FAQs
with James Alexandroff OBE
Founder and Trustee of The Perivoli Foundation
- Perivoli Foundation
- Perivoli Schools Trust
- Perivoli Rangeland Institute
- Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC)
- Impact, Measurement & Research
- Governance & Funding
The Perivoli Foundation is a UK charity with a not unambitious goal to transform the prospects of Southern Africa in a generation. The Foundation works at the intersection of learning and land, delivering high-impact, cost-effective training that drives scalable and highly impactful change. Through interconnected initiatives – the Perivoli Schools Trust and Perivoli Rangeland Institute – the Foundation pursues its mission to create pathways to a self-sustaining, thriving Africa.
Perivoli’s mission is to reshape the future of Southern Africa in a generation. Through early childhood education and soil regeneration, Perivoli empowers communities with scalable, affordable solutions that improve food security, climate resilience, and economic opportunity. The Foundation’s philosophy can be summed up as transformation through education and environment. We see literacy and land regeneration as the twin paths to Africa’s transformation. We believe in helping people help themselves, training nursery teachers to inspire young minds and farmers to rejuvenate their soil. Teach a girl to read and she will own her life. Repair the soil and she will have more to eat and earn. In combination, these strategies address women’s empowerment, livelihood uplift, food security and climate change.
The Perivoli Foundation operates two primary initiatives. The Perivoli Schools Programme focuses on early childhood education by training nursery teachers, providing them with essential skills to deliver education to young children, as well as showing those teachers the causes and impact of global warming, and the case for natural farming, which they then share in their communities. The Perivoli Rangeland Restoration Project works to restore degraded land in Namibia and ultimately beyond through its biochar carbon removal project, a platform for large-scale commercial farmers and smallholders on community-owned land, to create jobs and earn carbon offset credits for converting encroacher bush into biochar. As part of the programme, field workers also participate in livelihood upliftment modules delivered by Perivoli trainers, of which some topics will include financial literacy, good parenting practices, global warming, and natural farming.
The hope is that these transformative messages will be adopted and transferred to fieldworkers’ hometowns, broadening the Foundation’s reach. Both the natural farming initiative with the nursery school teachers and the biochar carbon removal project led to a recovery in soil health and, ultimately, the production of more food and more nutritious food. Meanwhile, greenhouse gases are captured and stored as a result of soil regeneration and through the sinking of carbon in the encroacher bushes whose carbon content would otherwise ultimately be lost to the atmosphere. We are creating a potential blueprint for Africa’s sustainable future where education meets ecology.
Our educational and environmental initiatives form an integrated approach because Africa’s renewal begins with educated children and healthy soil. From classrooms to fields, we develop solutions that scale across human development and ecological restoration. The Perivoli Schools Programme builds educational foundations for Africa’s children, while the Perivoli Rangeland project restores the savannah land and brings fertility back to Africa’s soils. This dual focus allows us to empower Africa – one classroom, one farm at a time. The Perivoli Foundation is working at the intersection of learning and land. Children learn from trained teachers. Those teachers also show their communities the benefits of natural farming. Land and livelihoods are restored. And, at a bigger scale, because of the biochar project, the global north funds Africa’s regenerative future through carbon offset solutions.
The Perivoli Foundation was established in 2019 by James Alexandroff OBE.
The Perivoli Foundation is a UK charity which runs philanthropic programmes across eight countries in Southern Africa. Its main initiatives, the Perivoli Schools Trust and Perivoli Rangeland Institute, target these countries to address education and rangeland restoration, and through those efforts, wider issues including women’s empowerment, livelihood uplift, food security, climate adaptation and climate migration.
Perivoli Schools operates in Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Tanzania. The Perivoli Rangeland Restoration Project is primarily based in Namibia, where we demonstrate how ecological restoration can transform landscapes and livelihoods.
Perivoli’s projects are built on models that can be adapted and scaled across the African continent.
The Perivoli Foundation sponsored and supports the Perivoli Africa Research Centre at the University of Bristol. It also supports a number of niche founder-led charities, mostly in the UK.
You can reach the Perivoli Foundation by email at info@perivolifoundation.com.
Whether you’re interested in learning more about our work at the intersection of learning and land, exploring partnership opportunities, or discussing ways to support our vision of literacy and land regeneration, we look forward to connecting with you.
The Perivoli Foundation does not accept third-party donations.
The Foundation has been funded hitherto by donations from the Perivoli Trust, a discretionary trust established by James Alexandroff OBE in 1999, and by gifts from Mr Alexandroff in his personal capacity.
It is expected that going forward, Perivoli Foundation will be funded from the proceeds of investments made by Perivoli Innovations, a trust established in 2016 to invest in early-stage ventures with a positive societal impact, including in the medical, life science, climate science, social inclusion and digital and productivity-enhancing sectors.
Perivoli Innovations has been funded by gifts from Perivoli Trust since 2016. Perivoli Innovations has backed over 50 early-stage companies in both the UK and Africa and, subject to Trustee approval, expects to progressively gift its holdings and/or the exit proceeds from them to the Perivoli Foundation.
The Perivoli Schools Programme is the cornerstone of our commitment to Africa. A programme which trains nursery teachers, it equips them with practical skills, teaching methodologies, and helps them repurpose resources to provide quality early childhood education. Our approach focuses on delivering high-impact, cost-effective training, ensuring that children receive the educational foundation they need during crucial developmental years. Through this work, we’re helping Africa help itself, creating sustainable educational systems that will continue to benefit communities for generations.
We train nursery teachers in child-centred, play-based methodologies that stimulate cognitive development, emotional intelligence, and social skills. Our trainers work directly in communities, providing ongoing mentorship and support to teachers while introducing educational toys made from locally available recyclable waste materials.
This sustainable model sees teachers create nurturing learning environments that foster curiosity, creativity, and confidence in young children, building the foundation for lifelong learning and contributing to our vision of unlocking a self-sustaining, thriving Africa.
