Mission & Vision
The ILED Network is a growing, collaborative network of organisations in support of education led by Indigenous peoples. The shared intention of these impact-first organisations is:
To harness the power of Indigenous-led education and to make Indigenous communities, especially Indigenous children and youth, more resilient for the future.
The Story of ILED
The Global Network on Indigenous-led Education (ILED) was created in 2020. The seed for an ILED Network grew when various grassroots and support organisations found each other in their shared aspirations: seeking greater recognition, visibility, support and funds for holistic approaches to community resilience, especially around community-led education.
These different organisations witnessed the various ways that formal education systems continue to marginalise Indigenous peoples across the globe. Simultaneously, Indigenous communities are facing human rights abuses, loss and destruction of Indigenous lands and territories, dispossession and discrimination. These daily challenges made it increasingly difficult for Indigenous communities to pass on their knowledge, language and culture.
Fortunately, many Indigenous communities are also responding to these challenges: by developing their own initiatives.
This is why the ILED network was created: to centre Indigenous grassroots initiatives that uphold, preserve and pass on their way of life, knowledge and language to Indigenous youth. After all, the engagement and commitment of future generations is a crucial factor for cultural resilience.
Following a series of exploratory discussions and calls, the network became a reality in January 2021.
Members of the ILED Network
Sengwer of Embobut Community Organisation (Kenya); Keystone Foundation (India); Non-Timber Forest Products- Exchange Programme – NTFP-EP (Asia); Federation of Negrito Tribes – SPNKK (the Philippines); IMPECT Association (Thailand); Fundación para la Promoción del Conocimiento Indígena, FPCI (Panama); Allianza Ceibo (Ecuador); Federación de Comunidades Nativas de Ucayali y Afluentes – FECONAU (Peru); Riak Bumi (Indonesia); Lekil Lum (Mexico); Friends with Environment in Development, FED (Uganda); Both ENDS (the Netherlands); Forest Peoples Programme, FPP (United Kingdom); Rutu Foundation for Intercultural Multilingual Education (the Netherlands).
The ILED Team
Contact email: iledsecretariat@rutufoundation.org
Plan of Action
1. Promote networking, knowledge sharing and exchanges – Facilitate cross-cultural knowledge sharing to build mutual support and inspiration for ILED Network members. This includes:
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Local, regional and international exchanges on selected topics (online and offline).
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Peer-to-peer learning and reviewing of each other’s initiatives and practices, sharing news, opportunities, and contacts.
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Regional coordinators who act as a driving force in the network: supporting existing activities and expanding the scope of the network, such as introducing new partners, donors and opportunities for collaboration.
In-person women's exchange 2024: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Wiwa Territory, Colombia
2. Gain traction and financial support through sharing funding opportunities, networks and contacts
The Small Grants Fund
Administering an accessible, low-bureaucratic Small Grants Fund for inspiring Indigenous-led education initiatives. In 2024, a total of 9 project proposals have been submitted to the Small Grants Fund. The following projects are currently being implemented:
- Keystone Foundation (India) – This project establishes a Knowledge Exchange Hub and Community Museum in Nilambur, led by Indigenous groups, to preserve oral traditions and sustainable practices. In 2024, it expanded learning groups, opened to the public, and launched portable exhibitions.
- IMPECT (Thailand) – The initiative empowers Indigenous youth to preserve their mother tongue and cultural heritage through the Mowakhi learning center.
- Feconau (Peru) – This project revitalizes Indigenous medicinal plant knowledge through workshops and documentation. Elders and youth collaborate to integrate traditional healing into community health practices.
- FPCI (Panama) – The initiative enhances Guna youth education by integrating environmental and cultural knowledge into school curricula. In 2024, it emphasized Guna mathematics, developed educational materials, and hosted a biodiversity contest.
- Wampis (Peru) – Wampis women gathered ancestral newborn care knowledge, revealing a decline in traditional practices. Findings led to a proposed neonatal care program to ensure cultural continuity.
