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WONDER Foundation

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WONDER Foundation
Women's Network for Development and Educational Resources
Formation2012
FounderCarmen Gonzalez & Olivia Darby
Registration no.1148679
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
Region served
Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America
Chief Executive
Carmen Gonzalez
Chaired by Raphella Gabrasadig
Revenue£1.41 million (2023–24)
Expenses£1.40 million (2023–24)
Staff12
Websitewonderfoundation.org.uk

WONDER Foundation is a London-based charity, purposed with widening access to quality education and sustainable, decent work for women and girls.[1]. Founded in 2012, it now works with women-led partner organisations in twenty-three countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Since launch, projects backed by WONDER have reached more than one hundred thousand women and girls, helping them move into training, jobs or further study [2].

WONDER Foundation's Logo

Origins

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WONDER began with the conviction that locally run schools in lower-income countries, such as Kenya, Nigeria and the Philippines, would benefit more from long-term, women-led backing rather than short-term aid. Carmen Gonzalez, Olivia Darby and a group of friends began WONDER Foundation after witnessing and taking part in the grassroots work in these countries. Some were studying in university while some had been volunteering in their communities already [3].

Inspired by the resilience and impact they saw, their goal was to support the locally run organisations, who would in turn continue to support the disadvantaged women and children within the country. The charity was incorporated in January 2012 and began operating from Brixton, South London, building initial partnerships and launching pilot initiatives in Nairobi and Manila[4]. WONDER partnered with nursing colleges in Nairobi, helping young women train for healthcare professions, and with local hospitality and culinary training centres in Manila, providing skills-based training for employment in hotels, restaurants and tourism sectors. The foundation also supported women-led NGOs in Nigeria through early capacity-building workshops and co-developed pilot sponsorship programmes that enabled young women to pursue secondary and tertiary education. In the UK, WONDER built its community through university outreach, student-led campaigns, and advocacy around education access and gender equity.

Key Programmes

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WONDER Foundation's programmes and activities focus on mentoring, vocational training and employability support. There have been a variety of successful programmes; notable ones include:

  • Project Bloom
    • WONDER works with Rothschild & Co. to deliver and implement Project Bloom. The aim of this project is to increase mentoring capacity and employability support for women and girls between the ages of fifteen and thirty in Côte d'Ivoire, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Philippines [5].
    • This project not only helps women and girls get the support and skills they need for stable, decent careers but it also helps to tackle prevalent issues within the countries such as displacement, trafficking and cycles of extreme poverty[6].
      Group photo taken after a training session in Nigeria
  • SEE-ME
    • The SEE-ME campaign aims to end modern slavery and human trafficking, targeting both Parliament and the hospitality industry, which is known to witness trafficking and modern slavery more than other industries.
    • One method to tackle this issue is promoting increased accessibility of English language lessons and providing workshops across the UK and Europe. Support for trafficking victims is limited and has the potential to do more good: WONDER provides English lessons for mothers, women and children, providing hope for those who may have taken risks out of desperation, leading to trafficking[7].
  • Being & Belonging
    • The Being & Belonging project, backed by EU funding, aimed to empower and share the experiences of young people from migrant backgrounds across Europe. WONDER worked with the UK, Slovenia, Poland and Spain, helping them explore themes of identity, belonging and solidarity through storytelling and dialogue workshops.
    • Using creative projects such as short films and group dialogues, participants were able to amplify their voices regarding racism, marginalisation and identity. According to testimonies, this developed their confidence, leadership skills and a stronger sense of civic agency within their communities [8].
  • Ukraine Crisis Response
    • WONDER's partner in Poland, Pontes, plays a prominent role in supporting Ukrainian refugees by providing education and mentoring, addressing their trauma and financial and legal insecurities.
    • Successes include Ukrainian women coming back to Pontes to mentor the next cohort of refugees/women seeking support and testimonies relay feelings of security and a sense of community and normalcy[9].
  • Mobility Mentoring Pilot
    • WONDER has adopted and rolled out the Economic Mobility Pathways coaching model, which prioritises evidence-based coaching and mentoring. This model moves away from the idea that self-sufficiency is an end goal, and instead embraces that economic mobility is an up-and-down process[10].
A cooking class in Kenya

Publications & Mentions

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WONDER's research is presented on their website in their annual reports and findings, and their research is often cited by academics, other non-governmental organisations and journals.

Journals and academics have cited WONDER's insights for articles:

  • The British Journal of Midwifery has explored WONDER's impact in training midwives and making sure that health standards are upheld to the highest standards, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)[11].
  • Master's students in UCL have used WONDER's research and insights to support their dissertation theses regarding empowering spaces and the general empowerment of women when they vulnerable to poverty, violence and harassment[12].
  • An article by Leah Bassel and Kamran Khan has cited WONDER's work to explore the different experiences of migrant women during their naturalisation process in the UK[13]

Government's have used WONDER's work as evidence for bills and/or projects:

  • WONDER has submitted written evidence to the UK Parliament for the Children's Wellbeing and School Bill Committee, supporting faster school admission for children in the UK, especially migrant children who have already lost months or years out of the schooling system[14].
  • WONDER works with seven partner organisations in six European countries to roll out a programme that empowers women to interact more with leadership skills, citizenship and youth work[15].
  • WONDER has written recommendations to the International Development Select Committee in the DRC, highlighting what the Department for International Development could do further to promote an efficient and strong healthcare system[16].

