When your mission is to improve the lives of children worldwide, training the people who care for them can’t be left to chance. In 2010, SOS Children’s Villages International created a digital learning initiative in Latin America known as SOSvirtual. The initiative supports the capacity development of SOS co-workers by strengthening the knowledge and skills of the staff. This way, SOSvirtual helps improve the quality of services delivered to children, young people, families, and communities in SOS Children’s Villages programmes worldwide.
Since 2021, SOSvirtual has expanded globally, helping more than 25,000 SOS Children’s Villages co-workers in six regions access multi-lingual training that strengthens the skills they rely on every day. From essential courses to role-specific programs, the platform helps teams deliver the best possible care to children and families worldwide.
Recently, SOSvirtual set out to transform its digital learning system, aiming to deliver a consistent, high-quality experience for learners in 134 countries and 15 languages. With the help of 3ipunt, the team built a cost-effective custom Moodle Workplace solution that offered everything they’d hoped for — and more.
The mission was simply too big to pause
SOSvirtual’s previous solution delivered training to approximately 5,000 users, which included staff and co-workers across multiple countries in Latin America. However, with the global expansion, it needed a tool that could manage a larger number of users without exceeding its budget.
The organisation’s older solution was not ideal because of the rising costs per active user in its licensing model, plus a lack of integration with SOSvirtual’s internal systems, which made management and reporting more complex.
SOSvirtual’s work was getting bigger and reaching learners in many corners of the world. It needed a platform that was scalable, flexible, compatible with multiple languages, cost-effective and easy to integrate with the organisation’s internal systems. These “must-haves” served as the organisation’s main criteria when choosing the right LMS.
Finding the right fit
The search for the right solution was led by the organisation’s technical and pedagogical teams, along with the Project Owner of SOSvirtual and the ICT Director for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAAM). They collaborated closely with ICT advisors from multiple countries, each bringing valuable local perspectives on how the platform would need to work in different contexts.
Because this was more than a technical upgrade (it was a global expansion), the team also worked hand in hand with SOS ICT Global to ensure everything would integrate smoothly with existing systems.
To make the transition easier, SOSvirtual chose a Moodle Premium Certified Partner, 3ipunt, benefitting from the team’s proven expertise and guidance while customising their new learning environment.
By working with 3ipunt, SOSvirtual found the ongoing, reliable support that they were looking for.
Moodle Workplace fits the bill
SOSvirtual selected Moodle Workplace because of its advanced organisational features and flexibility for different user groups, which allowed the organisation to host and manage its virtual catalogue of more than 80 courses across all SOS Children’s Villages (SOSCV) regions worldwide.
The platform’s flexibility helped SOSvirtual’s team meet a wide range of learning needs and modalities, from self-paced courses for frontline caregivers and young people to specialised training for national and regional staff.
By implementing Moodle Workplace, SOSvirtual were able to achieve key goals, such as:
- Scalability, where they deliver both mandatory and on-demand training to multiple National Associations, ensuring consistent learning experiences across countries.
- Accessibility, which provides learning opportunities even in low-connectivity settings, enables inclusive access for all.
- Quality assurance, where they monitor learner progress, engagement, and completion data to continuously improve the effectiveness of their training programs.
- Organisational development through which they offer MOOC-style courses on mandatory topics, aligned with their organisational policies, strategic frameworks, and thematic priorities.
Moodle Workplace’s multi-tenancy functionality allowed SOSvirtual to manage multiple Member Associations (countries) within a single platform. They were also impressed by how easily the platform adapted to their complex setup and handled updates without interruptions.
The results speak for themselves
Since introducing Moodle Workplace in early 2024, SOS Children’s Villages has seen remarkable growth in the reach and impact of its learning programs across the federation. The numbers speak for themselves:
- Over 56,000 course enrollments across the SOSvirtual catalogue.
- More than 15,000 co-workers are actively participating in training.
- 44,000+ certificates issued to learners in 134 countries.
Moodle Workplace has made it possible to scale learning efficiently while keeping it meaningful. Andrés Jimenez, ICT Director of LAAM SOSvirtual Project Owner, called the results of the project “strategically advantageous.”
For SOS Children’s Villages, Moodle Workplace is a bridge connecting thousands of caregivers, staff, and learners around the world, giving them the tools and confidence to make a real difference in the lives of children.
Many organisations looking to expand their learning programs globally find that partnering with a Moodle Premium Certified Partner like 3ipunt can make all the difference. If you’re ready to learn more about Moodle Workplace and create your own powerful learning environment, get in touch today.
