Our latest visit to Cuba - expanding our partnership and projects

In April our CEO Ann visited Cuba to support our current projects and to scope some new ones. This is what Ann had to tell us:

I was very excited to visit Cuba again, as my last visit was in March 2020. I remember returning on a flight where many people were wearing masks and I was wondering what was happening. I soon found out as we were very shortly into Covid lockdown and changing many things about how we lived as families, communities and as a world.

On this trip, I was also excited to have my grandson accompany me for work experience. You will hear from Kaylem in his own blog soon. One of great things about working for the Foundation is the level of flexibility and that we really care about each other like family.

The purpose of this trip was to learn from the projects that have taken place over the past couple of years and plan future ones and there was a lot of ground to cover in short space of time. On arriving in Havana, we met with educators who are delivering the projects locally and found out how they are meeting some of the challenges. Despite the blockade and the difficulties in sourcing educational resources there is a vibrancy in schools that is lacking in some schools where the resources are plentiful. The teachers are committed and loving (maybe loving is not the right word but that is what it felt like to me) towards their students not only about their learning but their safety and well-being also.

One of the primary schools we visited was hosting a session on well-being whilst we were there and asked us to join in. It was fascinating to be part of this, where children as young as 4 were being encouraged to speak about feelings and look out for each other.

After a few days in Havana, we visited Santa Clara and stayed at the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) for 2 nights.

ICAP fosters solidarity with countries worldwide with a focus on education and health. They hosted a day for us to meet with the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) so we could host a Positive Periods training session. The Positive Periods session was led by Naima Alena Guillard and Norma Rita Guillard Limonata; which covered the making of reusable and sustainable periods pads, menstrual and sexual health and creating safe spaces for women and girls.

It was really inspiring to hear how the FMC are leading on women’s rights across Cuba and of their many achievements in implementing equality for women across all sectors.

On our return to Havana, we visited Sabre music school, where students of all ages have the opportunity to play all the musical instruments available and learning to sing. It was a truly inspirational visit listening to students rotate and play different instruments and especially as I cannot even play one instrument in tune and I definitely cannot sing. I loved it, we were all blown away by the talent of students from 4 years to 18 years of age.

I had fruitful planning meetings with Delia M Vera Medina the Cuban ASPnet Coordinator and Dulce Maria Buergo Rodriguez President of UNESCO Cuba to discuss the Arts and Culture for Peace – Seeds for Hope and how we are looking forward to collaborating in 2025.

The highlight of the trip was most definitely meeting colleagues and sharing learning together. We spent time thinking about the best way to continue the projects in a sustainable way and often in Cuba you have to think outside of the box to meet some of the obstacles.

I had the greatest pleasure of meeting colleagues who I have worked with in Haiti and connecting them with each other to plan future projects together. It had been so long since I had connected with Norma, Naima, Doris and Gertrudis and it was so good to spend time together. I found out that all of my colleagues in Cuba are of Haitian heritage.

We had a good time planning our projects to support Education for All.

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Ann Beatty • June 26, 2024

Sparks Bristol

By Ann Beatty • April 4, 2025

Sparks Bristol is a collaborative community project initially envisioned by The Global Goals Centre, (GGC) more of which below. A few years ago, GGC took over an empty Marks and Spencer store and that’s how Sparks was born. Sparks is a department store with a difference, co-created by Global Goals Centre and Artspace Lifespace. On the ground floor is a huge range of shops, installations, events and more. Upstairs is a hub for local artists, it offers affordable studios as well as rehearsal and performance space. The Global Goals Centre is a Bristol-based educational charity inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. (SDGs). GGC believe the SDG’s or Global Goals as they are sometimes known, can be reached, with imaginative solutions and widespread education and engagement. They work with partners to promote creative solutions and deliver ground breaking projects that work towards these ambitious goals. The Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the Global Goals Centre with seed funding when it first started over 5 years ago. This month we went to visit them to see how they are getting on and we were taken aback by the volume of work they have achieved since they started. It is amazing to see how though working together with other local community groups it has grown into the vibrant centre it is today. All of the creative projects they host are linked to the SDGs. They cover topics that tackle poverty, education, climate change, fashion recycling and upcycling, to name a few.

Spring is Here! Looking Ahead!

By Ann Beatty • March 28, 2025

Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.

Igniting a movement for education for all

By Hannah Frisch • March 7, 2025

The outlook for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on global education is far from rosy. But a gloomy future isn’t inevitable. Disappointing statistics are the result of political choices that can be shifted and there are thousands of youth, grassroots activists and civil society organisations across the UK advocating for global education to make these changes. We need more people involved to build the momentum, we need to make a difference in challenging circumstances. You can help! Here’s how; Making global education a UK priority The UK is an important donor and champion for global education. However, education has been gradually deprioritised on the development agenda. Global education spending has plummeted from 13.5% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2013 to just 3.5% in 2023, and education was one of the sectors hit hardest by the abandonment of the 0.7% gross national income (GNI) target for ODA. With Labour’s annual budget confirming another reduction in the aid budget, funding for global education is under threat of being cut even further unless we stand together to say this can’t happen. While education is a domestic priority for the new Government, it has yet to emerge as a strong theme in their development agenda. As the Labour Party continues to develop their approach there is a unique opportunity for advocates to connect these dots and make the case for why education must be a key part of the Government’s international plans. For the Government to take action it needs to hear demand for change. There are many issues MPs recognise are important, but if they do not hear about these issues from constituents it can be hard for MPs to be vocal about them in Parliament. Following an election where many parliamentary seats were won with tight margins, MPs need to hear from the people they represent that global education must be on their agenda. With over half of MPs elected for the first time this year, many are actively looking for a steer on what issues to work on. We can give them one! How to Get Involved Write to your MP about why global education needs to be a bigger priority for the UK Government and encourage members of groups you are a part of, such as your union branch or a local community group, to do the same. This can have a real impact on your MP’s interest and ability to act for global education. You can also connect with other grassroots activists and get resources for taking action from international development advocacy organisations like Results UK. You can learn more about Results UK’s grassroots network on our website. If you are a teacher, get your school involved in the Send My Friend to School Campaign (SMF). Send My Friend is a UK civil society coalition advocating for SDG4 which supports a mass UK schools campaign to amplify student voices calling for universal quality education in solidarity with their peers around the world. Free campaign packs are available on the SMF website for primary and secondary levels with everything teachers need to run the campaign in their school. Parliamentarians can learn more about education issues and how to act by joining the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education, a cross-party group that brings together Parliamentarians interested in the right to education and provides them with knowledge and resources to be champions of the issue. By joining our voices through collective action, we can make a real difference in moving the needle on this issue. Together we have a chance to rechart the course for the realisation of quality education for all. BIOGRAPHY Hannah Frisch is the Senior Policy and Parliamentary Advocacy Officer for Education at Results UK and a Co-Chair of the Send My Friend to School Policy and Parliamentary Working Group. She is a policy advisor for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education in the UK Parliament.