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ABOUT
Read about Elimu-Soko
ABOUT
How it all started
Initiated by the Hempel Foundation, our story evolves around the belief that to address the gap between available innovations in public education systems and the government's need to find these solutions, we must create space for it—an education marketplace.
In 2021, we launched Elimu-Soko, meaning 'education-market,' to align interventions with government priorities. We continue to understand government priorities, identify proven solutions, and secure public funding to scale these solutions, thereby bridging the gap between innovation and implementation.
Africa-Centric Vision
Elimu-Soko is more than an initiative; it's a knowledge hub tailored to the African context. We're not just an intermediary; we're listeners, agile and flexible, meeting governments at their stage of interest. With a deep commitment to localization, we understand the nuances of the African education landscape, ensuring our solutions are true to the local context.
Government Partnership
Central to our ethos is engaging with African governments, aiming to provide innovators with a profound understanding of government demands, constraints, and opportunities.
Our collaborative approach ensures that the right people are in the room, fostering meaningful dialogues and partnerships. We then offer support to innovators to pilot their innovations in public schools, which ensures that our work translates to learning outcomes for children.
Innovative Collaboration and Flexible Intermediary
While there are plenty of initiatives focused on transforming education systems, we aspire to be agile and flexible, ensuring our interventions are demand-driven. Our pilot program in Rwanda exemplified to funders, innovators, and government actors the power of synergy.
We now know what it takes to test, refine and deliver scalable education innovation aligned with government priorities and under their leadership. Are you ready to join us as a partner?
Watch our highlight videos from our work
CURRENT PILOTS
We conducted our Zanzibar lab in 2023, but you will have to tune in a few months to see the outcomes.
Our work is made possible by having great partners
PARTNERS
The initiative originated from a strategy review by the Hempel Foundation, which elevated scale as a primary focus for the foundation to address the rapidly escalating learning crisis.
Rising Academy Network was our first implemeneting partner and worked with the government to provide teacher training to 40 schools across the country.
The Rwandan government has been our partner since our inception. We believe that government ownership ensures alignment with national priorities and fosters sustainable impact.
Get
Involved
Are you interested in partnering with us? Contact us via this form and we will make sure to come back to you.
If you want more . . .
News
Blog: Pioneering Government-Led Educational Innovation in Rwanda
What is the potential of an government-led educational innovation? Read our case study.
Article: Unlocking public finance for education innovations with Elimu-Soko: Lessons from Rwanda
Devang Vussonji, Leonard Mungarulire and Beth Mutamba
In our approach, we kick-off with a series of conversations with African governments. Together, we identify key government priorities and match them with available innovations. The selected innovation is then piloted—this is the essence of Elimu-Soko.
We raise funds to initiate these pilots and help governments measure results to assess whether public funding should be used to scale pilots.