skills. Our Age of Learning programs combine research-proven digital learning with teacher training, family engagement, and community outreach to serve children ages 2 to 12.
Our Approach
To fulfill our global mission, we work with valued partners who help extend our reach. Each project is unique, but below is a brief overview of how we work on a typical project:
- We partner with NGOs, governments, media organizations, and other like-minded companies and organizations in countries throughout Africa, Central America, and South Asia.
- We work with our partners to translate and localize our learning products, as needed, based on the selected market, and we leverage our partners to deliver these products at no cost to families and schools.
- We help train teachers and engage families, as needed, in each market.
- We work with international education experts to measure our work’s impact, so we can continually increase our efficacy and value in each location.
Where We Work
All children deserve a strong foundation for success in school and beyond–and we’re working with partners around the globe to make that a reality.
Africa
Current Projects
Kenya: In partnership with Akili Kids, we are broadcasting our educational video content and offering free access to our digital learning products.
The Gambia: In partnership with the country’s Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, we have provided educational video content for broadcast.
Central America
Current Projects
Costa Rica: We launched our first pilot in Costa Rica in 2018 to study the use of ABCmouse to improve English language skills. Following our study of that successful pilot (see our research brief in English or Spanish), we are now expanding our work throughout the country in partnership with the Costa Rica Ministry of Education, or MEP.
South Asia
Current Projects
Sri Lanka: In partnership with the nonprofit DP Kids, we have provided access to our educational video content, which has been localized, as well as free access to our digital learning products. See some of our ABCmouse videos that have been localized for Sri Lanka.
Pakistan: In partnership with the AAJ TV network, we have provided access to our educational video content, which has been localized, as well as free access to our digital learning products. See AAJ’s PSA promoting the partnership and encouraging families to access free ABCmouse Academy memberships.
Oceania
Past Project
- Papua New Guinea: We successfully launched a school-based project with partners Save the Children Australia, Digicel, and Inclusiv to provide access to our digital learning products. This project also involved providing the necessary devices and infrastructure to support digital education, even in the most remote locations.
In North America, Age of Learning’s Education Access Initiatives reach millions of children by offering the full award-winning ABCmouse curriculum at no cost to teachers, libraries, and community centers, including after-school programs and public housing authorities.
UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition
The Age of Learning Foundation joined the UNESCO Global Education Coalition as an official partner in 2020. We are committed to working with UNESCO to address educational inequities associated with digital divides through a range of initiatives, all at no cost.
We are also deeply committed to these actions:
- Helping expand learning opportunities
- Distributing hardware and software to students and teachers
- Digitizing curriculum
- Developing and providing free and contextually appropriate learning content
- Developing capacity to support distance learning
- Evaluating the effectiveness of distance learning strategies, and much more
Our Partners
Leadership
Mubuso Zamchiya
Managing Director, Age of Learning Foundation
Mubuso leads the Age of Learning Foundation, which he joined after serving as the Managing Director of the Luminos Fund, an international NGO that helps out-of-school children in low-income countries catch up academically and enter formal schooling. He was formerly Senior VP of Partnerships at Ashoka, and held senior leadership roles in charter school networks, including as CEO of the Albany Charter School Network. Early in his career, Mubuso served in strategic and business development roles at the International Finance Corporation, AES Corporation, and Barclays. He is an Echoing Green Fellow, a Pahara Fellow, and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and has authored several children’s books. He earned his MPhil in Development Studies from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Bristol.
Doug Dohring
Founder & Executive Chairman of Age of Learning, Chairman of the Age of Learning Foundation
Doug Dohring is a California-based entrepreneur who has led several companies to success over the past three decades. Doug founded Age of Learning, Inc., in 2007, and was CEO until 2019. The company has brought together experts in the field of education, creative content developers, and engineers to develop and launch ABCmouse.com, the most comprehensive digital learning resource for children ages 2–8.
Prior to founding Age of Learning, Doug founded NeoPets, Inc., in February 2000. Neopets.com rapidly became one of the world’s top-ranked websites, generating more than 8 billion page views per month in 11 languages globally. Advertising Age named Doug one of the Top 100 Marketers of the Year in 2001. In 2002, with the expansion of NeoPets into Asia, Neopets and Doug were the subject of a Harvard Business School Case Study on the company’s viral growth and user engagement. Doug served as Chairman and CEO of NeoPets, Inc., from its inception through its $160 million sale to Viacom, Inc., in June of 2005. Before NeoPets, Doug founded The Dohring Company in 1986, which quickly grew to become a top-100 market research firm in the U.S., serving thousands of clients. Learn more about Doug Dohring…
