Stories of Triple WellBeing

When Lucy co-founded Kivukoni School in Kilifi, Kenya, she wanted to build a place where childhood could be celebrated, where learning felt alive, connected and full of wonder. What began as a small community initiative has since grown into a thriving school that has transformed local education, offering children the freedom to explore the world with curiosity and confidence.Rooted in the belief that children learn best when they feel happy and engaged, Lucy has created an environment where shoes are optional, trees are classrooms and learning unfolds as part of the living world. Diversity and community are woven into every part of the school, from the multi-level fee structure that ensures inclusion, to the open gates that welcome parents, neighbours and local partners as part of the learning journey.Through the Triple WellBeing Fellowship, Lucy turned her focus inward, exploring how wellbeing can take root not only in students but also in teachers. Her action research introduced flexi-time at Kivukoni: giving every team member a half day each week to rest, reflect or take care of life’s essentials. The result has been transformative, greater energy, presence and joy across the community.For Lucy, wellbeing begins with trust in ourselves, in one another and in the rhythm of life. Her work is a living example of how education can nurture balance: between structure and freedom, between head and heart and between the human and the natural world.

Ben has always tried to make sense of the world through his relationships with the people around him. As a young activist, he threw himself into climate and social justice campaigns, driven by urgency but also carrying the weight of the world. The intensity nearly burned him out. Teaching became the place where he could channel that energy differently through children, stories and the small daily practices of belonging.In the classroom, Ben discovered that the most powerful learning doesn’t come from what’s written in a lesson plan, but from what emerges when imagination is given space. He remembers building a cardboard time machine with his pupils. By the next day it had transformed into a rocket ship, a castle, a den. For Ben, this was learning at its best: when play is trusted to lead the way, and children surprise even themselves with their creativity.He worries about the arts and creativity being squeezed out of schools, treated as extras rather than essentials. For him, they are what keep us human. “Play,” he says, “is not a luxury but a foundation.” What matters most is not content delivery, but the conditions for joy, connection and independence to flourish.The Fellowship came at a time when Ben was close to questioning whether he could stay in education. He describes it as “a circle of digital hands to hold” a community that reminded him he wasn’t alone. Through its structure and support, he found permission to pause, to reflect and to bring new practices into his classroom: from active listening to creative inquiry, instilling wellbeing into the everyday life.Ben dreams of schools where the urgency to care for the planet is matched by the joy of belonging within it. Places where children grow up not only knowing facts, but knowing themselves and feeling part of a bigger story.

Rebecca has spent over twenty years working in international education, connecting learners across cultures to the world around them. Now based at the International School of Dakar in Senegal, she leads community engagement and service learning, helping students turn awareness into action and curiosity into compassion.For Rebecca, education has always been a social endeavour, one rooted in belonging and relationship. Describing herself as a “living bridge,” she brings people together across difference to learn, collaborate and grow. Whether designing projects with local schools or mentoring students through creative service, she works to dismantle the barriers between “school” and “community,” nurturing a culture of reciprocity and care.The Triple WellBeing Fellowship offered Rebecca time to pause and reflect, to bring her values of connection, critical thinking and community into sharper focus. She used the framework to deepen her students’ understanding of service and wellbeing, helping them move beyond the idea of “helping” to one of genuine partnership. Her action research explored how self-care, people-care, and earth-care can guide cross-cultural collaboration, ensuring learning uplifts everyone involved.With humility and humour, Rebecca reminds us that education’s purpose is not perfection but participation. It’s in the messy, relational spaces where we question, listen and co-create that the deepest learning happens.

Whitney’s story is one of determination and deep compassion. Growing up and then working in Uganda, she saw first-hand how poverty, inequality and limited access to education could hold back entire communities. That experience shaped her purpose: to create opportunities for others, especially girls, to thrive through education and self-belief.A trained social worker, Whitney has worked across mental health, community development and education, helping children in some of Uganda’s most underserved areas return to school and rediscover their confidence. Through the Triple WellBeing Fellowship, Whitney turned her focus toward one of the most pressing barriers facing girls in education: period poverty. Her action research explored how menstrual stigma and lack of access to sanitary products prevent girls from attending school and how open conversation, creativity and community solutions can change that. She introduced workshops that taught girls to make reusable sanitary pads, blending practical learning with empowerment, health awareness and environmental care.Now pursuing a master’s in International Development and Economics at the University of San Francisco, Whitney continues to champion reproductive health education and sustainable change. Her voice carries a clear message: lasting transformation begins when we listen, include and uplift one another.

