Every child deserves access to education.
It is a basic human right.
Education is life-changing for a child,
their family, and their community.
Our Approach to Education
When you empower people through education
everything changes
Did you know that global poverty could be halved if all adults completed secondary school education? [UNESCO]
Our Education Program is focused on improving the quality of education of more than 27,000 primary school children living in poverty in East Africa.
Our results show that by receiving quality education, these children are more likely to enter and complete secondary school. In fact, between 2016-2019, we saw a 27.6% increase in the number of students transitioning from primary to secondary school in the schools we work with.
At So They Can, we work together with all levels of government, local partners, the community and teachers to implement and embed a range of projects that focus on lifting the quality of education in local schools.
Read on to find out about our holistic projects and 3 Phase Model for collaboration.
Our Education Projects
Over the years, we’ve developed a range of education projects to lift the quality of the education in schools and ensure a sustainable future for the whole community. These projects include:
Our School Community
to build relationships with the community and ensure the long-term sustainability of the projects.
School Improvement
to ensure students are in a safe and vibrant environment where they are kept healthy to optimise their learning.
Teacher Development
to improve teaching standards and support teachers in their ongoing pedagogical capability enhancement.
My Voice
to build confidence and empower students to speak up and take ownership of their education and to understand their rights.
Keeping Girls in School
to engage the whole community of the importance of girls education, including their human rights, health and wellbeing and their contribution to society.
Let's Learn
to build interest and confidence in learning, early literacy and numeracy to pre-primary students
Shamba Letu
to educate the community on farming practices and provide food and income to the school
Camp Africa
to build confidence and create connections among our students across schools, regions and tribes
Msomi Scholarships & Secondary Partnerships
to create clear pathways beyond primary school and support students to progress
Mamire Teachers' College
to create the next generation of quality teachers in East Africa who can inspire our students to reach their full potential
Our 3 Phase Model
This is where we start our relationship with a school; it’s all about getting the basics right, building trust and getting to know the community we are working with. We deliver our foundation projects including Our School Community, My Voice, School Improvement, Teacher Development and, in the later stages, Keeping Girls in School.
By this stage, we are running all of the essential projects that a school requires. This is the core focus of our work, and where we start to see our school communities thrive. Our students are empowered, their examination results improve and the number of students transitioning to secondary school increases.
Once our schools projects are fully embedded and the community feels ready to take full ownership of them, we transition to a governance approach. While we continue to support the school, the community is empowered and able to deliver quality education. This enables us to scale our projects to other schools in vulnerable communities.
Beyond primary education, we partner with secondary schools to deliver projects that ensure there are clear pathways for our students to complete secondary school. This can include providing scholarships to our brightest and most vulnerable students, supporting teacher development and offering guidance to the school community.
Building Climate-Smart Schools
Climate change poses a major threat to humanity, exacerbating poverty, food security, displacement and effects to human health and wellbeing.
Africa is already feeling the brunt of climate change. Despite the continent's small contribution to the changing climate (just 2-3% of all global emissions), it is disproportionately effected by the crisis and labelled as the most vulnerable region in the world [UNEP].
At So They Can, we're committed to supporting our East African communities to establish climate-smart schools that empower climate resilience.
How can you support our Education Program?
Without people like you, our impact would not be possible.
There are many ways that you can support us, here are just a few ideas:
- Make a one off or regular donation
- Sponsor a student
- Sponsor a school
- Sponsor a family to ensure their children receive an education
- Fundraise for our cause
- Share our story with your networks
