Girawa partners with like-minded organizations around the world to support nature-first education. We are proud members of regional and global networks advancing environmental learning and action. These partnerships help us grow stronger across Asia, Africa, Europe and South America, while staying grounded in the communities we serve.
The Foundation of Goodness was established in 1999 and has worked extensively following the 2004 tsunami, that devastated the lives of thousands of Sri Lankans, to develop a one of a kind holistic rural community development model.
Today the Foundation of Goodness delivers a wide range of programmes to over 35,000 beneficiaries every year from 500+ villages in the South, North and East of Sri Lanka, free of charge, via its 20 empowerment divisions: Business Skills and Enterprise, Women’s Empowerment, Special Needs, Language and Arts, Sports Development, Medical, Dental and Psychosocial Support, Children and Youth Development, Environment and Water, Rural Welfare & Development and Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres.
The Foundation of Goodness also provides opportunities for volunteering and has established its own Sustainable Income Generation avenues. Since 2020, we have been working with the Foundation of Goodness to disseminate planetary health education to all of their Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres, with lessons designed by our founder Dr. Anusha Seneviratne.
Our collaboration began at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with classes addressing how the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus and other zoonotic diseases emerge, how viruses cause illness and how children can protect themselves with basic hygiene measures. This was followed by classes on topics such as nutrition, mental health and how plants contribute to our survival. The FOG have since developed an annual Planetary Health programme for their centres in collaboration with Girawa.
The “Núcleo Regional Lins-São Paulo” was created by ABPEducom (Brazilian Association of Researchers and Professionals in Educommunication) in 2019. ABPEducom is a scientific-cultural, interdisciplinary, national, non-profit institution, aiming to bring together researchers, professionals and students who have EDUCOMMUNICATION and/or their elements and constitutive processes as their object of interest.
The activities of the Girawa Planetary Health Youth Club Project in Brazil are grounded in the conceptual framework of Social-environmental educommunication.
The definition of “educommunication” is recognized by the Brazilian Academy of Letters. This definition is based on the research conducted by scholars at the Center for Communication and Education (NCE) of the School of Communications and Arts at the University of São Paulo (ECA/USP), one of the leading institutions in the field in Latin America. This conceptualization reflects years of theoretical development and practical application, and it continues to inspire interdisciplinary practices that merge communication, education, and social transformation. (Soares, Marques Pereira e Próspero, 2024)
Socio-environmental educommunication is understood as a transformative educational practice grounded in communication rights, environmental justice, and community participation. As described by Brianezi (2024), it aims to build open, dialogical, and horizontal communicative ecosystems that foster social and environmental awareness in both school and community settings.
In this context, educommunication becomes a strategy for re-signifying environmental education, encouraging youth-led audiovisual productions, and promoting deeper relationships with nature through collaborative, empathetic, and transformative actions.
Since 2021, we have been working with the “Núcleo Regional Lins – ABPEducom” to implement educational projects on planetary health with youth, through Social-environmental Educommunication practices. Beginning with the project “imprensa jovem” in a community in Lins city during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “imprensa jovem”, run activities with Girawa educational materials on topics COVID-19 and vaccines, the youth created videos explaining how to protect themselves from COVID-19. Regarding the topics mental health, nutrition, plants, air pollution, and climate change, youth created newspapers and fanzines (magazines) with articles about planetary health and the contribution to SDG – Sustainable Development Goals.
Based on our experience with the project “imprensa jovem” in 2023 we launched the Planetary Health Youth Club Project, aiming to contribute to the construction of the Network of Next Generation Leaders in Planetary Health through Social-environmental Educommunication practices.
Africa Community of Planetary Partners for Health and Environment (ACOPPHE) is an Africa led organization that seeks to center the health and well-being of both local and planetary communities. ACOPPHE centers Children, Communities, and Climate Change and its effects on the entire Planetary ecosystem.
ACOPPHE has strategically identified the urgent need to address the gap and challenges at the crucial intersection of environment, health, and climate change, focusing its efforts on the most vulnerable communities and ecosystems.
Our focus is driven by the recognition that health (both animal and human), environment and climate change are inextricably linked. We believe that a healthy environment is fundamental to human and animal health, and environmental. We recognize that climate change acts as a threat multiplier, exacerbating existing environmental and health challenges.
ACOPPHE fosters sustainable solutions that benefit both people and ecosystems. Our work is rooted in engaging communities, mainstreaming indigenous knowledge, and empowering children and youth as agents of change, ensuring that interventions are inclusive, equitable, and sustainable.