In a world increasingly marred by conflict, intolerance, and disinformation, access to quality education is key to achieving local, regional, national, and global understanding, growth, and transformation. Increasing this access should be the goal of communities and governments around the world, and with it will come the knowledge, curiosity and the drive to make sense of and peace in our world, its issues, and the potential futures that we can unlock. International Day of Education, first celebrated in 2019 and marked each January 24th, serves as a powerful reminder of education’s transformational nature and gives us an opportunity to reflect on achievements, challenges, and opportunities.

Investing in the Future: The Significance of International Day of Education

Established in late 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly, International Day of Education is a moment to both celebrate the progress we’ve made and acknowledge the work still ahead. While education is a reality for many, millions of children around the world continue to face barriers to learning—whether due to poverty, conflict, or discrimination. This day serves as a reminder that education is not just a privilege, but a fundamental right that everyone, regardless of where they are born, deserves. It’s a call to action, urging us to work together to break down these barriers and ensure that education is accessible to all. When we invest in learning, we’re investing in a future that is more equal, more compassionate, and more hopeful for everyone.

International Day of Education highlights several key themes: fostering peace, investing in people, promoting diversity and equality, and mobilizing society in the pursuit of improving education worldwide. At the heart of these themes is the belief that education is a “long-term investment with increasing returns”—a vision enshrined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, Goal 4 aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all,” reinforcing that the work of building a better, more educated world is a shared responsibility that will shape generations to come.

Barriers to Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Unfortunately, Sub-Saharan Africa faces significant challenges to education, with millions of children – especially girls – denied access to learning due to poverty, conflict, and cultural norms, such as early marriage or lack of health and sanitation facilities. In rural areas, schools often suffer from underfunding, overcrowding, minimal or outdated resources, and a lack of training for educators. 

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues by forcing school closures and deepening urban-rural inequalities, especially in places with poor digital infrastructure, where online learning was simply out of reach for most. Political instability and conflict in regions like Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Sahel have uprooted families, displaced millions of children, and destroyed educational facilities. For many children, the dream of learning has been replaced with survival.

These barriers perpetuate cycles of poverty, leaving families and entire communities trapped in a state of underdevelopment. Ensuring equitable access to education is the key to economic development and building communities of trust, peace, and acceptance. While the challenges to education are formidable, there is hope. Organizations like the Asante Africa Foundation are working tirelessly to overcome today’s obstacles into opportunities for the next generation.

Turning Today’s Challenges into Tomorrow’s Opportunities

Asante Africa Foundation was founded with the mission of educating and empowering the next generation of leaders whose actions will transform both Africa and the world. Operating across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, Asante Africa Foundation focuses on enabling young people—especially girls and youth in rural areas—by narrowing education gaps, providing mentorship, offering teacher training, and awarding scholarships. 

Through its innovative programming, Asante Africa Foundation aligns its efforts with the global objectives of International Day of Education and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) while addressing the continent’s unique and most pressing educational challenges:

Youth Livelihoods Program (YLP): When 56% of youth are unemployed in East Africa and 95% of young workers are in low paying or informal jobs, Asante Africa’s YLP aims to improve the economic outcomes and well-being of youth, particularly in underserved communities, by providing skills, opportunities, and support for sustainable livelihoods. This includes vocational and life skills training, connecting youth with mentors, and entrepreneurship opportunities. The program follows youth through foundational, intermediate, and advanced stages, starting with youth-led hands-on activities and projects and culminating in participants launching small businesses. As of 2022, 61% of participants were running their own small businesses. 

Wezesha Vijana Program (WVP): With nearly 17 million girls out of school across Sub-Saharan Africa, Asante Africa’s WVP looks to keep girls in school by addressing the unique challenges they face. The program incorporates boys as “peer-allies” and fosters community support and parental engagement to develop girl’s support networks. It equips girls with “assets” to drive their continued education, including a better understanding of HIV, hygiene, puberty, teen pregnancy, and gender-based violence. The program has seen in-network schools reporting a 78% improvement in attendance of girls.

Accelerated Learning Program (ALP): With only 28% of Sub-Saharan Africa connected to the internet and 1 in 3 rural teachers lacking minimum qualifications, Asante Africa Foundation launched ALP to provide needed resources, training, and skills in digital education to both students and teachers. Teachers are trained on digital tools and how to create new curricula that are engaging and prepare students for the transition to secondary school. ALP includes Asante Africa’s Digital Employability and Entrepreneurship Program (DEEP), which trains cohorts of Digital Apprentices, aged 18-24, to build software/hardware skills and leadership qualities. These Digital Apprentices not only have gone onto secure jobs, start businesses, and join graduate programs, but they also each successfully paid it forward by working 9-months across 129 schools in Asante Africa’s network. 

As we observe International Day of Education, the work of organizations like Asante Africa Foundation serves as a powerful reminder that improving education can improve the lives of young people, their families, and their communities. In addressing the challenges faced by youth, girls, and underserved rural communities in East Africa, Asante Africa Foundation aims to be a world education foundation with a desire to cultivate resilience, leadership, and opportunity. These programs echoe the global call for inclusive and equitable education for all, showing that when barriers are dismantled, young minds are free to shape their own futures. In a world where the need for innovation, leadership, and peace is more urgent than ever, the work of Asante Africa underscores the critical role education plays in building a better, more unified tomorrow.

Join Asante Africa Foundation in transforming education across East Africa! Check out our open positions and consider joining our team as a volunteer, donating, or spreading the word – your support can make a real difference.

WRITTEN BY: Scott Benigno