The Partnership began in 1997 as a corporate initiative of Discovery Communications, in line with its mission to help people explore their world and satisfy their curiosity.  The Partnership extends these opportunities to people living in underserved areas who would otherwise have little access to educational resources.

Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership applies a unique and sustainable approach for bringing information to underserved communities: through Learning Centers. Learning Centers are locally-managed, television-based media hubs, located primarily in existing schools and equipped to meet the area�s educational needs. Over a three-year period, the Partnership works closely with a community to develop a Center and ensure its on-going impact and success. 

This sustainable process includes:
  • Consulting with national and local education officials
  • Identifying eligible and suitable schools or community centers
  • Installing a television and a VCR/DVD player
  • Soliciting community input to determine potential program topics
  • Developing original culturally-relevant programs drawing on the resources of Discovery Channel
  • Training teachers over a three-year period to use television and Learning Centers as community educational tools

Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership’s Learning Centers reach nearly 200 communities around the globe, providing education and enrichment opportunities for more than half a million students and 1.5 million community members.

An independent study shows that schools with Learning Centers demonstrate an:
  • increase in student learning
  • increase in teacher effectiveness
  • increase in overall community access to information
Learning Centers report:
  • increased student enrollment
  • increased student attendance
  • increased pass rates
  • increased class participation

One of the most important indicators of the success of the initiative is that 95% of Learning Centers are self-sustaining beyond the three-year training period.

Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership invites corporations, foundations, governments, non-governmental organizations, and individuals to join us through donations and in-kind contributions. Our partners and supporters enable us to extend the educational benefits of Learning Centers to a growing number of children and communities throughout the world.

We would like to thank the organizations and individuals that have so generously provided funding and support:

In 1997, Discovery Communications founded Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership as an effort to bring together partners from the private and public sectors in support of a unique, international, grassroots education and technology project serving populations left out of the information age. As the Partnership’s founding sponsor, Discovery Communications continues to be the partnership's leading contributor.

Our partnership with the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation began in 2007 with a grant of $10 million to establish nearly 70 Learning Centers in nine countries: Angola, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda. Learning Centers will be launched over a five-year period, beginning this year in Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda.
Since 2002, Chevron has been a major contributor to the partnership, in support of Learning Center initiatives in Angola, South Africa and Venezuela.
  • Accenture LLP
  • Africa-America Institute
  • Agilysys, Inc
  • Allen and Company, Inc.
  • Allstate Insurance Co.
  • Arent Fox LLP
  • AT&T
  • Bank of America
  • Cabinda Gulf Oil Co.
  • CBS Corporation
  • Clark Construction Group, LLC
  • Coca-Cola Africa Foundation
  • CompuCom
  • Cushman & Wakefield
  • Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
  • DHL
  • Discovery Networks Europe
  • Discovery Networks Latin America/Iberia
  • Discovery Production Group
  • Edge Technology Services, Inc.
  • Emma Oxford
  • Extreme Networks
  • Freeman Gersten Partners
  • Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman
  • Genesis Investment Bank, Ltd., Zimbabwe
  • Getty Images
  • Globus
  • Greg Ricca
  • Guardsmark, LLC
  • Host Hotels & Resorts
  • ICON International
  • IBM Corporation
  • J.E. Richards Electric
  • Johnathan Rodgers
  • John and Maureen Hendricks Charitable Foundation
  • John McCarthy
  • Heritage Financial Consultants
  • High Noon Entertainment
  • Huffington Post
  • LaserShip
  • Legal Resources
  • Man Mad Music, Inc.
  • Mars, Inc.
  • Motorola
  • Motorola Foundation
  • MultiChoice Africa
  • MultiChoice Uganda
  • MultiChoice Zimbabwe
  • MultiChoice Namibia
  • Network Appliance
  • Opsware Inc.
  • Original Productions
  • Paarl Valley Bottling Company, South Africa
  • Partners Health Care
  • Peter Maller
  • Pilgrim Films & Television
  • PHD
  • Plan B Technologies, Inc.
  • Proskauer Rose LLP
  • RSG Media Systems, LLC
  • SAVVIS, Inc.
  • Schering-Plough Corporation
  • SES Americom
  • Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates
  • Twenty-First Century Group, Inc.
  • UnitedHealthcare
  • USAID Global Development Alliance
  • Vision Technologies, Inc.
  • Vitac
  • Zuckerman Spaeder LLP

Special thanks to Calabash music www.calabashmusic.com for providing music for this site.

We are also indebted to the following organizations for their involvement and support:

  • Africare, Zimbabwe
  • Ajuda de Desenvolvimento de Povo para Povo em Angola (ADPP)
  • Ayuntamiento Constitucional de Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
  • Center for Education 2000+, Romania
  • Center for Technological Development (CEDETEC), Mexico
  • Coordinadora de Innovaciones Educativas (CIE), Peru
  • GADRA, South Africa
  • Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs
  • Ministerio de Educación del Perú
  • Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture, Namibia
  • Ministry of Education and Culture, Angola
  • Ministry of Education and Sports, Uganda
  • NIED: National Institute for Educational Development, Namibia
  • Organización Fe y Alegría, Peru
  • EDUSAT Distance Education, Jalisco, Mexico
  • EPI: Education Programme Implementation, Namibia
  • Secretaría de Educación del Estado de Jalisco, Mexico
  • Soul City, South Africa
  • South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)
  • Steps for the Future
  • Tlaquepaque Municipal Government, Mexico
  • Tonalá Municipal Government, Mexico
  • US Peace Corps, Uganda
  • The Ann Sullivan Center in Lima, Peru
  • The World Bank Institute's ICT for Education Program
  • World Links
  • Zimbabwe Ministry of Education, Audio Visual Services
  • Killer Tracks
  • Discovery Studios
  • NetJets
  • National CineMedia
  • ICON International
  • American Airlines

 

“Discovery Communications has a public mission dedicated to harnessing the tools of the Information Age and bringing its full potential to people all around the world. I am pleased that other corporate leaders have seized this opportunity and are partnering with us to increase educational opportunities in disadvantaged communities around the world.”