For Shveta, education has always been more than books and exams. Growing up she saw the value her family placed on learning but she also remembers wishing for teachers who noticed the whole child, not just the grades. That longing has quietly shaped the kind of teacher she has become.She knows the reality of school life: the busyness, the pressure, the constant sense of never having enough time. She sees how this leaves many teachers drained and how children can so easily feel unseen. Her question is simple but radical: What if schools became places where care and belonging mattered as much as results?Day to day, Shveta is finding her own ways to answer. With staff, she brings in small practices of reflection and gratitude, creating moments to pause and reconnect. With children, she carves out space for listening circles, where every voice can be heard and uses simple wellbeing check-ins that remind pupils they are more than their performance. For her, wellbeing isn’t an add-on, it’s something woven into the ordinary fabric of the day.The Fellowship gave her both courage and companionship. Through the action research she explored how to embed these ideas practically and through the community she discovered the relief of not being alone: “Realising there are others trying to do this too gave me the strength to keep going.”At the heart of her work is a belief that education should prepare children for life, not just exams. Relationships come first, she says, because without trust and belonging, learning won’t land. Her dream is of schools where resilience and joy are seen as markers of success and where every child feels ready to step into the world with confidence.“If our children leave school knowing they belong, knowing how to listen and knowing how to care for themselves and others,” she reflects, “then we’ve given them the best possible start.”

For Kelly, the past few years have been a journey of rediscovery. A lifelong educator, she has worked across early years, adult learning and primary education, guiding others through learning at every stage of life. Yet after years in the classroom, burnout forced her to pause. Stepping away from teaching opened a new chapter, one shaped by reflection, healing and the courage to slow down.As Education and Facilities Coordinator, Kelly combined her love of learning with a deep commitment to wellbeing. Her experiences caring for her daughter through serious illness brought new meaning to the idea of connection and community. Through yoga, journaling and breathwork, she began to rebuild her confidence and sense of self and learning. As she puts it “to see my authentic self again.”During the Triple WellBeing Fellowship, Kelly focused her action research on self-care, exploring how stillness, creativity and gratitude can nurture resilience. She used these insights to design community wellbeing events at Furnace Brook, bringing families together through simple, joyful activities, yoga under the trees, shared meals, creative reflection and playful connection. With three years of funding now secured, her work is continuing to grow, one gathering at a time.For Kelly, wellbeing begins with presence: learning to pause, breathe and be. Her journey reminds us that when we care for ourselves first, we rekindle the energy to care for others and to reimagine education as a lifelong act of learning and love.

For Derrick, education is personal. Having experienced the challenges of accessing schooling himself, he now works to ensure that no child is left behind. As an educator and research fellow with Building Tomorrow, he leads foundation learning programmes in rural Uganda, helping children develop reading, writing and numeracy skills and perhaps more importantly, a love of learning.Working in schools where resources are scarce and classes overcrowded, Derrick’s creativity shines. He uses stories, play and conversation to connect with students who may be distracted, shy, or struggling. For him, storytelling is not just a teaching tool, it’s a bridge to self-awareness. “Before teaching, I tell a story,” he explains. “It captures their minds, brings joy and helps them arrive ready to learn.”Through the Triple WellBeing Fellowship, Derrick found a community of educators who share his belief that change begins with care. His action research focused on self-awareness, storytelling and wellbeing, helping teachers and learners alike build empathy and confidence from the inside out.The Fellowship has strengthened Derrick’s sense of purpose and sparked new ambitions. He’s now growing a community campaign focused on education and self-awareness, planting both trees and ideas across schools and villages.For Derrick, wellbeing begins with reflection: taking time to pause, learn and grow. His work reminds us that transformation often starts small, one story, one seed and one learner at a time.

Anike knows the rhythm of school life: the intensity, the speed and the way it can take over everything. During term time, she says, it feels like the accelerator is pressed right down, a hundred miles an hour until suddenly it stops. Holidays give her the rare chance to breathe again: to walk the dogs, meet neighbours and simply be present with her family. Her friends call her their “holiday friend,” because it’s the only time she has space. And it’s in these pauses that she remembers what matters most: kindness, listening and presence.Her path has always been shaped by stories. First through her love of English and literature and now through the unfolding stories of the pupils and colleagues she works alongside. Over the years, her belief has shifted. Primary school, she says, is not about stuffing children with knowledge but about helping them learn how to be learners, how to collaborate, how to find their voice and how to belong.At Oxford High Prep she has nurtured Earth Studies, a subject that brings geography and sustainability into lived experiences of climate, community and change-making. When she asked her staff what “best teaching” looks like, not one mentioned knowledge. Instead they spoke of collaboration, creativity, communication and independence, which are the skills Anike believes lie at the heart of education.Kindness sits at the centre of her work, not as a soft word but as a practice. Some days it means listening more deeply, other days it means owning her humanity when she is snappy and always it begins with being gentle with herself. “Teachers are often their harshest critics,” she reflects, “but if you can be kind to yourself, you have more to give to others.”The Fellowship has given her both structure and sustenance. She holds onto an image that has stayed with her: trees standing strong in a hurricane because their roots are intertwined underground. That, she says, is what this community feels like, unseen but deeply connected, giving strength to weather the storm. In her own classrooms she brings this alive through simple practices like wonder walks, empathy circles and active listening, embedding wellbeing into the fabric of daily school life.Anike dreams of schools where children feel resourced, joyful and fully themselves. “If our children leave primary school knowing how to think, how to collaborate and how to find their own voice,” she says, “then they’ll be ready for whatever comes next and to live joyful, meaningful lives.”