SOS Children’s Villages submits EduCare for MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change grant 

Education equips children to develop into adults who have the tools, resources and opportunities they need to reach their full potential, and it provides families with the support they need to break cycles of family separation and poverty.   

Yet millions of children worldwide face overwhelming barriers to achieving a quality, uninterrupted education like poverty, school access, hunger and more. That’s why SOS Children’s Villages launched EduCare—a holistic program that promotes quality education access, decreases dropout rates and strengthens families—in Ethiopia in 2014. 

And with a decade of proven, transformative results, SOS submitted EduCare for the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change grant competition. 

What makes EduCare different?  

Unlike other education programs which may only focus on school access, materials or academic performance, EduCare recognizes a child’s success is often inextricable from their family’s well-being and broader community support.  

For more than ten years in Ethiopia and two years in Mexico, EduCare has been delivering quality education alongside comprehensive family support—like economic empowerment, positive parenting trainings and more.  

This holistic approach addresses the root barriers to a child’s educational success and creates sustainable change in communities worldwide—building stronger educational systems for generations.  

What our fellow applicants said about EduCare:  

During the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change grant selection process, our EduCare proposal advanced through all three rounds, receiving strong support and ultimately reaching the Wise Head Panel, where we received powerful feedback from fellow applicants about EduCare’s transformative impact around the world: 

— “… Tackles hugely pressing issues of education gaps, child protection, crisis and economic hardship… aiming to reach over 257,920 children, caregivers and community members across regions like Ethiopia, Mexico and Kenya. The approach is holistic, addressing the root causes, not just the symptoms.”  

— “… Built on a decade of solid experience in Ethiopia, backed by research into trauma-informed care and resilience-building. The 97% student retention rate in Amhara is impressive.”  

— “… An organization with a lot of experience and evidence… ready for scaling in many of the proposed locations.” 

Scaling EduCare: Expanding quality education support to more communities worldwide 

EduCare’s decade of success demonstrates how holistic, comprehensive educational approaches can transform entire communities—and that lasting change is possible when we work together for children.  

Thanks to these insights from the MacArthur Foundation and our fellow applicants, we are continually improving how we communicate our work to deliver every child with a safe, loving home and all the resources—like education—they need to thrive. 

Want to learn more about the transformative power of EduCare? Read more success stories from EduCare Mexico’s pilot program.  

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