- FED (Uganda) – Elders trained youth in traditional medicinal plant use despite climate challenges. Over 500 Moringa seedlings were distributed, promoting conservation and local medicine cultivation.
- Wiwa (Colombia) – The project supports Dumuna language revitalization through workshops, engaging 40 youth in a region where other Indigenous languages dominate due to forced displacement.
- SPNKK (Philippines) – The initiative promotes environmental education and cultural pride through mobile forest schools and community festivals. In 2024, it produced culturally appropriate learning materials for Ata schools.
- Sengwer Women (Kenya) – This Indigenous-led conservation project, engages 368 people in tree planting and agroforestry education. Over 31,000 Indigenous seedlings were planted, and a cultural center was established, where children received environmental lessons in their mother tongue.
Have a look at the interactive map for more information about the different projects.
The ILED Youth Fellowship
Additionally, we started an Indigenous Youth Fellowship program called ‘Supporting Future Leaders of Indigenous Education’. The pilot project was launched successfully in September 2023. The fellowship program aims to support Indigenous youth who are actively engaged in existing projects within their community or aspiring to develop and contribute to new educational initiatives. The program provides resources and encouragement to youth, fostering their involvement and empowering them as future leaders, representatives, knowledge keepers, and transmitters within their communities.
We are looking for more funding opportunities to keep supporting these ILED initiatives. Individual donations are welcome. Follow this link and mention the ILED Network in the box ‘leave a message’. The full project proposals are available upon request.
3. Raise awareness and increase visibility of Indigenous-led education initiatives. This includes:
- Engaging external stakeholders through organising webinars/dialogues and other outreach activities.
- Publishing information, including multimedia, and contribute to relevant consultations or processes related to Indigenous education.
- Celebrating successful grassroot initiatives with an annual award.
Made Possible By
The Small Grants Fund is supported by: Arcadia; The Christensen Fund; SwedBio; the Fair, Green and Global Alliance (FGG); the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA) and the Elzemarieke Velthuijzen van Zanten Legacy.
The United Nations General Assembly declared the period of 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022-2032). The aim of this decade is to protect, support, revitalise and promote Indigenous languages. By creating a joint global movement, the goal of this decade is to put a halt to the gradual decline of Indigenous languages globally.
The Rutu Foundation is also part of this global movement, as a fervent supporter of cultural and linguistic diversity in education.
On this page, we will gather resources and tools for the promotion of Indigenous languages. We hope you join us in celebrating and protecting Indigenous languages, and that this place offers a useful starting point.
ILED Network Publication: Pass it on! Stories of Indigenous-Led Education from the Grassroots
In light of the International Decade, the ILED Network created a publication highlighting the importance of language in passing on indigenous knowledge. Check out the full publication here (version en Español aquí).
Inspiration
What does Indigenous-led education and solidarity look like in practice? Find successful examples of transformative knowledge exchanges :
What do Indigenous youth have to say? Hear them speak from the ground via our ILED podcast, available on YouTube and Spotify:
Resources
Have a look at the resources below to keep reading about the importance of Indigenous-led education:
- ILED fact sheet with more background information on Indigenous-led education.
- Learn about mother-tongue and multilingual education.
- Toolkit for Teachers: toolkit for educators who would like to create a class on promoting and celebrating Indigenous languages.
- Our ILED partner Non-Timber Forest Products-Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) regularly publishes the newsletter Voices from the Forest, filled with stories and updates from the diverse communities that they work with.
- Keep up with the ILED Quarterly Online Newsletter. Our latest editions:
Learning how to build a 'binatak'house
The Mobile Forest School is an initiative of ILED partner Sentrong Pagpapalakas ng Negritong Kultura at Kalikasan (SPNKK) in the Philippines.
“To serve as a platform for collective action where empowered Negrito communities work toward the elimination of discrimination, protection of their ancestral territories, full recognition of their rights and cultural identity, and development of leadership potential within the framework of Negrito decision-making and political systems." - Mission statement SPNKK
'Negrito' is the collective term to refer to the Filipino Indigenous peoples with a hunter-gatherer background, including the Agta, Aeta, Ati, Ata and Batak peoples. The Negrito peoples represent the most ancient civilization in the country, dating back more than 50.000 years ago.