Currently, our educational initiatives are active in Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Tanzania. It is a homogeneous, cookie-cutter approach that does not need to be adapted country by country, delivering high-impact, cost-effective training to drive long-term change.
The Perivoli Schools Trust operates through a structured training programme for nursery teachers, introducing them to a play-based methodology, using locally available resources to create teaching aids. The training covers child development, class management, and creating stimulating environments.
Our Trainers deliver the 16 Modules over a two-year period to Groups of up to 25 nursery school teachers. Sessions are every four to eight weeks, usually in community halls. In between Module sessions, the Trainers run support groups and undertake class visits. The Modules are designed to last 90 minutes and be interactive and good fun. They explain how play activities enhance a child’s development, and how to make educational aids and toys from locally available recyclable waste materials.
The first eight Modules show teachers how to structure their week, organise their classrooms and how to make play the centre of everything they do. The goal is to help children develop social skills, audio and visual perception, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, language and simple arithmetic.
The second set of eight Modules reinforces these key teaching messages but also addresses the importance of activity centres, personal hygiene, nature, safety and wellness, gender and inclusion and preparation for school.
Between module days, the same teachers meet in Support Groups, led by the Trainer, to reinforce key ideas and swap the homemade learning materials they have created.
Trainers also carry out class visits to each participating teacher. In the first year, visits are monthly; in the second year, they are every second month. During these visits, the Trainer observes, coaches and gathers data.
Once a teacher has attended all 16 modules, they receive a Perivoli Certificate at a public Graduation Ceremony held in the community; for many, it is the first formal recognition of their work.
After graduation, the teacher moves into the Maintenance Phase. Trainers now return once a term to ensure classroom standards stay high and to keep graduates in the pipeline for other Perivoli initiatives.
Trainers use a tablet-based app that geolocates every visit and uploads attendance, classroom and child-level data to the central Perivoli database. The digital backbone means reach and impact are understood, and that those teachers who need extra help are identified.
Oversight follows a clear pyramid: Trainers report to Regional Coordinators (teams of four or five); these report to Senior Regional Coordinators (again in groups of four or five); the Seniors report to the joint CEOs, who in turn are answerable to the trust itself.
The teacher, having completed all 16 modules, is publicly awarded a Perivoli Certificate in a community gathering. The ceremony is a milestone of professional achievement. It is often the only formal recognition the teacher has ever received. It marks their transition into the Maintenance Phase of ongoing support.
Graduates continue to receive termly classroom visits from their Trainer on an indefinite basis. These maintenance visits are to check that good practice is sustained, identify further support needs and keep alumni connected so they can be offered future Perivoli programmes.
Trainers form teams of four or five under a Regional Coordinator. Regional Coordinators are grouped under a Senior Regional Coordinator. Senior Regional Coordinators report to the joint CEOs, who are supervised by the trustees of Perivoli Schools Trust, responsible for budgets and strategy. The same four-tier pyramid operates in every country where the programme runs.
Trainers are issued with tablet computers. During support groups and class visits, they record teacher and pupil data, then sync the tablet to the central Perivoli database. Geolocation stamps show where and when activity happens, monitor reach, gauge impact and redirect Trainers towards teachers who need further help.
Perivoli Trainers are on service contracts, leaving them free for additional work or jobs they might wish to undertake. They are paid according to the number of Modules they deliver per month, the number of Support Groups they host per month and the number of Class Visits they undertake in a month, which is limited to a maximum of 30. This generally works out at between USD 250 and USD 350.
Perivoli Trainers are required to meet seven Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in order to qualify for bonuses awarded every six months. The KPIs cover the timely arrangement of module delivery and class visits; obtaining of consents from teachers, school principals, where relevant, and parents; accurate reporting of data through the Perivoli App; attendance at schools as verified by a geo-location feature; and teachers incorporating the activity corners in their classrooms on a timely basis.
Trainers are required to meet ALL KPIs to secure the six-monthly award of USD 100. Regional Coordinators are eligible for a six-monthly bonus if ALL the Trainers in their teams secure the award. Senior Regional Coordinators are eligible for a six-monthly award if ALL Regional Coordinators secure the award.
A Trainer is eligible for an additional USD 50 for securing awards in successive six-monthly periods and USD 100 for three successful six-monthly periods and USD 150 for three successive periods, and so on. The system is designed to encourage co-operation, inter-dependence and the pursuit of excellence. The success rate of Trainers securing the bonus tends to be higher than 90%, indicating that the programme is running well.
We have reached over 36,000 teachers. The Perivoli Schools Programme has also reached over 1 million children across Southern Africa. By training thousands of nursery teachers who each educate dozens of children annually, our impact multiplies. Since 2012, Perivoli’s nursery school teacher programme has trained more than 30,000 teachers on how to create stimulating classroom activities out of recyclable waste materials.
Aside from minimal overheads, the only cost to the Perivoli Foundation of funding the running of the Perivoli Schools Trust Programme is the monthly payments to the Perivoli Trainers for undertaking the training. Overhead costs include the salaries and bonuses of the joint CEOs, and their travel, which includes the cost of running and maintaining their car, which they use to visit Trainers around Southern Africa.
About USD 60 per teacher per annum, which works out at USD 5 per child per annum, assuming each teacher addresses 30 children in their classroom.
We have reached 1.2 million children. Each child who benefits from improved early education has enhanced prospects for lifelong learning and contribution to their community, bringing us closer to our not-unambitious goal of transforming the prospects of Southern Africa in a generation through smart solutions that scale. The programme is expanding at a rate of 5,000 teachers per year and costs USD 5 per child per annum.
