Back in 2009, as teachers working in UK schools, Tom and I felt full of purpose but short on opportunities to express it.

Having worked in Ugandan schools, often with untrained local teachers, we had an idea: Get UK teachers to spend their summers facilitating teacher training programs in Uganda.

“Teachers won’t want to do that in their holidays” we were told. But in August 2020, five passionate UK teachers joined us in Uganda and we ran workshops for 50 local teachers.

It was the most rewarding and powerful learning experience we’d ever had and as the project ended, the Ugandan teachers asked us to come back and to bring more Fellows.

We spent that year recruiting the most inspiring teachers we knew and by summer 2011, there were 26 of us. We were able to work with 200 local teachers that year and decided to build an organisation.

Since then, over 2200 teachers have joined us as Fellows. We’ve worked across 11 countries alongside 18 local organizations. We’ve supported 5000 teachers to improve the lives of 125,000 children.

Everywhere we’ve worked, we found committed teachers facing similar challenges but rarely being given the support they deserved.

A decade in, we’re starting our next chapter with greater ambition and a new name, Inspiring Teachers. Our name describes our work, celebrates our community and shares what we value. Our purpose is to fulfil the promise of teaching — the promise of education.

We’re on a mission to improve the lives of 10 million children by 2030. It will take teachers, school leaders and partners from across the world pulling together. But it will be worth it because every child deserves an education that helps them thrive — regardless of where they are born.

Join us on the journey.