Judith A. McHale
Founder, Discovery Channel
Global Education Partnership

“If we want to be recognized as leaders in the corporate world we must also demonstrate our commitment to providing society with educational tools and skills that will improve and enrich opportunities of people everywhere.”

Carlos Baradello
Former Corporate VP and General Manager
Latin American Market and Business Platforms
Motorola

  Board of Directors    
     
  John Hendricks
Founder and Chairman
Discovery Communications
   
   
  The Honorable Jack Fields
Chief Executive Officer
Twenty First Century Group, Inc.
  Willard O. Freeman
President, Freeman
Gersten Partners, LLC
   
  Gail Ifshin, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Discovery Channel Global
Education Partnership
  William Irwin
Manager, International
Government Affairs
Chevron
   
  The Honorable
Donald M. Payne

United States House
of Representatives
  Johnathan Rodgers
President and Chief
Executive Officer, TV One
     
  Carole Wainaina
Advisor to the
Chairman and CEO,
The Coca-Cola Company
  Judith McHale
Founder, Discovery Channel
Global Education Partnership

Advisory Board

  • John Amos
    Actor, Founder
    Halley's Comet Foundation
  • J. Brian Atwood
    Dean, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
  • Billy Campbell
  • Richard Dreyfuss
    Actor, Documentary Filmmaker
  • Jose Maria Figueres
    Managing Director, World Economic Forum,
    President of Costa Rica (1994-1998)
  • Whoopi Goldberg
    Actress, Activist
  • Chris Haws
    International Media Consultant
  • John Hendricks
    Founder and Chairman, Discovery Communications
  • C. Payne Lucas
    President Emeritus, Africare
  • The Honorable John McCain
    U.S. Senator, Arizona
  • Douglas McConnell
    Independent Producer
  • Donna McLarty
    National and International Nonprofit Board Member
  • M. Jonathan Roberts
    Managing Partner, Secured Media Capital LLC The Roberts Group LLC
  • Dr. Karen Shanor
    Clinical Psychologist, Author
  • Her Excellency Edith Grace Ssempala
    Ambassador of Uganda to Ethiopia
  • Michael Uslan
    Producer and Chief Executive Officer Comic Book Movies

How does Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership measure/evaluate the impact of its Learning Centers?

In 2003, the Partnership commissioned an independent evaluation of Learning Centers in three countries: South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The evaluation confirmed that, when compared to control schools, Learning Centers are making a positive, measurable and demonstrable impact on students, teachers and communities. Some of the specific findings include:

  • Improved student motivation
  • Improved concentration and memory, in particular the ability to grasp abstract concepts
  • Improved English language skills and creativity
  • Increased access to teaching aids for teachers
  • Increased use of a variety of teaching tools by teachers
  • Improved professional development for teachers
  • Increased parent and community involvement in schools
  • Increased enrollment and attendance in some project schools
  • Increased retention rates in some project schools
  • Improved pass rates on matriculation exams in some schools

How did the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership get started?

The Partnership began in 1997 as a corporate initiative of Discovery Communications. Committed to providing underserved schools with access to information via video and television, we developed and implemented our first Learning Centers in Africa. As global demand for Learning Centers gained momentum, it became apparent that a single corporate donor was not enough to meet the significant need for educational resources. In response, the initiative became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization called Discovery Channel Global Education Fund. In 2004, the name was changed to the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, more accurately describing our nature as an organization powered by partnerships to bring education resources to communities around the world.

What is the relationship between the Partnership and the Discovery Channel?

Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership is an independent, public, nonprofit organization. The Discovery Channel is the flagship brand of Discovery Communications, a global media and entertainment company. Discovery Communications spearheaded the Global Education Partnership in 1997 and continues to be a major and committed sponsor. The Discovery Channel and Discovery Communications' global television networks provide us with considerable support, including production staff and access to Discovery�s 70,000-hour library of high quality documentary programming.

Does the Partnership ever direct and/or develop curriculum for teachers?

The Partnership does not develop curricula, but rather provides resources to complement existing national and local curriculum objectives. With the approval and support of Ministries of Education we produce video programs on a variety of topics requested by local educators and the communities themselves. Resource guides that accompany these videos provide additional background on each subject and help connect the programs to the local curriculum. Television is a powerful and practical teaching tool.  Our goal is to equip schools and communities to set their own course with this technology. To that end, we help teachers meet their classroom objectives by providing in-depth training on the interactive and versatile educational uses of television and video.

How can technology help people with unmet basic needs?

The communities where we work have many fundamental needs, including education. While education may not meet every immediate need – such as hunger or vaccinations -it is a critical foundation for long-term development. The Partnership is sensitive to the challenges of the populations we serve, and only works with schools and communities at their request. Technology can support and enhance the delivery of valuable nutrition information and basic health awareness and provide the skills people need to earn a better living and enhance their quality of life.