Perivoli Trainers are trained by the Programme CEOs over a week-long recruitment and induction programme on how to deliver the 16-module curriculum over two years to nursery school teachers, how to arrange Support Groups and how to undertake Class Visits. The training equips them to teach classroom management, the importance of play, and how to create educational activities from recyclable materials. Trainers are also taught to use tablet computers for data collection to monitor programme progress and provide ongoing support through classroom visits.
The Perivoli Schools Programme does not charge its participants.
The Perivoli Schools Programme has a target to reach 200,000 nursery school teachers across Southern Africa by 2035.
The Perivoli Rangeland Institute exists to establish smart nature-based solutions for a thriving Africa. The Institute is a spin-out organisation that derives its scientific underpinning from research funded by the Perivoli Foundation. Based primarily in Namibia, its work demonstrates how ecological restoration can transform degraded landscapes. We implement innovative and regenerative land management practices that restore soil health, creating resilient landscapes that support both flora and fauna rehabilitation and sustainable human livelihoods.
Our biochar project addresses bush encroachment in Namibia. It involves producing biochar through pyrolysis in mobile Kontiki Kilns, using excess encroacher bush derived from selectively thinned Project Areas, and reapplying the biochar as an inoculated soil amendment. This process captures carbon for millennia, restores balanced ecosystems, and generates tradable carbon credits for commercial and communal farmers across Namibia. The project aims to restore 10 million hectares of the 46 million hectares of encroached land in Namibia, potentially removing 43 million tonnes of CO2e through biochar, soil organic carbon, and above-ground carbon sequestration.
Biomass procurement, biochar production, and soil application data is collected and made transparent via the Circonomy App by trained field data collectors, ensuring high-integrity carbon removal. The project’s potential is huge, its plans bold. It is hoped it will be expanded to other African countries facing similar bush encroachment challenges, such as Botswana and Zambia. It is no less than a practical approach to battling climate change, sequestering large pools of CO2, channelling green finance directly to communities through the Voluntary Carbon Market, and achieving African prosperity.
The Perivoli Rangeland Institute is a validated C-Sink Manager under the Global Artisan C-Sink Standard, provided by industry-leading Carbon Standards International. The Institute addresses climate change through the Perivoli Rangeland Restoration Programme; by building partnerships with farmers to produce biochar from encroacher bush through pyrolysis in mobile Kontiki Kilns, sequestering carbon for millennia and returning degraded rangelands into thriving biodiverse ecosystems again.
The Programme is designed to address long-term restoration goals, thereby prescribing effective nature-based solutions such as considered cattle management and after-care practices. Carbon credits are generated on a farm-by-farm basis; Perivoli Rangeland Institute, as C-Sink Manager, is responsible for providing high-grade biochar production and rangeland restoration training, facilitating bi-annual internal inspections, and an annual audit administered by CERES-CERT. It aims to restore 10 million hectares of Namibia’s 46 million hectares of bush-encroached land, potentially removing 43 million tonnes of CO2e through biochar, soil organic carbon, and above-ground carbon sequestration.
The project also encourages smallholder farmers to adopt natural farming practices, reducing reliance on fossil-fuel fertilisers and mitigating soil depletion, which contributes to greenhouse gas reduction.
It contributes to biodiversity conservation by restoring degraded, bush-encroached rangelands in Namibia, which have impaired biodiversity due to 45 million hectares of arid, disturbed land. By clearing encroacher bush using minimal soil disturbance tools and stabilising the carbon using biochar, the project regenerates balanced ecosystems and allows palatable perennial grasses to re-establish strong root systems, enhancing the soil’s organic carbon, water availability and moisture retention.
Field workers are trained in detail on the rates and patterns of selective debushing, species to target and those that are protected, and how to suppress the return of aggressive regrowth. Biodiversity baseline studies of herbaceous and woody species are conducted prior to intervention, to monitor the positive impact the Programme has, but equally adapt practices where expected performance has not materialised.
These restoration activities are designed for a long-lasting impact that supports healthier land for local flora and fauna in mind. The project also uses tools from the University of Oxford’s spin-out company, Nature Insights, to measure biodiversity improvements, ensuring science-based outcomes, such as their Automated Monitoring of Insects (AMI) device.
The success of our rangeland restoration efforts is measured through comprehensive monitoring strategies that reflect our commitment to delivering high-impact, cost-effective initiatives that drive long-term change. The success of rangeland restoration is measured through the Perivoli Prosperity Index, an in-house tool assessing job creation and prosperity uplift, agricultural yields, and carbon credit inflows.
The project uses remote measurement tools from Downforce Technologies Ltd to track soil organic carbon and moisture retention. The automated monitoring tool designed by Nature Insights tracks biodiversity improvements through insect discovery and identification, in addition to our on-the-ground data collection administered by our Field Data Collectors.
Biochar-related data that tracks production conditions and the quality of each batch is collected via the Circonomy App by trained field data collectors, ensuring high-integrity carbon removal metrics. Studies, such as one funded by GIZ on 36 Namibian farms, also evaluate soil organic carbon impacts. These measurements provide quantifiable evidence of ecological transformation, validating our approach of healing land as a foundation for unlocking a self-sustaining, thriving Africa.
The programmes have transformed the effectiveness of nursery school education in Southern Africa by showing teachers how to create educational resources at no cost, from recyclable and waste materials. In the process, it is unlocking the creativity of teachers and children. Additionally, through the same training methodology, it has a positive impact on food security by showing smallholder farmers how to produce more nutritious food in greater quantities for a lower cost using natural farming methods. And it is introducing family planning and health education too.
The Perivoli Foundation measures impact through rigorous monitoring and evaluation systems that align with our vision of “transformation through education and environment. For our Schools Project, we track teacher performance, classroom quality improvements, and child developmental outcomes using standardised assessment tools. In our Rangeland work, we measure ecological indicators including soil carbon, biodiversity, and vegetation recovery.
