Research team
- Prof. Janet Ananias
- Dr Emma Leonard
- Dr Elizabeth Ngololo
- Dr Victoria Sharley
Partners
- Department of Psychology and Social, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Namibia (UNAM)
- Multidisciplinary Research Service (Social Sciences Division), University of Namibia (UNAM)
- Children and Families Research Centre, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol
Completion of a three-year cross-institutional study
A three-year cross-institutional, international partnership has recently been completed, with its findings and recommendations published.
The project which ran from 2022-2025 was funded by the Perivoli Foundation through the University of Bristol’s Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC). PARC aims to advance a rebalancing of the global science and research ecosystem by envisioning, modelling and championing a transformative mode of global North-Africa research collaborations.
The qualitative collaborative study was conducted by a team of four researchers from both institutions to explore the lived experiences of those involved with the early child care and education training programme called the Perivoli Schools Trust (PST). The PST Training Programme provides training for nursery teachers (Educarers) who care for, and provide education to children aged 0-6 years. The PST programme is delivered across all of Namibia’s 14 regions.
The study responded to identified needs for evidence from the Perivoli Schools Trust, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, and the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare in Namibia, to inform and strengthen the future expansion of existing Early Childhood Development policy and programming under the Integrated Early Childhood Development Service Framework (IECDF) (PDF, 4MB) produced by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare.
The study used semi-structured interviews, talking circles to promote group discussion in the community, and observations of the ECCE model ‘in action’ in six early childhood development centres in three regions of Namibia. Two Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDCs) were purposively selected in three regions (n=6) where the Perivoli Schools Trust Model was being used for:
- less than two years
- three years or longer
The total study sample consisted of 86 adult participants, including:
- 54 interviews
- 31 parents and carers
- 9 educarers
- 14 Perivoli staff
- 4 talking circles (comprised 32)
- 15 observations of practice
Data was collaboratively analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Sharley et al, 2025).
Using waste materials as learning resources
The study explored the impact of the PST Teacher Training Programme (TTP) on the lives and well-being of children, families and the wider communities in three selected regions of Namibia:
- Kavango West (northern Namibia)
- Otjozondjupa (central north Namibia)
- Kharas (southern Namibia)
Findings provide a preliminary evidence related to the PST model’s approach, notably highlighting the value and potential in using locally available waste materials to build environmentally conscious, sustainable, educational activities and resources for use in early years’ classrooms. Using free waste materials to build educational resources, means they are accessible to all, simultaneously repurposing items of rubbish which would otherwise go to dumping sites and landfills, whilst also supporting children’s early learning and development.
Participants of the study reported that the approach was most valuable in mobilising Educarers’ skills and supporting classroom management, especially in areas with high levels of poverty and limited resources and funding. Regarding the PST approach and the reuse and repurposing of waste materials for children’s education, Titan Madomba, CEO of the Perivoli Schools Trust remarked:
We can change the world, and that is what the Perivoli Schools Trust is doing…is to tell the teachers that you don’t need to go into a shopping mall to be able to teach, you don’t need to go into a supermarket to be able to teach, you can actually teach using the things that are around you.
International dissemination and engagement
Findings from the study were presented and disseminated at two large-scale events in June and July 2025. At the University of Bristol, UK, the research team (Dr Sharley, Prof. Ananias, Dr Leonard, Dr Ngololo) delivered a Panel Presentation at the Inaugural International Child and Family Conference. The three-day International Conference took place between 17th to 19th June 2025, attracting around 220 speakers, panellists and delegates who had gathered from 28 different countries including:
- Norway
- Germany
- Canada
- The US
- Argentina
- Brazil
- South Africa
- India
- Australia
- Namibia
Topics
Topics at the international conference included:
- children’s rights
- child protection
- migration
- education
- care
- fatherhood
- parenting
- disability
- family structures
- gender inequality
The Panel Presentation outlined the identified needs for evidence, the aim and purpose of the study, design and methods, as well as the findings and recommendations. The Panel also included the premiere screening of the project’s short film, which amplifies the voices and experiences of local communities where the Perivoli Schools Trust programme is currently used.
A key conference theme was the need to ensure a continuous dialogue is maintained between academics and practitioners, on the critical issues facing children g around the globe. Dr Emma Leonard, one of the Perivoli Schools Trust study’s co-Principal Investigators (UNAM) stated:
Through collaboration between academics and practitioners, we bridge the gap between theory and practice, and ensure that research addresses practical needs and that the latest evidence-based strategies inform practice. This helps create more effective, inclusive response systems, resulting in improved education, health and social outcomes for children. Continuous academic – practitioner dialogue will also advance children’s agency in that their voices are heard in efforts that addresses their real–life challenges.
At the University of Namibia (UNAM), the project’s findings and recommendations were presented on 22nd July 2025 through an Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector engagement event, hosted at the UNAM main campus in Windhoek. The ECD Sector engagement event was shown by the Namibian Broadcasting Cooperation, who broadcast the talks delivered by founder, James Alexandroff, and by Titan Madomba, a CEO of the Perivoli Schools Trust (NBC Digital News, 2025).
Over sixty participants joined the event, including senior representatives from the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED), early years Educarers, Teachers, Educare Trainers, and academics. James Alexandroff, Founder of the Perivoli Schools Trust shared that the PST Teacher Training Programme has been established for 13 years in Namibia. Since the implementation of the programme, the PST model has reached over 2,766 schools and has engaged more than 8,321 Educarers.
Beyond Namibia, at a continental level the PST has engaged over 31,000 Educarers/teachers, undertaking roles in nearly 11,000 centres and schools (Sharley et al., 2025; PST, 2025). In relation to the findings of the research study, James Alexandroff commented:
This research… has shown that the primary schools that report back on what they’ve noticed is that the children coming from the Perivoli-trained schools are head and shoulders above the rest in terms of their self-confidence.
Recommendations
A full report of the study’s findings (PDF, 20MB) is available for download, illustrating eight key themes from the findings. The report sets out recommendations for policymakers, trainers, and practitioners in the Early Childhood Care and Education sector in Namibia, and identifies areas for future development for the Perivoli Schools Trust itself, to enable it to reach its full potential.
Contact the Researchers
University of Bristol Partner
- Dr Vicky Sharley, Senior Lecturer in Social Work with Children and Families, Children and Families Research Centre, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol
Email: vicky.sharley@bristol.ac.uk
UNAM Partners
- Prof. Janet Ananias
Email: jananias@unam.na - Dr Emma Leonard, Department of Psychology and Social Work, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Namibia (UNAM)
Email: eleonard@unam.na - Dr Elizabeth Ngololo, Multidisciplinary Research Service (MRS), Social Sciences Division, University of Namibia (UNAM)
Email: engololo@unam.na