WONDER Foundation

Key Host Information

About the Host

WONDER Foundation is an international charity working to empower women and girls through access to quality education, skills training, and pathways to decent work. We partner with locally led organisations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe to support women and girls facing economic, social, and structural barriers to education and employment.

Our work focuses on supporting girls’ education, vocational and technical training (TVET), livelihoods and entrepreneurship development, and holistic support that recognises the importance of wellbeing, family context, and community systems. A core principle of WONDER’s approach is working through trusted local partners and grounding programmes in local realities, while contributing to global learning on what enables women and girls to thrive.

Over more than a decade, WONDER has developed experience in youth work approaches, family engagement, mentoring models, and supporting transitions from education into safe and sustainable work. We combine programme delivery, research, and advocacy to influence policy and practice at local, national, and international levels.

Website
Visit

Host Contact Name
Olivia Darby

Host Contact Email
olivia@wonderfoundation.org.uk

Type of Organisation
Third Sector

Host Location
London

Partnership and Learning Approach
WONDER is committed to a collaborative placement model. We recognise that doctoral trainees bring specialist knowledge, methodological rigour, and fresh perspectives. We are open to shaping the scope of work through discussion with the trainee and their academic supervisors, to ensure the placement is both academically meaningful and practically impactful.

Equal Opportunities Statement
Available on request

Financial Contribution Offered by the Host
None

Placement Description

Ideal Start Date

Flexible

Placement Location

Online, In-person or Hybrid

Mode of Placement

Part-time or Full-time

Project Details

We are seeking to work collaboratively to explore research questions aligned with WONDER’s programme work and strategic priorities. We are particularly interested in co-developing a placement that allows the trainee to apply and develop doctoral-level research skills while generating practical learning that can strengthen programmes and influence wider sector practice.

A key area of interest is understanding effective mentoring within livelihoods, business skills, and TVET programmes, building on WONDER’s use and adaptation of the EMPath Mobility Mentoring model. We are interested in exploring mentoring as a mechanism for supporting not only economic outcomes but also wellbeing, confidence, and long-term stability. This includes exploring links between mentoring and mental health, the wellbeing of both mentors and mentees, and how women may communicate challenges using coded, indirect, or euphemistic language shaped by cultural and social contexts. We are keen to shape this focus in dialogue with the trainee to identify what is feasible, methodologically robust, and mutually beneficial within the placement timeframe.

Thematic Research Areas of Interest

A. Mentoring, Wellbeing, and Communication

• Effectiveness of mentoring models in livelihoods and TVET programmes

• Adaptation and application of EMPath Mobility Mentoring in different cultural contexts

• Links between mentoring, psychosocial wellbeing, and economic progression

• Mentor wellbeing, support needs, and risks of burnout

• How women discuss challenges indirectly (e.g., through coded, relational, or euphemistic language) and implications for programme design

B. Role of Family in Women and Girls’ Education and Long-Term Success

• How families influence access to and continuation in education and training

• The role of family support in transitions into work and entrepreneurship

• Intergenerational impacts of investing in women and girls

• Approaches to meaningfully include families in programmes without reinforcing restrictive norms

• Evidence of wider household and community impact when families are engaged

C. Future of Work, Safe Work Pathways, and Global Labour Trends

• Implications of AI, automation, and digitalisation for women entering labour markets

• Risks and opportunities linked to the globalised and digital world of work

• Digital exclusion and unequal access to emerging economic opportunities

• Safe work placements, safeguarding, and prevention of labour exploitation

• Emerging skills needs within TVET and livelihoods programming

Potential Research Approaches

• Literature reviews and evidence synthesis

• Qualitative research (interviews, focus groups, narrative or participatory methods)

• Secondary analysis of existing programme data

• Development of monitoring, evaluation, and learning tools

• Comparative analysis across country contexts

Outputs (Indicative)

• Research report or briefing papers

• Practical guidance for programme teams and partners

• Contribution to academic publication (where appropriate)

• Tools or frameworks to strengthen mentoring or family engagement approaches

• Learning products for sector dissemination