Our initiatives align with SDG 4 (Quality Education) through the Perivoli Schools Programme, SDG 13 (Climate Action) via the Perivoli Rangeland Institute, and SDG 15 (Life on Land) through rangeland restoration and biodiversity conservation. The Foundation’s focus on empowering communities and improving prosperity also supports SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). In truth, Perivoli’s ambitions cover most reasonable hopes for sustainable development.
The Foundation supports research through the Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC) at the University of Bristol, which fosters African-led academic partnerships.
The Perivoli Climate Trust funds UK and African university research on climate change mitigation, adaptation, land rejuvenation, and renewable energy.
The Perivoli Rangeland Institute conducts science-based research, including a GIZ-funded study on soil organic carbon across 36 Namibian farms and mapping bush encroachment.
A joint project with the Universities of Bristol and Namibia evaluates the educational impact of the Perivoli Schools Programme.
Yes, the Perivoli Foundation publishes research findings that document our journey toward ‘Unlocking a self-sustaining, thriving Africa’. We share our insights through multiple channels, including academic journals, working papers, reports, case studies, and presentations at relevant forums. By making our findings accessible to researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and communities, we contribute to knowledge building around effective approaches to literacy and land regeneration—the twin path to Africa’s transformation. These publications provide evidence of our impact while offering practical guidance for others working on similar challenges.
Our commitment to transparency in sharing both successes and lessons learned reflects our dedication to building Africa: education for its children and fertility for its land, through collaborative learning and continuous improvement.
The Perivoli Foundation is a UK charity established in 2019, governed by trustees James Alexandroff OBE, Barry McCorkell, and Hugh Grootenhuis. The Perivoli Schools Trust (Holdings) is a Mauritian Purpose Trust with trustees James Alexandroff OBE, Tom Newton, and JTC Fiduciary Services (Mauritius) Limited, responsible for setting budgets and strategy. The Perivoli Rangeland Institute is not-for-profit company incorporated in Namibia. Its directors are James Alexandroff OBE, Barry McCorkell, Hugh Grootenhuis, Tom Newton, Tom Goddard, Soraj Bissoomauth and Hano Bossau. It is managed by Michael Dege.
The Foundation is funded by the Perivoli Trust and Perivoli Innovations’ investment gains. We prioritise cost-effectiveness and sustainability across all programs, maximising impact per dollar invested. Our innovative approach to climate justice transforming Africa connects carbon offset funding to both educational and environmental initiatives, creating new financial pathways for African communities to benefit from climate action.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales – Website.
Search Tool – carries the latest information.
PARC is the Perivoli Africa Research Centre, created to think differently about how African research takes place, specifically to give Africa its voice. PARC’s core mission is to help rebalance the global science and research ecosystem to ensure African scholars and institutions take their rightful place in the global scientific effort.
PARC represents the University of Bristol’s cross-disciplinary commitment to championing transformation in research collaborations with Africa to advance global science and the achievement of the continent’s own aspirations. Established in January 2020, PARC is funded by a gift from the Perivoli Foundation. Visit the Perivoli Africa Research Centre here.
At its core, the mission of PARC is to champion equitable, Africa-centred research partnerships that fundamentally shift the global research ecosystem. Through the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations, PARC seeks to rebalance power in global knowledge production, giving African institutions and scholars greater ownership, voice, and leadership. It is focused on embedding these principles not only across the University of Bristol but also globally, by forming institutional partnerships, influencing funding structures, and redefining how impact is measured in North–South research collaborations.
The vision for PARC – especially as it transitions into what is now termed “PARC 2.0” – is one of a globally influential hub for African-led scholarship that transcends multiple disciplinary boundaries. It’s about becoming a driver of critical thought leadership and transformative collaboration models that tackle ‘slow emergencies’ such as climate change, inequalities in health systems, and education. Central to this vision is embedding the Africa Charter as a standard across institutions and funding bodies, ensuring that research is not just about Africa, but fundamentally shaped by Africa. This is not an adjunct to the University’s mission – it’s now becoming one of its defining features of its global outreach.
Research undertaken by PARC has included the following projects:
- Care Economy Projects in Kenya and Ghana, involving stakeholder consultations and doctoral training, feeding into academic papers and a forthcoming Lancet Commission report on long-term care for older persons in Africa.
- The PARC Partnerships Fund (PPF) supported five fully African-led research projects across themes like WASH, hidden histories, care, and climate resilience, each designed around the Africa Charter’s ethos of co-creation.
- A large-scale Pathfinder Programme is also in the works, combining 5–6 projects under a unified Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework to showcase what ‘transformative partnership’ looks like in practice.
- Additionally, other University of Bristol researchers aligned to PARC have won over £3 million in Africa Charter-aligned grants, including projects in sustainable energy systems (SHINE), teacher development in post-conflict Tigray, and historical perspectives on African sound practices.
- PARC has led a major three-and-a-half-year research project in partnership with UNAM on the Perivoli Schools Trust, now in its final drafting stage and set for a research launch at Hage Geingob Campus in Windhoek in July 2025. The report frames the Trust’s impact in early childhood education and explores the lived experiences of community members engaging with Perivoli’s work in early childhood development.
PARC is co-directed by Professor Isabella Aboderin, who leads on strategic partnerships and the Africa Charter, and Professor Leon Tikly, who oversees integration within the University and long-term sustainability. The Centre operates under the Faculty of Education and the Global Engagement Division at the University of Bristol. Key team members include Dr Tigist Grieve (Senior Research Fellow), Dr Susan Jim (Strategic Adviser), and programme staff working across education, health, environment, and care systems in Africa. The team is supported by administrative leads and partners with academic departments across the University.
PARC sits within the Faculty of Education at the University of Bristol and is administratively housed under the Global Engagement Division, led by Andrew Monk.
PARC has formal partnerships with leading African institutions, including the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of South Africa (UNISA). It also collaborates with over 120 universities and research institutes across Africa that have signed the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations.
