We’re pleased to announce the 2024 winners of our Maya Ajmera Sustainability Award: Read to Learn Foundation and One Sky Foundation.

Each year, the Maya Ajmera Sustainability Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of exceptional Global Fund for Children partners who are committed to creating lasting change. The award is named after GFC’s founder, Maya Ajmera, who currently serves as the President and CEO of Society for Science and the Executive Publisher of Science News.

The Sustainability Award, which GFC has given to 172 community-based organizations since 2005, provides an investment in the winners’ long-term stability at a critical stage in their development. Our programs team determines a pool of nominees each year; winners are then chosen by alumni winners and members of GFC’s Youth Leadership Council through a participatory selection process.

Some Sustainability Award winners have achieved exceptional success in organizational development; many have attained regional and national influence and recognition in the field of children’s rights; others have demonstrated a deep commitment to learning and leadership throughout their GFC partnership.

The winners use the awarded funds to enhance their sustainability in whatever ways they deem appropriate.

Read to Learn Foundation | Uganda

Read to Learn Foundation is an early literacy development organization focused on the establishment of innovative child-friendly learning spaces in underserved communities. The organization hosts community book clinics where children learn to read with the assistance of young people, who in turn benefit from personal and leadership development. Read to Learn has also established the Book Drive store, a comprehensive literacy initiative that focuses on the publication of relatable children’s storybooks, the production of educational toys, and the integration of an AI-powered multilingual app as a sustainability model for its operations.

Read to Learn Foundation will use the award funds to strengthen its structures to ensure sustainability, investing in both the Book Drive store, to guarantee that it is running effectively and profitably, and the foundation, so it is better equipped to serve more communities with impactful programming. The funds will be focused on staff capacity building, a robust monitoring and evaluation system, and office space.

“The Read to Learn Foundation’s vision for the next five years revolves around nurturing diverse, literate, and resilient young minds,” said Hasfa Mago, Founder of Read to Learn. “Through strategic programs and partnerships, the foundation aims to address educational gaps, empower communities, and create sustainable models for literacy development and economic independence. This award will be strategically allocated to strengthen two primary areas that are aimed at enhancing the organization’s sustainability.”

One Sky Foundation | Thailand

Operating along the Thailand-Myanmar border, One Sky Foundation works with migrant and Indigenous children who are at risk of abuse and exploitation due to their socioeconomic and legal status. The organization supports access to education and healthcare by providing opportunities for families to earn a reliable income and offering programs designed specifically for girls and women. One Sky also works to pass legislation to reduce the number of children placed in unregulated children’s homes and continues to grow its family-strengthening activities and foster care placements for the most disadvantaged and at-risk children.

The organization plans to use the award to strengthen its support staff and build an up-to-date website that reflects the scale and impact of its current work and attracts more financial support. It will also invest in using digital media to raise awareness of the United Nations Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children and to steer the Thai public and government toward reforms.

“One Sky was born to address the extensive unmet needs of children and their families in Sangkhlaburi,” said Wiwat Thanapanya, Co-Founder and Director of One Sky Foundation. “Over the past 10 years, we have steadily learned and grown. Now with 18 of us working from two locations, we are poised to take the steps to become a bigger organization capable of making a significant impact for children nationally. The timing of winning the Maya Ajmera Sustainability Award is perfect; it will be a huge help at this moment in our journey as we seek to maximize our impact on children’s lives.”

Both Read to Learn Foundation and One Sky Foundation are dedicated to creating sustainable models for literacy development, economic independence, and child protection. Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Sustainability Awards – your commitment to positive change is truly inspiring.