Cookie preferences

HundrED uses cookies to enhance user experiences, to personalise content, and analyse our web traffic. By clicking "Accept all" you agree to the use of all cookies, including marketing cookies that may help us deliver personalised marketing content to users. By selecting "Accept necessary" only essential cookies, such as those needed for basic functionality and internal analytics, will be enabled.
For more details, please review our Cookie Policy.
Accept all
Accept necessary
search
clear

Can't Wait to Learn

place Sudan + 8 more

Bridging the education gap in emergencies with scalable digital personalised learning solutions.

Can’t Wait to Learn brings the power of digital personalised learning to children in crisis. Through curriculum-aligned, game-based experiences, it builds essential reading and math skills—anytime, anywhere. Co-created with children and backed by research, it’s cost-effective, scalable and designed to bridge education gaps and ensure every child can keep learning, no matter the circumstances.
HundrED Global Collection
play_arrow

Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

HundrED Global Collection 2026

HundrED Global Collection 2025

Updated May 2025
Web presence

2012

Established

8

Countries
Students lower
Target group
Can’t Wait to Learn envisions a world where every child, regardless of their circumstances, can confidently read, write, and use math. We are committed to providing quality learning opportunities for children affected by crisis while exploring broader contexts. Through collaboration, local expertise, and technology, we aim to bridge education gaps, ensuring children continue learning and thriving.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Millions of children are missing out on quality education due to conflict and crisis. Can't Wait to Learn bridges that gap by bringing learning solutions to places where there are not enough classrooms or teachers. We target both refugee and host community children, whether in formal schools or through learning programmes within alternative education centres.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Can't Wait to Learn brings foundational learning to life through playful, curriculum-aligned digital games that help children develop foundational reading and numeracy skills. Delivered on tablets or other digital devices—both online and offline, depending on the context—Can't Wait to Learn is implemented in classrooms, learning centres and community spaces. Each session is guided by trained teachers or facilitators, who support learners and track their progress through the games. Whether in a refugee settlement, a rural village, or a crisis-affected community, Can't Wait to Learn offers an engaging and consistent learning experience tailored to local curricula and culture.

Rooted in research and designed for continuous improvement, Can't Wait to Learn regularly evaluates and refines its approach, metrics and methods to meet the evolving needs of learners in crisis. Evidence shows that approximately 30–35 hours of gameplay per subject can lead to significant gains in foundational skills. To maximise impact, the Can't Wait to Learn team at War Child works closely with partners in each context to adapt delivery models and reach as many children as possible with quality, effective education.

How has it been spreading?

To date, we've reached over 300,000 children across three continents, delivering playful, personalised, and impactful digital learning experiences to those who need them most. But our journey is far from over: we aim to scale up and expand even further, becoming the most cost-effective, flexible, and impact-driven digital personalised learning platform, fully embedded within national education systems. This is a shared responsibility—one that crosses borders and unites organisations and individuals around a common goal: unlocking learning for all children, everywhere.

At Can't Wait to Learn, partnership is our power. Our success is the result of strong collaboration with governments, educational institutions, international, subnational and local organisations, civil society organisations, research institutions and private foundations. From funding innovation and shaping pedagogy to adapting and delivering the programme on the ground, each of our partners brings a unique expertise that helps us refine our approach and expand our impact.

Together, we’re not just scaling technology, we’re scaling results. In Ukraine, the platform is freely downloadable on personal devices. In Sudan, children improved math and reading scores significantly. In Lebanon, students saw a 16% math improvement in just 12 weeks. In Chad, children learned 50% more than their peers. In Uganda, a study showed major literacy and numeracy gains, and we’re working to fully institutionalise the platform.

How have you modified or added to your innovation?

Can't Wait to Learn is implemented in crisis-affected settings that often present unique and complex challenges. While implementation in countries like Ukraine is relatively smoother due to better infrastructure, widespread internet access, and availability of devices, the majority of the countries we work in are low-resourced and face significant obstacles such as limited electricity and scarce access to tablets and other suitable learning tools.