- Perivoli Foundation
- Perivoli Schools Trust
- Perivoli Rangeland Institute
- Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC)
- Impact, Measurement & Research
- Governance & Funding
The Perivoli Foundation is a UK charity with a not unambitious goal to transform the prospects of Southern Africa in a generation. The Foundation works at the intersection of learning and land, delivering high-impact, cost-effective training that drives scalable and highly impactful change. Through interconnected initiatives – the Perivoli Schools Trust and Perivoli Rangeland Institute – the Foundation pursues its mission to create pathways to a self-sustaining, thriving Africa.
Perivoli’s mission is to reshape the future of Southern Africa in a generation. Through early childhood education and soil regeneration, Perivoli empowers communities with scalable, affordable solutions that improve food security, climate resilience, and economic opportunity. The Foundation’s philosophy can be summed up as transformation through education and environment. We see literacy and land regeneration as the twin paths to Africa’s transformation. We believe in helping people help themselves, training nursery teachers to inspire young minds and farmers to rejuvenate their soil. Teach a girl to read and she will own her life. Repair the soil and she will have more to eat and earn. In combination, these strategies address women’s empowerment, livelihood uplift, food security and climate change.
The Perivoli Foundation operates two primary initiatives. The Perivoli Schools Programme focuses on early childhood education by training nursery teachers, providing them with essential skills to deliver education to young children, as well as showing those teachers the causes and impact of global warming, and the case for natural farming, which they then share in their communities. The Perivoli Rangeland Restoration Project works to restore degraded land in Namibia and ultimately beyond through its biochar carbon removal project, a platform for large-scale commercial farmers and smallholders on community-owned land, to create jobs and earn carbon offset credits for converting encroacher bush into biochar. As part of the programme, field workers also participate in livelihood upliftment modules delivered by Perivoli trainers, of which some topics will include financial literacy, good parenting practices, global warming, and natural farming.
The hope is that these transformative messages will be adopted and transferred to fieldworkers’ hometowns, broadening the Foundation’s reach. Both the natural farming initiative with the nursery school teachers and the biochar carbon removal project led to a recovery in soil health and, ultimately, the production of more food and more nutritious food. Meanwhile, greenhouse gases are captured and stored as a result of soil regeneration and through the sinking of carbon in the encroacher bushes whose carbon content would otherwise ultimately be lost to the atmosphere. We are creating a potential blueprint for Africa’s sustainable future where education meets ecology.
Our educational and environmental initiatives form an integrated approach because Africa’s renewal begins with educated children and healthy soil. From classrooms to fields, we develop solutions that scale across human development and ecological restoration. The Perivoli Schools Programme builds educational foundations for Africa’s children, while the Perivoli Rangeland project restores the savannah land and brings fertility back to Africa’s soils. This dual focus allows us to empower Africa – one classroom, one farm at a time. The Perivoli Foundation is working at the intersection of learning and land. Children learn from trained teachers. Those teachers also show their communities the benefits of natural farming. Land and livelihoods are restored. And, at a bigger scale, because of the biochar project, the global north funds Africa’s regenerative future through carbon offset solutions.
The Perivoli Foundation was established in 2019 by James Alexandroff OBE.
The Perivoli Foundation is a UK charity which runs philanthropic programmes across eight countries in Southern Africa. Its main initiatives, the Perivoli Schools Trust and Perivoli Rangeland Institute, target these countries to address education and rangeland restoration, and through those efforts, wider issues including women’s empowerment, livelihood uplift, food security, climate adaptation and climate migration.
Perivoli Schools operates in Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Tanzania. The Perivoli Rangeland Restoration Project is primarily based in Namibia, where we demonstrate how ecological restoration can transform landscapes and livelihoods.
Perivoli’s projects are built on models that can be adapted and scaled across the African continent.
The Perivoli Foundation sponsored and supports the Perivoli Africa Research Centre at the University of Bristol. It also supports a number of niche founder-led charities, mostly in the UK.
You can reach the Perivoli Foundation by email at info@perivolifoundation.com.
Whether you’re interested in learning more about our work at the intersection of learning and land, exploring partnership opportunities, or discussing ways to support our vision of literacy and land regeneration, we look forward to connecting with you.
The Perivoli Foundation does not accept third-party donations.
The Foundation has been funded hitherto by donations from the Perivoli Trust, a discretionary trust established by James Alexandroff OBE in 1999, and by gifts from Mr Alexandroff in his personal capacity.
It is expected that going forward, Perivoli Foundation will be funded from the proceeds of investments made by Perivoli Innovations, a trust established in 2016 to invest in early-stage ventures with a positive societal impact, including in the medical, life science, climate science, social inclusion and digital and productivity-enhancing sectors.
Perivoli Innovations has been funded by gifts from Perivoli Trust since 2016. Perivoli Innovations has backed over 50 early-stage companies in both the UK and Africa and, subject to Trustee approval, expects to progressively gift its holdings and/or the exit proceeds from them to the Perivoli Foundation.
The Perivoli Schools Programme is the cornerstone of our commitment to Africa. A programme which trains nursery teachers, it equips them with practical skills, teaching methodologies, and helps them repurpose resources to provide quality early childhood education. Our approach focuses on delivering high-impact, cost-effective training, ensuring that children receive the educational foundation they need during crucial developmental years. Through this work, we’re helping Africa help itself, creating sustainable educational systems that will continue to benefit communities for generations.
We train nursery teachers in child-centred, play-based methodologies that stimulate cognitive development, emotional intelligence, and social skills. Our trainers work directly in communities, providing ongoing mentorship and support to teachers while introducing educational toys made from locally available recyclable waste materials.
This sustainable model sees teachers create nurturing learning environments that foster curiosity, creativity, and confidence in young children, building the foundation for lifelong learning and contributing to our vision of unlocking a self-sustaining, thriving Africa.
