Language Friendly Fund
Making all schools language friendly by 2030
Our goal is to transform 250 schools worldwide into Language Friendly Schools by the year 2025. Step by step, we will expand our network and provide support and learning opportunities for inclusion and equity in education.
Through these efforts, more children will have increased access to effective, language friendly learning environments!
Impact
The benefits of Language Friendly Schools are clear: students flourish academically, showing higher motivation and engagement in their studies. Parents tend to be more involved with the school when their child's home language is acknowledged and valued.
Additionally, teachers report feeling more confident and equipped to teach multilingual students, as demonstrated by research conducted in 2021.
21k
students
50
schools
4k
teachers
11
countries
Friendly Approach
A language friendly approach is recommended by experts because of:
- the whole-school approach
- effective strategies for multilingual learners
- international Children's Rights
A Language Friendly School values all languages of their students, parents, and educators and staff. The schools use the languages for an effective learning process. The Rutu Foundation organises the network, structures professional learning, develops e-learning and supports schools.
Ambassadors
The Language Friendly School is endorsed by leading experts in the field of mother tongue and multilingual education and the right to education of the child, including:
- Prof. Jim Cummins, University of Toronto, Canada
How it started
In the Amazon rainforest of Suriname, we observed teachers facing difficulties in the classroom due to the language barrier. Many students spoke a different language at home than what was used in school, and teachers who employed evidence-based language inclusion strategies felt isolated in their efforts.
This is a problem that extends far beyond Suriname, as schools around the world struggle to provide quality education to their multilingual students. Unfortunately, many schools have a policy of restricting or even penalizing students for using their home language, which can lead to feelings of shame and lower motivation.
What's the plan
A sustainable network of professional learning takes time, effort and money. Starting with 2 schools in 2019, we have now successfully established a growing global network of Language Friendly Schools. We provide these schools with a supportive entry into the network, as well as access to an online platform for sharing information, lesson plans, and research outcomes. Additionally, we organize meetings, live conferences, and peer-learning events.
We ask schools for a modest membership fee. Not all schools have these funds. So we ask your support to bring in schools from the global south who will profit from the language friendly approach, and to enhance the professional development opportunities for educators.
Your contributions will enable us to:
- Provide financial assistance for schools in the Global South that lack funding to participate in the network.
- Bring in schools from our waiting list
- Enhance our IT capabilities
- Create and design online learning courses
Your company as a supporter?
Participating in the Language Friendly School Fund will help us increase access to language-friendly learning environments for all children and will earn your company the title of 'Language Friendly School Supporter.'
Your company will be recognized on our website and at our online events.