To address these issues and ensure the best possible learning experience, we tailor solutions to each context. At the start of every new partnership, we organise a comprehensive induction session to introduce the platform, adapt it to the local context and identify potential barriers and solutions, drawing on our experience in similar settings.

Moreover, research plays a pivotal role in Can't Wait to Learn, driving continuous improvement. Not only does it demonstrate progress in foundational skills, but it also improves their psychosocial well-being and engagement with learning. Our research journey moves beyond evaluation; we are constantly refining the programme to better meet the needs of crisis-affected communities, which in turn provides critical insights into sustainable scalability across diverse, challenging contexts.

At Can't Wait to Learn, our commitment to continuous adaptation and improvement drives our mission to shape the future of digital personalised learning for every child, wherever they are.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Can't Wait to Learn is ready to support education programmes and systems wherever it's needed. We collaborate with partners in each context to adapt the programme and ensure it’s locally relevant and effective.

If you're interested in exploring how Can't Wait to Learn can bring cost-effective, high-quality learning opportunities to children in your setting, we’d love to hear from you.

Get in touch to start the conversation and see how we can work together.

Contacts:
Luke Stannard, CWTL Programme Director: luke.stannard@warchild.net
Eszter Nagy, CWTL Partnerships Lead: eszter.nagy@warchild.net

Impact & scalability

Impact & Scalability

Can’t Wait to Learn provides children in crisis with rapid, research-backed gains in literacy and numeracy through gamified, curriculum-aligned learning. Its offline, adaptable model has scaled across multiple continents, with further expansion depending on device access, local adaptation, and language coverage.

HundrED Academy Reviews

The program helps children in tough situations learn to read and do math in just 30 hours. It’s fun, built with kids, and backed by strong research. It also supports their mental well-being, which makes a big difference in their lives.

The innovation has reached over 300k learners across 8 countries, and its implementation strategies have been validated by rigorous research including cluster randomized Controlled Trials. Its flexibility is epic.

- Academy member
Academy review results
Impact
Scalability
Exceptional
High
Moderate
Limited
Insufficient
Exceptional
High
Moderate
Limited
Insufficient
Read more about our selection process

Implementation steps

1. Initial Engagement and Alignment
We begin by working with Ministries of Education and local partners to align on needs, priorities, and curriculum requirements. This stage ensures Can't Wait to Learn (CWTL) is positioned as a government-owned solution from the outset.
2. Co-Creation and Contextualization
Content is co-created with children, teachers, and local experts to reflect national curricula and cultural contexts. This process produces stories, characters, and gameplay that resonate with learners and support inclusion.
3. Teacher Training and Capacity Building
CWTL builds teacher capacity through flexible models that fit the context. In formal systems, training is embedded in national structures (e.g. CPDs or teacher training frameworks), while in non-formal settings, local partners lead delivery and adapt methods. Approaches range from targeted workshops to whole-school training, ensuring teachers and facilitators can integrate CWTL into daily practice. This flexibility allows CWTL to support teachers in both government-led and partner-led environmen
4. Implementation and Iteration
CWTL is implemented in selected schools, districts, or learning centers as an entry point, with continuous monitoring to refine delivery. Adjustments are made to hardware distribution, session scheduling, and teacher support depending on context (e.g., offline-first in Sudan, device-agnostic in Ukraine, district-led in Uganda).
5. Monitoring, Evidence, and Feedback Loops
Learning data from the CWTL dashboard and independent evaluations track progress, highlight at-risk learners, and guide improvements. Evidence is shared with governments and partners to inform institutional adoption and financing strategies.
6. System Integration and Scaling
Finally, CWTL is embedded into education systems and partner delivery models for long-term sustainability. This includes integration into teacher training frameworks, ICT and curriculum strategies, and district or community planning. Examples: Uganda’s district-led implementation, Ukraine’s government-hosted platform, Jordan’s alignment with digital transformation agendas, and Lebanon’s integration into both formal and non-formal schools.

Spread of the innovation

loading map...