Currently, our educational initiatives are active in Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Tanzania. It is a homogeneous, cookie-cutter approach that does not need to be adapted country by country, delivering high-impact, cost-effective training to drive long-term change.
The Perivoli Schools Trust operates through a structured training programme for nursery teachers, introducing them to a play-based methodology, using locally available resources to create teaching aids. The training covers child development, class management, and creating stimulating environments.
Our Trainers deliver the 16 Modules over a two-year period to Groups of up to 25 nursery school teachers. Sessions are every four to eight weeks, usually in community halls. In between Module sessions, the Trainers run support groups and undertake class visits. The Modules are designed to last 90 minutes and be interactive and good fun. They explain how play activities enhance a child’s development, and how to make educational aids and toys from locally available recyclable waste materials.
The first eight Modules show teachers how to structure their week, organise their classrooms and how to make play the centre of everything they do. The goal is to help children develop social skills, audio and visual perception, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, language and simple arithmetic.
The second set of eight Modules reinforces these key teaching messages but also addresses the importance of activity centres, personal hygiene, nature, safety and wellness, gender and inclusion and preparation for school.
Between module days, the same teachers meet in Support Groups, led by the Trainer, to reinforce key ideas and swap the homemade learning materials they have created.
Trainers also carry out class visits to each participating teacher. In the first year, visits are monthly; in the second year, they are every second month. During these visits, the Trainer observes, coaches and gathers data.
Once a teacher has attended all 16 modules, they receive a Perivoli Certificate at a public Graduation Ceremony held in the community; for many, it is the first formal recognition of their work.
After graduation, the teacher moves into the Maintenance Phase. Trainers now return once a term to ensure classroom standards stay high and to keep graduates in the pipeline for other Perivoli initiatives.
Trainers use a tablet-based app that geolocates every visit and uploads attendance, classroom and child-level data to the central Perivoli database. The digital backbone means reach and impact are understood, and that those teachers who need extra help are identified.
Oversight follows a clear pyramid: Trainers report to Regional Coordinators (teams of four or five); these report to Senior Regional Coordinators (again in groups of four or five); the Seniors report to the joint CEOs, who in turn are answerable to the trust itself.
The teacher, having completed all 16 modules, is publicly awarded a Perivoli Certificate in a community gathering. The ceremony is a milestone of professional achievement. It is often the only formal recognition the teacher has ever received. It marks their transition into the Maintenance Phase of ongoing support.
Graduates continue to receive termly classroom visits from their Trainer on an indefinite basis. These maintenance visits are to check that good practice is sustained, identify further support needs and keep alumni connected so they can be offered future Perivoli programmes.
Trainers form teams of four or five under a Regional Coordinator. Regional Coordinators are grouped under a Senior Regional Coordinator. Senior Regional Coordinators report to the joint CEOs, who are supervised by the trustees of Perivoli Schools Trust, responsible for budgets and strategy. The same four-tier pyramid operates in every country where the programme runs.
Trainers are issued with tablet computers. During support groups and class visits, they record teacher and pupil data, then sync the tablet to the central Perivoli database. Geolocation stamps show where and when activity happens, monitor reach, gauge impact and redirect Trainers towards teachers who need further help.
Perivoli Trainers are on service contracts, leaving them free for additional work or jobs they might wish to undertake. They are paid according to the number of Modules they deliver per month, the number of Support Groups they host per month and the number of Class Visits they undertake in a month, which is limited to a maximum of 30. This generally works out at between USD 250 and USD 350.
Perivoli Trainers are required to meet seven Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in order to qualify for bonuses awarded every six months. The KPIs cover the timely arrangement of module delivery and class visits; obtaining of consents from teachers, school principals, where relevant, and parents; accurate reporting of data through the Perivoli App; attendance at schools as verified by a geo-location feature; and teachers incorporating the activity corners in their classrooms on a timely basis.
Trainers are required to meet ALL KPIs to secure the six-monthly award of USD 100. Regional Coordinators are eligible for a six-monthly bonus if ALL the Trainers in their teams secure the award. Senior Regional Coordinators are eligible for a six-monthly award if ALL Regional Coordinators secure the award.
A Trainer is eligible for an additional USD 50 for securing awards in successive six-monthly periods and USD 100 for three successful six-monthly periods and USD 150 for three successive periods, and so on. The system is designed to encourage co-operation, inter-dependence and the pursuit of excellence. The success rate of Trainers securing the bonus tends to be higher than 90%, indicating that the programme is running well.
We have reached over 36,000 teachers. The Perivoli Schools Programme has also reached over 1 million children across Southern Africa. By training thousands of nursery teachers who each educate dozens of children annually, our impact multiplies. Since 2012, Perivoli’s nursery school teacher programme has trained more than 30,000 teachers on how to create stimulating classroom activities out of recyclable waste materials.
Aside from minimal overheads, the only cost to the Perivoli Foundation of funding the running of the Perivoli Schools Trust Programme is the monthly payments to the Perivoli Trainers for undertaking the training. Overhead costs include the salaries and bonuses of the joint CEOs, and their travel, which includes the cost of running and maintaining their car, which they use to visit Trainers around Southern Africa.
About USD 60 per teacher per annum, which works out at USD 5 per child per annum, assuming each teacher addresses 30 children in their classroom.
We have reached 1.2 million children. Each child who benefits from improved early education has enhanced prospects for lifelong learning and contribution to their community, bringing us closer to our not-unambitious goal of transforming the prospects of Southern Africa in a generation through smart solutions that scale. The programme is expanding at a rate of 5,000 teachers per year and costs USD 5 per child per annum.
