Teachers Without Borders (TWB) is an international non-profit organization 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.
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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.
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, as well as in Mexico and Peru
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.
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.
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[1]: improving access to education; alleviating poverty; promoting health, gender equality and environmental sustainability; combating HIV/AIDS; and creating global partnerships.
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.
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.
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[2].
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.