Teachers Without Borders (TWB) is an international non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 that provides resources, tools and training to enhance the knowledge, skills, and connectivity of teachers around the world.

The organization was founded in 2000 by Dr. Fred Mednick, who believed that in addition to transmitting knowledge in their classrooms, teachers can effect positive change and development in their communities.

Teachers Without Borders provides free membership that gives educators access to information and colleagues that can advance their professional needs and goals. Ten years after its inception, Teachers Without Borders has more than 7,000 online members and tens of thousands of offline members from more than 180 countries.

Programs

Teachers Without Borders' programs are offered in various formats and settings: online, in schools and community centers, in books and journals, and on the radio. They are built from the ideas, feedback and goals of Teachers Without Borders' members and partners around the world.

Certificate of Teaching Mastery

Teachers Without Borders' flagship program is the Certificate of Teaching Mastery. It consists of five courses that help teachers improve their professional knowledge, classroom practice, and leadership skills. This program has been deployed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...

, as well as in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 and Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

Emergency Education

The Emergency Education Program works with teachers on preparedness and planning to avoid crises or lessen their impacts. This program was initiated after the 2008 earthquake in the Sichuan region of China and, in 2011, will engage and support teachers in Haiti. The program also supports emergency relief, reconstruction and recovery efforts in areas hit by natural disasters, such as the 2010 floods in Pakistan.

Peace Education

The Peace Education Program helps teachers promote peace in their classrooms and communities. Its first initiative is the Dr. Joseph Hungwa Memorial Peace Education course, which covers peace education in theory and practice and can be taken online or offline.

Millennium Development Ambassadors

The Millennium Development Ambassadors Program recognizes teachers and community leaders who are taking local, practical steps towards achieving the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals: improving access to education; alleviating poverty; promoting health, gender equality and environmental sustainability; combating HIV/AIDS; and creating global partnerships.

Voice of Teachers Radio Show

The Voice of Teachers Radio Show is a weekly radio broadcast, which began in Nigeria in 2009 and reaches 1.6 million listeners a week. The show airs on Kapital FM 92.9 in Abuja, and covers educational news and issues in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Voice of Teachers Journal

The Voice of Teachers Journal is an online, open access, peer-reviewed journal assembled by a guest editor and a group of educators and researchers. Each issue addresses a theme, such as educators’ role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, or peace education. The journal also contains an editorial forum for teachers to express their opinions on practices, trends, and issues in education.

Online Collaboration Site

Teachers Without Borders provides members with an online networking site that allows them to collaborate and share information with each other. In this virtual space, teachers join different groups based on their professional interests and goals. Within these groups, teachers exchange ideas and resources pertaining to the group's focus. The space also has built-in translation that allows teachers who speak different languages to communicate with one another. Examples of some groups are: The Certificate of Teaching Mastery, Character Education, and Education in Haiti.

Countries

Teachers Without Borders programs and resources have been adopted by teachers and communities in: Afghanistan, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, China, Ghana, Haiti, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa, Turkey, Uganda and the United States of America.