Perivoli Trainers are trained by the Programme CEOs over a week-long recruitment and induction programme on how to deliver the 16-module curriculum over two years to nursery school teachers, how to arrange Support Groups and how to undertake Class Visits. The training equips them to teach classroom management, the importance of play, and how to create educational activities from recyclable materials. Trainers are also taught to use tablet computers for data collection to monitor programme progress and provide ongoing support through classroom visits.
The Perivoli Schools Programme does not charge its participants.
The Perivoli Schools Programme has a target to reach 200,000 nursery school teachers across Southern Africa by 2035.
The Perivoli Rangeland Institute exists to establish smart nature-based solutions for a thriving Africa. The Institute is a spin-out organisation that derives its scientific underpinning from research funded by the Perivoli Foundation. Based primarily in Namibia, its work demonstrates how ecological restoration can transform degraded landscapes. We implement innovative and regenerative land management practices that restore soil health, creating resilient landscapes that support both flora and fauna rehabilitation and sustainable human livelihoods.
Our biochar project addresses bush encroachment in Namibia. It involves producing biochar through pyrolysis in mobile Kontiki Kilns, using excess encroacher bush derived from selectively thinned Project Areas, and reapplying the biochar as an inoculated soil amendment. This process captures carbon for millennia, restores balanced ecosystems, and generates tradable carbon credits for commercial and communal farmers across Namibia. The project aims to restore 10 million hectares of the 46 million hectares of encroached land in Namibia, potentially removing 43 million tonnes of CO2e through biochar, soil organic carbon, and above-ground carbon sequestration.
Biomass procurement, biochar production, and soil application data is collected and made transparent via the Circonomy App by trained field data collectors, ensuring high-integrity carbon removal. The project’s potential is huge, its plans bold. It is hoped it will be expanded to other African countries facing similar bush encroachment challenges, such as Botswana and Zambia. It is no less than a practical approach to battling climate change, sequestering large pools of CO2, channelling green finance directly to communities through the Voluntary Carbon Market, and achieving African prosperity.
The Perivoli Rangeland Institute is a validated C-Sink Manager under the Global Artisan C-Sink Standard, provided by industry-leading Carbon Standards International. The Institute addresses climate change through the Perivoli Rangeland Restoration Programme; by building partnerships with farmers to produce biochar from encroacher bush through pyrolysis in mobile Kontiki Kilns, sequestering carbon for millennia and returning degraded rangelands into thriving biodiverse ecosystems again.
The Programme is designed to address long-term restoration goals, thereby prescribing effective nature-based solutions such as considered cattle management and after-care practices. Carbon credits are generated on a farm-by-farm basis; Perivoli Rangeland Institute, as C-Sink Manager, is responsible for providing high-grade biochar production and rangeland restoration training, facilitating bi-annual internal inspections, and an annual audit administered by CERES-CERT. It aims to restore 10 million hectares of Namibia’s 46 million hectares of bush-encroached land, potentially removing 43 million tonnes of CO2e through biochar, soil organic carbon, and above-ground carbon sequestration.
The project also encourages smallholder farmers to adopt natural farming practices, reducing reliance on fossil-fuel fertilisers and mitigating soil depletion, which contributes to greenhouse gas reduction.
It contributes to biodiversity conservation by restoring degraded, bush-encroached rangelands in Namibia, which have impaired biodiversity due to 45 million hectares of arid, disturbed land. By clearing encroacher bush using minimal soil disturbance tools and stabilising the carbon using biochar, the project regenerates balanced ecosystems and allows palatable perennial grasses to re-establish strong root systems, enhancing the soil’s organic carbon, water availability and moisture retention.
Field workers are trained in detail on the rates and patterns of selective debushing, species to target and those that are protected, and how to suppress the return of aggressive regrowth. Biodiversity baseline studies of herbaceous and woody species are conducted prior to intervention, to monitor the positive impact the Programme has, but equally adapt practices where expected performance has not materialised.
These restoration activities are designed for a long-lasting impact that supports healthier land for local flora and fauna in mind. The project also uses tools from the University of Oxford’s spin-out company, Nature Insights, to measure biodiversity improvements, ensuring science-based outcomes, such as their Automated Monitoring of Insects (AMI) device.
The success of our rangeland restoration efforts is measured through comprehensive monitoring strategies that reflect our commitment to delivering high-impact, cost-effective initiatives that drive long-term change. The success of rangeland restoration is measured through the Perivoli Prosperity Index, an in-house tool assessing job creation and prosperity uplift, agricultural yields, and carbon credit inflows.
The project uses remote measurement tools from Downforce Technologies Ltd to track soil organic carbon and moisture retention. The automated monitoring tool designed by Nature Insights tracks biodiversity improvements through insect discovery and identification, in addition to our on-the-ground data collection administered by our Field Data Collectors.
Biochar-related data that tracks production conditions and the quality of each batch is collected via the Circonomy App by trained field data collectors, ensuring high-integrity carbon removal metrics. Studies, such as one funded by GIZ on 36 Namibian farms, also evaluate soil organic carbon impacts. These measurements provide quantifiable evidence of ecological transformation, validating our approach of healing land as a foundation for unlocking a self-sustaining, thriving Africa.
The programmes have transformed the effectiveness of nursery school education in Southern Africa by showing teachers how to create educational resources at no cost, from recyclable and waste materials. In the process, it is unlocking the creativity of teachers and children. Additionally, through the same training methodology, it has a positive impact on food security by showing smallholder farmers how to produce more nutritious food in greater quantities for a lower cost using natural farming methods. And it is introducing family planning and health education too.
The Perivoli Foundation measures impact through rigorous monitoring and evaluation systems that align with our vision of “transformation through education and environment. For our Schools Project, we track teacher performance, classroom quality improvements, and child developmental outcomes using standardised assessment tools. In our Rangeland work, we measure ecological indicators including soil carbon, biodiversity, and vegetation recovery.
