“The future of humanity and of our planet lies in our hands. It lies also in the hands of today’s younger generation who will pass the torch to future generations.” – 2030 Agenda
The SDGs are ambitious and complex and require innovative solutions. At the same time, the world is becoming more and more inter-connected. People can come together across communities and generations to find holistic solutions that protect the planet and to champion change. Young people, in particular, have the potential to serve as change makers through interaction, experience and experimentation.
Many opportunities are available for students and volunteers from high-income countries (HICs) to visit low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to undertake research or to take part in development activities. These young people return home empowered and inspired by the experience but the benefits and opportunities are not necessarily shared by their counterparts in the LMICs. We plan to level the playing field for young people by making knowledge and skill sharing equitable across countries so that they can build enduring international and cultural relationships to effect change.
LFLW begins as a collaboration between LMICs but will become a multi-lateral fellowship providing opportunities for young people worldwide to share innovative solutions to achieve the SDGs.
So far, LFLW has collaborated and partnered with two other institutions based in Bangladesh and Nepal, namely, Teach for Nepal and SOJAG. Our Partner institutions have strong backgrounds in educational and/or community development activities that strongly impact their own communities as well as inspiring others elsewhere in the world. Partner institutions will be expected to send fellows as well as to receive fellows from any institution in the LFLW network and to provide mentorship and supervision to its fellows.
Our Mission
We build leadership to achieve sustainable development by empowering and supporting a cohort of young people to collaborate across countries to find innovative and sustainable solutions that improve people’s lives.
Our Values
We are committed to contributing to improving the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable people particularly as laid out by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we are guided by the values of sustainability, accountability, inclusivity, equity and transparency.
Programme Leadership
The Sarvodaya Institute of Higher Learning (SIHL) of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement in Sri Lanka is the host Institute for Leadership for Life Worldwide (LFLW) Secretariat. The initiative is supported by a small group of advisors with rich international experience who are bound by a common passion to create fair opportunities for young people to develop leadership skills and to empower others to improve lives. The LFLW partner institutions play a pivotal role in hosting and exchaging fellows among the network.