How our nature-based projects support education within local communities

According to UNESCO

, if all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty: one of the

key drivers of environmental degradation

. Literacy and access to education improve people's capacity to adapt to changing climate, make informed decisions about resource use, and contribute to sustainable development in their communities.

By supporting education as a co-benefit, Earthly projects reinforce the long-term sustainability of climate action. Educated communities are better equipped to understand, manage, and protect their local environments, ensuring that community well-being grows alongside environmental impact.

The projects Earthly works with contribute to long-term social and environmental sustainability by integrating educational support into their design and operations:

Education plays a big role in shaping sustainability in communities. In fact,

according to some studies

, each additional year of schooling increases the likelihood of an individual engaging in pro-environmental behaviors, such as conserving energy and supporting sustainability policies. The nature-based projects Earthly works with recognise that lasting environmental impact must go hand in hand with knowledge, skills and learning opportunities at the local level.

As part of its broader social objectives,

the peatland project in Sumatra

aims to educate at least 45% of the total population in the nearby villages over its lifetime. Between 2016 and 2019, 127 students received formal education support through the programme, 64 of them women. These efforts are already creating a positive feedback loop: three former students have returned to the community as teachers, helping to sustain and grow the project's educational impact over time.

The project

supports literacy and equitable access to learning by providing all children in the project area with school supplies, including books, stationery, and school bags, through a dedicated Education Fund. Scholarships are also awarded to high-achieving students from low-income families, helping to reduce financial barriers and encourage continued education, particularly in remote rural areas.

The project also recognises the importance of practical skill development. Through access to technology such as drones, computers, and generators, and on-the-job training in sectors like sustainable farming, it empowers community members with tools to build sustainable livelihoods.

Additionally, the project’s reading glasses distribution programme ensures that vision challenges do not become a barrier to learning or productivity.

Through a multi-year effort, the

forest protection project

has completed or renovated multiple school buildings, enabling more than 8,200 students to access improved learning environments. During the fourth monitoring phase, the project reached a key milestone with the construction of nine new school buildings across seven villages, including Nsongo, Ikita, Bokebene, Inunu, Ilee, Lobeke and Mankaba. The school in Lobeke is now fully completed, marking an important step in strengthening education infrastructure in the region.

Through partnerships with institutions such as the University of Stirling,

the project

offers research and training opportunities for young ecologists and students, supporting hands-on learning and fieldwork experience. These activities encourage youth engagement in conservation and foster a deeper understanding of local biodiversity.

In addition, the project is enhancing the accessibility of Dumyat, a prominent hill in the area, with the aim of transforming it into a valuable outdoor educational resource.

The initiative

has created CEFLOM, a dedicated training centre built on-site to serve as a hub for environmental education and practical training. The centre works closely with local schools to promote ecological awareness and provides ongoing opportunities for community members to develop skills in sustainable forest management, agroforestry, waste reduction and low-carbon agriculture.

The project regularly delivers quarterly workshops, courses and lectures, with sessions hosted at CEFLOM, welcoming up to 30 participants at a time. Over the most recent monitoring period, training in low-impact land management techniques reached around 30 workers and 24 university students annually, while environmental education activities engaged approximately 155 school students.

Additionally, the project has partnered with the Federal University of Rondônia Foundation (UNIR) to support biodiversity monitoring through postgraduate research, reinforcing the project’s contribution to the scientific and educational landscape in the region.

The Kuamut project

offers scholarships for 100 students, helping to keep children - particularly from low-income backgrounds - in school. In addition to direct student support, the project also strengthens the broader learning environment by providing teacher training and investing in school facility development, ensuring that educational impact is both sustainable and systemic.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are holistic by design, they restore ecosystems while supporting the people who depend on them. This matters now more than ever, as the challenges of climate change require both environmental action and empowered, informed communities.

By investing in high-quality NbS, businesses can drive meaningful climate impact while supporting the long-term well-being of the communities behind the projects. It’s a smart way to align business goals with global sustainability needs.

Earthly partners with

trusted, science-backed projects

that are rigorously assessed to ensure they deliver real, verifiable outcomes. Every project undergoes

rigorous assessment

to confirm that it does what it promises, with co-benefits like education embedded into the project design from the start.

Talk to us

to discover how your business can support nature-based solutions that create lasting, measurable impact, for both climate and community.