Our initiatives align with SDG 4 (Quality Education) through the Perivoli Schools Programme, SDG 13 (Climate Action) via the Perivoli Rangeland Institute, and SDG 15 (Life on Land) through rangeland restoration and biodiversity conservation. The Foundation’s focus on empowering communities and improving prosperity also supports SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). In truth, Perivoli’s ambitions cover most reasonable hopes for sustainable development.
The Foundation supports research through the Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC) at the University of Bristol, which fosters African-led academic partnerships.
The Perivoli Climate Trust funds UK and African university research on climate change mitigation, adaptation, land rejuvenation, and renewable energy.
The Perivoli Rangeland Institute conducts science-based research, including a GIZ-funded study on soil organic carbon across 36 Namibian farms and mapping bush encroachment.
A joint project with the Universities of Bristol and Namibia evaluates the educational impact of the Perivoli Schools Programme.
Yes, the Perivoli Foundation publishes research findings that document our journey toward ‘Unlocking a self-sustaining, thriving Africa’. We share our insights through multiple channels, including academic journals, working papers, reports, case studies, and presentations at relevant forums. By making our findings accessible to researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and communities, we contribute to knowledge building around effective approaches to literacy and land regeneration—the twin path to Africa’s transformation. These publications provide evidence of our impact while offering practical guidance for others working on similar challenges.
Our commitment to transparency in sharing both successes and lessons learned reflects our dedication to building Africa: education for its children and fertility for its land, through collaborative learning and continuous improvement.
The Perivoli Foundation is a UK charity established in 2019, governed by trustees James Alexandroff OBE, Barry McCorkell, and Hugh Grootenhuis. The Perivoli Schools Trust (Holdings) is a Mauritian Purpose Trust with trustees James Alexandroff OBE, Tom Newton, and JTC Fiduciary Services (Mauritius) Limited, responsible for setting budgets and strategy. The Perivoli Rangeland Institute is not-for-profit company incorporated in Namibia. Its directors are James Alexandroff OBE, Barry McCorkell, Hugh Grootenhuis, Tom Newton, Tom Goddard, Soraj Bissoomauth and Hano Bossau. It is managed by Michael Dege.
The Foundation is funded by the Perivoli Trust and Perivoli Innovations’ investment gains. We prioritise cost-effectiveness and sustainability across all programs, maximising impact per dollar invested. Our innovative approach to climate justice transforming Africa connects carbon offset funding to both educational and environmental initiatives, creating new financial pathways for African communities to benefit from climate action.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales – Website.
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PARC is the Perivoli Africa Research Centre, created to think differently about how African research takes place, specifically to give Africa its voice. PARC’s core mission is to help rebalance the global science and research ecosystem to ensure African scholars and institutions take their rightful place in the global scientific effort.
PARC represents the University of Bristol’s cross-disciplinary commitment to championing transformation in research collaborations with Africa to advance global science and the achievement of the continent’s own aspirations. Established in January 2020, PARC is funded by a gift from the Perivoli Foundation. Visit the Perivoli Africa Research Centre here.
At its core, the mission of PARC is to champion equitable, Africa-centred research partnerships that fundamentally shift the global research ecosystem. Through the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations, PARC seeks to rebalance power in global knowledge production, giving African institutions and scholars greater ownership, voice, and leadership. It is focused on embedding these principles not only across the University of Bristol but also globally, by forming institutional partnerships, influencing funding structures, and redefining how impact is measured in North–South research collaborations.
The vision for PARC – especially as it transitions into what is now termed “PARC 2.0” – is one of a globally influential hub for African-led scholarship that transcends multiple disciplinary boundaries. It’s about becoming a driver of critical thought leadership and transformative collaboration models that tackle ‘slow emergencies’ such as climate change, inequalities in health systems, and education. Central to this vision is embedding the Africa Charter as a standard across institutions and funding bodies, ensuring that research is not just about Africa, but fundamentally shaped by Africa. This is not an adjunct to the University’s mission – it’s now becoming one of its defining features of its global outreach.
Research undertaken by PARC has included the following projects:
- Care Economy Projects in Kenya and Ghana, involving stakeholder consultations and doctoral training, feeding into academic papers and a forthcoming Lancet Commission report on long-term care for older persons in Africa.
- The PARC Partnerships Fund (PPF) supported five fully African-led research projects across themes like WASH, hidden histories, care, and climate resilience, each designed around the Africa Charter’s ethos of co-creation.
- A large-scale Pathfinder Programme is also in the works, combining 5–6 projects under a unified Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework to showcase what ‘transformative partnership’ looks like in practice.
- Additionally, other University of Bristol researchers aligned to PARC have won over £3 million in Africa Charter-aligned grants, including projects in sustainable energy systems (SHINE), teacher development in post-conflict Tigray, and historical perspectives on African sound practices.
- PARC has led a major three-and-a-half-year research project in partnership with UNAM on the Perivoli Schools Trust, now in its final drafting stage and set for a research launch at Hage Geingob Campus in Windhoek in July 2025. The report frames the Trust’s impact in early childhood education and explores the lived experiences of community members engaging with Perivoli’s work in early childhood development.
PARC is co-directed by Professor Isabella Aboderin, who leads on strategic partnerships and the Africa Charter, and Professor Leon Tikly, who oversees integration within the University and long-term sustainability. The Centre operates under the Faculty of Education and the Global Engagement Division at the University of Bristol. Key team members include Dr Tigist Grieve (Senior Research Fellow), Dr Susan Jim (Strategic Adviser), and programme staff working across education, health, environment, and care systems in Africa. The team is supported by administrative leads and partners with academic departments across the University.
PARC sits within the Faculty of Education at the University of Bristol and is administratively housed under the Global Engagement Division, led by Andrew Monk.
PARC has formal partnerships with leading African institutions, including the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of South Africa (UNISA). It also collaborates with over 120 universities and research institutes across Africa that have signed the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations.