The Rutu International Advisory Board member, ethno-ecologist and award winning anthropologist Jenne de Beer works closely together with the SPNKK. He is also the founder of the Non-Timber Forest Products-Exchange Program (NTFP-EP) in Southeast Asia. Based in the Philippines, De Beer provides technical and monitoring assistance to the organizations. He has worked for over 30 years with indigenous forest communities in many parts of Asia, including the Negritos of the Philippines. Together with the SPNKK he aims to improve the situation of the Negrito peoples, as they face ongoing marginalization. An important part of this is guaranteeing the right to mother tongue education.
Grassroot Educational Initiatives
Elementary Schools
SPNKKs first activities included the creation of various collaborations with elementary schools to provide education that does not alienate Negrito children from their rich heritage and communities. A pilot project at the Sentrong Paaralan ng mga Agta (SPA) main school in General Nakar, Quezon resulted in the creation of a film by young Agta leaders (as part of a series of 5), assisted by Jon Corbetter of the University of British Colombia. In October 2012 (around ‘Tebewen’), the film was released during the first Negrito Cultural Revival Festival and Development Forum. Since the film’s release, great progress has been made with incorporating traditional knowledge and skills through learning activities in, around and outside of school. See more examples here: Culture in Education in the Philippines.
New School Book: Proud to be Agta
The lack of multilingual school materials often poses a challenge for providing mother tongue education. Therefore, the SPNKK creates educational resources that specifically target Negrito children. In October 2014, as part of the curriculum overhaul, a bilingual workbook for first graders was released about the Agta forest-oriented culture and way of life, their history and ancestral domain. It also includes beautiful drawings made by students of SPA school. This book and other tools are now being shared with other Negrito schools in the area. Click here to see the full book! A follow-up project is supported by the ILED Small Grants project and is currently being implemented.
Why?
The Rutu Foundation supports the SPNKK through its Mobile Forest School project. This project arose out of the need to disrupt the harmful effects of mainstream education and environmental changes. It aims to provide Negrito children with an alternative by offering culturally-appropriate secondary schooling, rooted in Negrito worldviews and ways of life. Check out the full details of this program here.
Latest updates - Trip to Palawan
In 2024, the MFS relocated to Palawan, Philippines, for an exchange visit with the Batak Youth Festival, offering a valuable learning experience not only for the Ati communities, who are regular participants, but also for the West Kalimantan delegation, particularly from the organization Riak Bumi in Indonesia.
Held on July 12-13, 2024, with the theme “Weaving the Pathways for Youth Empowerment and Resilience,” the festival gathered 120 participants, including MFS students, Batak youth and elders, pastors, and local officials. Organized by the Batak communities with support from SPNKK, NATRIPAL, PPI, and the Rutu Foundation, the event focused on cultural preservation and youth empowerment. Throughout the festival, participants engaged in various activities, including traditional dances, 3D map-making of ancestral territories, survival skills demonstrations, and a cultural night showcasing performances by Batak youth.
The West Kalimantan team contributed by sharing videos from their traditional food festival and storytelling workshops in Kapuas Hulu. This was followed by discussions on ancestral land rights and resin harvesting with local government representatives. Ayta leader Norman King also shared his story, inspiring the Batak youth and reinforcing the importance of preserving indigenous culture. The delegation emphasized the significance of youth involvement in cultural preservation, advocacy, and fostering dialogue with elders and officials. They left with valuable insights to apply to future initiatives in Indonesia.
The visit concluded with tours of the National Museum of the Philippines and discussions about organizing a similar festival in Kalimantan in 2025.
For Indigenous Peoples
- Get in touch and see what the ILED Network can mean to you!
For Supporters & Allies
- Inspired by our work? Want to see how you can support us or collaborate? Get in touch!
- Want to give a donation? Follow this link and mention the ILED Network in the box ‘leave a message’!
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