Alliance Member Highlight

Qatar Foundation International

Membership Established: October 2020

The mEducation Alliance is pleased to support the work of leading donor and development agencies, private sector associations, and other global leaders advancing EdTech in lower-resource developing country context.  In this section, we will showcase the work of specific Alliance members. Please meet one of our newest Alliance members, Qatar Foundation International (QFI). A big welcome to our QFI colleagues!

Qatar Foundation International (QFI) was founded in 2009 to increase understanding of the Arab world by supporting primary and secondary learners and educators through key skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and cross-cultural communication. Based in the United States, QFI works globally and has supported education initiatives and research efforts in Arabic-speaking countries and beyond including in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Jordan, Ireland, Oman, Qatar, the US and the UK. Along with partners such as the Amal Alliance, Education Above All, the Journal on Education in Emergencies, Sesame Workshop, and Salzburg Global Seminar, to name just a few, QFI works to address critical gaps in education especially as it relates to learning about the Arab world, in addition to social-emotional learning especially for Arabic-speaking communities globally.  

QFI is committed to facilitating connections; creating and sustaining a community of like-minded stakeholders (learners, educators, practitioners, academics, etc.) that work on the teaching and learning of the Arabic language or about the peoples, societies, cultures and histories of the Arab world; and fostering pathways and new opportunities to further expertise and experience with Arabic and/or related to the Arab world. 

QFI does this by: 

• Connecting communities of learners, educators, and other practitioners, academics, etc. both virtually and in-person, to advance global competency and related skills; 
• Supporting professional development for educators; 
• Partnering with universities and other centers of learning to develop engaging educational resources and content that deepen understanding of the Arab world and/or Arabic; 
• And, increasing access to high-quality and free Arabic language programs for primary and secondary learners worldwide.  

After celebrating 10 years of work, QFI is now reflecting on the past and strategically planning for the next 10 years. They look forward to contributing to the mission of the mEducation Alliance both to magnify the impact of their past and current work, in addition to helping the organization move strategically into areas of growth such as innovation in education, as well as leveraging their extensive work by expanding our geographic reach globally to more areas in need of access to these resources.  

QFI Representatives

Julia Sylla

Director of Programs

Carine Allaf, Ph.D.

Senior Programs Advisor