Slum2School

Slum2School is a Nairobi-based nonprofit organization focused on providing educational access, mentorship, and community support to children in informal settlements. Founded in 2006, the organization operates programs that link informal-settlement youth to formal schooling, psychosocial services, and life-skills training. Slum2School engages with a range of actors including local schools, international agencies, corporate donors, and celebrity advocates to scale community-based interventions.

History

Slum2School was established in 2006 by James Mwangi amid efforts to address child poverty in Nairobi's informal settlements such as Kibera, Mathare, Korogocho, Kawangware, and Mukuru. Early engagements drew on models from organizations like Kenya Red Cross Society, UNICEF, Save the Children, Plan International, and World Vision. The group collaborated with community leaders and municipal actors including representatives from Nairobi City County and drew inspiration from campaigns led by figures such as Wangari Maathai, Kofi Annan, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Nelson Mandela, and Graça Machel. Slum2School’s formative years involved partnerships with grassroots networks similar to Umoja and projects influenced by the work of Muhammed Yunus, Jeffrey Sachs, Amartya Sen, and Paul Farmer.

Mission and Programs

The organization’s mission emphasizes enrollment, retention, and transition of vulnerable children into formal institutions such as Kenyatta University Primary School, Alliance Girls' High School, Starehe Boys Centre, and pilot links with University of Nairobi. Programs include remedial tutoring, school-fee support, psychosocial counseling, mentorship, and vocational training modeled on initiatives from BRAC, Camfed, Room to Read, Pratham, and Teach For All. Slum2School runs extracurricular activities echoing curricula used by UNESCO and workshops shaped by pedagogical research from institutions like Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, and Columbia University. Health and nutrition components reflect collaborations with World Health Organization, Ministry of Health (Kenya), AMREF Health Africa, and clinics similar to Nairobi Women's Hospital and Pumwani Maternity Hospital.

Operations and Funding

Operationally, Slum2School maintains field offices in neighborhoods comparable to Kibera and Mathare, coordinating with school administrators at Nairobi County Education Board panels and district officers from Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. Funding streams include private philanthropy from foundations like Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Mastercard Foundation, and corporate social responsibility contributions from multinationals such as Safaricom, Samsung, Coca-Cola, and Unilever. The organization has sought grant support from bilateral donors including USAID, DFID, European Union External Action Service, Government of Japan, and multilateral lenders like World Bank and African Development Bank. Financial oversight uses accounting practices recommended by International Financial Reporting Standards and auditing guidance from firms like KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young.

Impact and Evaluation

Impact assessments reference metrics used by agencies such as UNICEF, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Global Partnership for Education, and evaluation frameworks employed by Impact Evaluation Network and researchers at University College London and London School of Economics. Evaluations report school-enrollment outcomes comparable to interventions documented by BRAC and Camfed, with tracking aligned to national examinations like the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education. Independent reviews have been commissioned from consultancies such as McKinsey & Company and research centers including African Population and Health Research Center and Institute of Development Studies. Outcome data have been cited in policy dialogues alongside reports from Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Slum2School maintains collaborations with governmental bodies such as the Ministry of Education (Kenya), municipal authorities in Nairobi, and regional networks like the East African Community. International partners include UNICEF, UNHCR, IOM, World Bank, African Union education initiatives, and civil-society networks like Teach For All and Global Campaign for Education. Corporate alliances have involved Safaricom Foundation, Equity Bank Foundation, and Kenya Airways community programs. Academic partnerships include research links with University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Strathmore University, Moi University, and Egerton University, while evaluation collaborations have engaged think tanks such as Brookings Institution and Overseas Development Institute. The initiative has attracted high-profile supporters from media and arts sectors similar to collaborations with celebrities who have supported humanitarian causes like David Beckham, Angelina Jolie, Bono, Oprah Winfrey, and activists associated with Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Kenya