The General ESL program is the first program offered by GVS, entirely financed by the Worldwide Education Fund of The Dallas Foundation (WEF). GVS started in 2018 at the American Spaces Center in Khorugh, Tajikistan, with one cohort.  Since then, the program has expanded into 31 learning spaces servicing 19 cities in 3 Central and South Asian countries. Combined, these serve over 1,100 learners weekly. The program delivers English-Language Skills training in some of the poorest and most underserved regions of the globe. In these regions, valuable English-language skills represent an escape from multi-generational poverty. 

Possession of even the most rudimentary English-language skills opens doors to employment opportunities in the fields of technology, science, health care, education, finance, entertainment, travel, and tourism. The program promotes Gender Equality and boasts an admission policy of fifty-percent female in every learning space. To offset the embedded issue of gender inequality and discrimination in the regions we work in, we strongly encourage female learners to participate while striving to ensure their safety. For example, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, WEF conducts separate classes for girls as co-education is not allowed.

In addition, the Global Virtual School Program promotes Global Competence by encouraging learners, even in remote villages, to challenge themselves in language-proficiency and attain native-speaker mastery of English.  GVS provides learners with a non-conventional classroom environment allowing them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills not encouraged in traditional settings but sought after in the job market.  The youth-to-youth connection fosters a friendly learning environment and boosts learner confidence.