Children learning English as part of the EfECT programme
Children learning  English as part of the EfECT programme 

Following the SDGs exhibition of 2016, we commissioned an externally-led study to review evidence from a selection of programmes across the British Council's portfolio. This included three case studies to illustrate impact and lessons learned. As well as highlighting success and good practice, the case studies provide useful guidance for further development of programmes, in order to demonstrate contribution to the SDGs, as well as reinforcing the need for evidence of long-term impact.

 

The English for Education College Trainers (EfECT)

This project was initiated following a request from the Burmese government for support with its process of educational reform. The case study notes that the project was not designed using the SDG framework but Goal 4 underpins the British Council’s work in English and education in Burma.

DOSTI

This programme was started in Pakistan in 2013 and ran until April 2016. The name means ‘friendship’ in Urdu and Hindi but is also an acronym for Developing and Organising Social Transformation Initiatives. The project links football with personal and peace-building development training in which the lessons of the football pitch – teamwork, self-discipline, respect for others, tolerance – are inculcated, deepened and amplified. The case study notes that contribution to gender equality has been significant, breaking down traditional attitudes and empowering girls and young women.

Newton Fund

This case study looks at the way that the support of the Newton Fund – managed by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – facilitated the creation of a network of researchers in Oxford and Mexico collaborating on a vaccine against Dengue Fever. Unlike the programmes featured in the other case studies, the SDGs were central to this programme, as the Newton Fund uses contributions to the SDGs as a criterion for assessing funding proposals. The case study notes that the requirement to demonstrate the relevance of their work to the SDGs was not seen as an imposition [by the team] but merely confirmed the implicit focus of their work.

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