Imaginable Future launches 700M in Holistic learning in Africa

Global Philanthropic Investment Firm and Its Kenyan Partners Will Focus on Holistic Learning Models and Community Building Initiatives for Young People

November 24, 2021 (NAIROBI, KENYA): Global Philanthropic Investment Firm and Its Kenyan Partners partners plan to invest 7 million dollars inSub-Saharan Africa to support holistic learning models and community initiatives. The support will also provide youth to pursuediverse learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom.

Imaginable Futures will collaborate with stakeholders in Kenya’s education ecosystem to co-create innovative solutions that will support all Kenyan learners’especially adolescent girls and young mothers who are most at risk.

Imaginable Futures will support initiatives that offer youth flexible learning pathways, support their communities, democratize access to networks that build their social capital, and increase access and affordability to quality child care for mothers. Speaking during the launch of the 2022 Strategy for Sub Saharan Africa Imaginable Futures Principal Investment Officer Sam Mugacha says, “Breaking down barriers that perpetuate inequitable access to learning for youth, including girls and young women, as well as providing access to strong community support and relatable role models is critical for Kenya’s future”. Sam Mugacha further affirmed Imaginable Futures is a commitment to collaborating with all stakeholders to support learning models and initiatives that provide young people with skills, awaken their agency and provide them with the support they need to thrive.

According to the 2019 Kenya population census by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Young people make up 65% of the populationin Kenya while close to one million Kenyans enter the job market annually. However, less than 400 thousand are absorbed into jobswith the rest joining the job-hunting market.

This has been blamed on skills mismatch and poor choice of courses.The COVID-19 pandemic has had a seismic impact on youth in Sub-Saharan Africa, from disrupting their learning to eroding their financial securityandtheir physical and mental health.

Datafrom the United Nations Children Fund estimates that1.8 millionKenyan childrenwho should be in school have either dropped out or have never been in school at all while more than 13,000 teenage girls are forced to stop their education annuallydue toteen pregnancies. Imaginable Futures other partners in Kenya include: African Leadership Group, ALiVE, Andela, Educate!, Dignitas, NewGlobe, Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), Shujaaz Inc., Ubongo,and Usawa Agenda.“Kenyan parents and communities have been worst hit economically, challenging their ability to invest more in education.

However, we should forge forward unbowed, confident that the existing networks can converge to facilitate an environment where all children and youth are endowed to learn and thrive,” saysDr. Purity Ngina, Senior Researcher at AliVe Imaginable Futures is a global philanthropic investment firm that works with partners across Kenya, South Africa, Brazil,and the United States.In the last 12 years close to 20 African organizations have been supported by Imaginable Futures through equity investments, grants,or project financing.

The broadening of its strategy is part of its efforts to address systemic barriers that impact learners and their families and perpetuate generational inequities. Globally, Imaginable Futures has invested more than USD240 Million and collaborated with more than 175 partners around the world as part of Omidyar Network and now as an independent entity.