ABOUT EDUCATEURS SANS FRONTIÈRES
Educateurs sans Frontières (EsF) is part of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) family. AMI was established in 1929 by Maria Montessori herself to maintain the integrity of her life’s work and to ensure that it would be continued after her death. AMI is the recognised international authority for Montessori education. Educateurs sans Frontières was founded by Maria Montessori’s granddaughter Renilde Montessori, during her time as AMI General Secretary. Her vision was to support initiatives in underserved communities globally, which remains at the core of our mission today.
OUR VISION & MISSION
EsF strives to promote the rights of the child throughout the world, irrespective of race, religion, political and social beliefs. EsF is committed to transcending borders in order to serve children through innovative educational initiatives using Montessori principles and practices.
EsF prepares individuals to carry out the broader social mission of the Montessori movement; deepening their understanding of the needs of humanity and the development of the child by revisiting Montessori principles and practices from the perspective of society at large.
The vision of EsF is to support educational initiatives through mentorship and resources, guiding them towards sustainability, expansion, and replication.
EsF builds capacity by connecting Montessori teachers, advocates, students, schools and organisations with communities, social entrepreneurs, local officials and policy makers, to improve the visibility and credibility of Montessori education and consequently increase its availability and access.
When Montessori principles are applied in the wider context of society, their possibilities are vast and all encompassing.
Sustainability Statement
We commit to making choices and taking action that can be upheld both into the future and across space and generations, choices that take into account the interconnected nature of life. Thus, we can commit to continually investigate our beliefs, assumptions and attitudes in the light of supporting all humanity and all of life, and the geological systems of our planet. We expand the scope of our focus, from an individual basis to the community and to greater social systems up until the entire web of humanity, and to the local and global natural systems. We commit to taking responsibility for the effects of our actions.
Our aim is to minimise the negative impact of our choices on others and the environment and to find ways of restoring any damage our actions cause to human and non-human beings and to the environment. We aim to construct our social systems as solid and flexible, able to adapt to changing needs and circumstances, all the while embracing values of respect and care for all life and for the environment. We will encourage education and understanding of our relationship within the universe. We seek ways of design and planning that marry with these values and prevail in our endeavour to create a lasting, healthy world.
Sustainable Development Goals Statement
Educateurs sans Frontières (EsF), a programme of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)*, is a network of Montessori practitioners, working with communities, governments and other partners to advance human development from the prenatal stage to early childhood care and education, continuing through to elementary, adolescence, adulthood and the elderly.
EsF promotes education as an “aid to life”, working to strengthen a culture of peace and global citizenship. We firmly believe in education that promotes resilience and adaptability in each and all in a rapidly changing, interdependent world. EsF aims to accomplish this through outreach, capacity building, and advocacy in communities, including indigenous peoples and other vulnerable populations, such as those affected by poverty, displacement, and discrimination, through equitable, inclusive, quality education that respects and celebrates diversity of cultures and languages. We promote the development of life skills and sustainable living for individuals, families and communities, while recognizing the interconnectedness of socio-ecological systems.
Education guides intentions and informs actions required to support and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which are by nature interrelated. We recognize the foundational role of education in reaching these goals by empowering individuals and communities through whole-person lifelong learning “for the full realization of their rights and capabilities” (Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development).
Educateurs sans Frontières, supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals in their entirety, particularly Goal Four, with respect to equitable, inclusive, quality, universal and free education. We commit to contributing to the achievement of the goals of Education 2030.
* AMI is associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations and in partnership with UNESCO.
OUR HISTORY
Educateurs sans Frontières is part of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) family and was founded in 1999 by Maria Montessori’s granddaughter, Renilde Montessori.
Renilde’s vision took Montessori outside the realms of the classroom with Educateurs sans Frontières.
ABOUT ASSOCIATION MONTESSORI INTERNATIONALE (AMI)
We empower teachers and communities with Montessori education, helping children develop their potential to become truly capable individuals who make a difference in the world.
Founded by Maria Montessori, AMI is the steward of the Montessori educational approach developed over 100 years ago, building upon her work to apply it in every setting and to each child without compromising the integrity of the approach.
AMI’s Scientific Pedagogy Group together with the broader AMI community promote and continue the study, research, and reflection of Maria Montessori’s work, ensuring it remains contemporary and aligned with current insights in child development and education. This ensures that AMI teacher training and Montessori education consistently meet the highest standards of implementation across the globe.
AMI supports Montessori training in four areas:
MEET THE EsF TEAM
Fay Hendriksen
Development Manager
Fay studied International Relations and obtained a Masters in Conflict Resolution. Afterwards, she spent four months in Nicaragua providing vocational training. This experience made her increasingly aware of the importance of quality education in order to develop independent, socially engaged individuals. Fay’s responsibilities at the AMI office in Amsterdam include coordination of Educateurs sans Frontières and Funds Development.
Elske Voermans
EsF Coordinator
Elske has a master’s degree in International Development Economics and worked in Greece for three years, in an intercultural makerspace where residents of the nearby refugee camps could express their talents, learn, and make the items they need in their daily life. During her time in Greece, Elske also designed and carried out a practical and project based science programme for the adolescents living in the refugee camps. Her interest in education, as well as in human rights and development, are a good match for her role as Educateurs sans Frontières coordinator at AMI.