Olivia Darby, the Chief Learning and Advocacy Officer, has contributed to a number of works along with much of the written correspondence to the various governments listed above:

  • After a conference where ESOL teachers shared their experiences through interviews, Darby contributed to the ESOL journal, writing about the FATIMA project and sharing suggestions to create a safer space for English language learners[17].
  • Darby has also written for the LSE Brexit blog, suggesting ways in which Britain can become a more welcoming environment for incoming migrants post-Brexit[18].

WONDER also publishes its annual impact reports at the end of each tax year, accessible through its website.

Governance and Finance

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The Board of Trustees is chaired by Raphaella Gabrasadig, succeeding Ami Encarnacion in 2024, and comprises of seven independent trustees; Carmen Gonzalez serves as chief executive.

For the year ending 31 March 2024, the charity reported an income of £1.41 million and an expenditure of £1.40 million.

For the year ending 31 March 2023, the charity reported an income of £1.83 million and an expenditure of £1.69 million.

Media Coverage and Recognition

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Sector commentators point to WONDER's women-led, partner-driven model as a practical contribution to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals no.4 (quality education) and no.5 (gender equality) [19]. Other notable examples include:

  • A feature interview with Gonzalez ran in Good Housekeeping UK's January 2021 issue[20].
  • Smiley Movement profiled WONDER's first decade of impact on International Women's Day 2022[21].
  • Thomson Reuters Foundation highlighted the charity's English-language support for trafficking survivors[22].
  • Podcast appearances include Hearts + Minds (2023) and Voice of Islam Radio (2024)[23].
  • Volunteers have blogged about their experience on the LSE Volunteer Centre[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Olivia Darby". EMPath (Economic Mobility Pathways). Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  2. ^ "WONDER Foundation". 1st Formations. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  3. ^ Gulbahar, Uzma (2022-01-24). "Women-led charity WONDER Foundation Empowers Young Voices Affected by Migration » Good News Shared". Good News Shared. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  4. ^ "Olivia Darby's Decade of Empowering Women Through Education". Smiley Movement. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  5. ^ "WONDER Foundation". www.rothschildandco.com. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  6. ^ "WONDER Foundation". www.rothschildandco.com. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  7. ^ "Breaking language barriers empowers vulnerable women". news.trust.org. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  8. ^ Gulbahar, Uzma (2022-01-24). "Women-led charity WONDER Foundation Empowers Young Voices Affected by Migration » Good News Shared". Good News Shared. Archived from the original on 2025-03-21. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  9. ^ "WONDER Foundation: Human dignity in the midst of war". Stewardship. 2024-02-05. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  10. ^ "Homepage". EMPath (Economic Mobility Pathways). Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  11. ^ Oshiyemi, Zoé Chantreau Majérus,Ayoola (2024-08-02). "Transforming midwifery care". British Journal of Midwifery. Retrieved 2025-07-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Juma, Ismat (2022). "SPACES THAT EMPOWER WOMEN LEARNERS - THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUILT ENVIRONMENT, LEARNING AND EMPOWERMENT OF VULNERABLE WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT SETTINGS". Institute for Global Prosperity 2021-22 Master's Dissertation Special Issue.
  13. ^ Bassel, Leah; Khan, Kamran (2021-05-19). "Migrant women becoming British citizens: care and coloniality". Citizenship Studies. 25 (4): 583–601. doi:10.1080/13621025.2021.1926075. ISSN 1362-1025.
  14. ^ "Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill 2024-26". www.parallelparliament.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  15. ^ Red:GLOW!. n.d. "A Guide for Youth Workers." Available at: https://wonderfoundation.org.uk/red-glow/guide-for-youth-workers/
  16. ^ "DRC0014 - Evidence on Fragility and development in the Democratic Republic of Congo". committees.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  17. ^ Darby, Olivia; Manacorda, Bianca; Presti, Giulia; Chik, Flora (2019-07-18). "Feeling confident to learn: creating education spaces where women feel welcome". Language Issues: The ESOL Journal. 30 (1): 24–36.
  18. ^ Darby, Olivia (2018-05-23). "Britain can be a more welcoming society to migrants". LSE Brexit. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  19. ^ "WONDER Foundation". www.rothschildandco.com. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  20. ^ "Empowered women empower women - 29 Jan 2021 - Good Housekeeping - UK Magazine - Readly". gb.readly.com. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  21. ^ "Olivia Darby's Decade of Empowering Women Through Education". Smiley Movement. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  22. ^ "Breaking language barriers empowers vulnerable women". news.trust.org. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  23. ^ "Podcast #77 | Women and leadership in the developing world - Olivia Darby". Hearts + Minds. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  24. ^ Sophie (2023-12-13). "Guest blog by Maddy: What I learnt volunteering with Wonder Foundation - LSE Volunteer Centre". LSE Volunteer Centre - Shaping a better world through volunteering. Retrieved 2025-07-29.