Founded in 1987, The Commonwealth of Learning was inspired by the vision that the peoples of the Commonwealth must and can have access to knowledge, regardless of where they live and whether they are rich or poor. Member Governments have given COL a mandate to encourage the development and sharing of open learning/ distance education materials, expertise, technologies, and other resources. Working with and providing services to hundreds of institutions throughout the Commonwealth, COL is helping to increase the capacities of developing nations to meet the demands for improved access to quality education and training.