Educate!

How do we ensure evidence actually improves outcomes for young people?

At this year’s Evidence to Impact Symposium, Educate! Director of Impact Evaluation, Phillip Okull, will share how we’re using Rapid Impact Assessment (RIA) to strengthen youth livelihood solutions across East Africa.

📍 Session: Advancing Gender Equity in Youth Livelihoods
📅 Tuesday, June 9
📌 11:30–11:40 AM EAT

In this session, Phillip will share how real-time insights from our livelihood bootcamps are helping us adapt delivery and better support participation and success for girls.

One key insight: although many girls start with fewer skills and economic opportunities, they often make the greatest gains over time — helping close gender gaps in income and business ownership.

If you’re attending, we hope to see you there!

Population Council | African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) | African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) | Restless Development

Webinar this Thursday!

📍 Panel: Growing Access to Work-based Learning Experiences in Developing Countries
📅 Date: May 21, 2026
🕘 Time: 9:00–10:00 am ET / 3:00–4:00 pm CET / 9:00–10:00 pm HKT

Educates CEO & Co-Founder, Boris Bulayev will join an upcoming panel hosted by the World Bank Group and JA Worldwide to discuss how youth can gain practical work readiness skills — even where formal labor market opportunities are limited.

➡️ Register here: https://jaworldwide.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2gW0370rQQabJCizwnzCWQ #/registration

Solutions for Youth Employment - S4YE

On-the-job learning and early exposure to the labor market can help young people build practical skills and improve employability.

Yet, internships or apprenticeships often only reach a small minority of youth, especially where the formal private sector is small.

Join us for a conversation on expanding access to work-integrated learning for young people.

Educate!’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Co-Founder, Boris Bulayev, will participate in an upcoming panel hosted by the World Bank Group and JA Worldwide to discuss alternative models of work-integrated learning for young people at scale.

📍 Panel: Growing Access to Work-based Learning Experiences in Developing Countries
📅 Date: May 21, 2026
🕘 Time: 9:00–10:00 am ET / 3:00–4:00 pm CET / 9:00–10:00 pm HKT

Register here: https://jaworldwide.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2gW0370rQQabJCizwnzCWQ #/registration

Across Tanzania, curriculum reform is translating into meaningful change: classrooms where students actively build skills, apply knowledge, and begin shaping their own economic futures.

Educate! is working with partners across the education and development sector to drive this shift.

Together with the Government of Tanzania and Leaders in Teaching (LIT) Tanzania — in partnership with Mastercard Foundation — we are strengthening teacher professional development to help educators deliver more practical learning in classrooms.

At the same time, we are supporting the nationwide rollout of the Business Studies subject, equipping students through hands-on projects that build skills for employment.

So far, 1,964 Business Studies teachers have been equipped to deliver the new curriculum, with these efforts projected to reach 333,256 students in the first year of secondary school.

“The new teaching methods are making students more active in class and helping them better understand the content,” says Seralin Sawa, a Business Studies Teacher in Dar es Salaam Secondary School.

👉🏿 Learn more about LIT Tanzania:

Strengthening Practical Learning Through ‘Leaders in Teaching’ (LIT) in Tanzania — Educate! | Preparing youth in Africa with the skills to succeed in today’s economy. Across Tanzania, curriculum reform is translating into meaningful change: classrooms where students actively build skills, apply knowledge, and begin shaping their own economic futures. Through the Leaders in Teaching initiative, teachers are being equipped to deliver the new curriculum effectively,

Mentorship is critical to improving outcomes for youth, especially young women, in regions where access to quality education and formal employment are limited.

In Uganda, our mentors and trainers support young people both in and out of schools by providing continuous coaching to better prepare them for the labor market.

Through Educate!’s Youth Entrepreneurship Training (YET), prospective mentors build the leadership and entrepreneurship skills to launch businesses, develop the growth mindset to pursue employment or further education, and gain the practical facilitation skills to mentor fellow youth.

YET’s hands-on sessions also help young mentors create safe learning environments and deliver gender-responsive training — supporting them to pass on the practical and transferrable skills that expand opportunity.

➡ ️ Swipe to see some reflections from young people who attended the recent YET training — pictured alongside Educate! staff.

“I am proud because I learned to believe in myself. Even though I am young, I can succeed,” says Nangobi.

In Eastern Uganda, Nangobi studied hard in school; however, she faced financial barriers that caused her to leave school before the end of secondary. But that didn’t stop her.

When she joined Educate!’s livelihood bootcamp, Nangobi began to build confidence in her abilities. Through hands-on training in market research, budgeting, and customer service — and mentorship from a local trainer — she began to see a path forward.

Realizing that there were only two cooks in her area, she identified a gap in the market and decided to fill it. With a small investment, she launched a food stall, serving lunch and dinner to passersby.

Today, her business serves a steady stream of customers. On her best days, Nangobi can make UGX 60,000 (~$17 USD). For the first time, she is no longer fully dependent on her parents and covers her own basic needs.

👉🏿 Read Nangobi’s story and learn how skills and self-belief can turn small beginnings into lasting opportunity:

The Courage to Start: How Self-Belief Helped Nangobi Build A Thriving Food Stall — Educate! | Preparing youth in Africa with the skills to succeed in today’s economy. Nangobi left school early when her family could no longer afford school fees. For a while, her days revolved around chores and farming. When she joined Educate!’s livelihood bootcamp, one lesson stayed with her: progress starts small — and grows with persistence. Today, her food stall serves reg...

Is secondary education building the skills youth need for success later in life?

This weekend at the CIES - Comparative & International Education Society 2026 Conference in San Francisco, Educate!'s Global Director of Research, Measurement & Evaluation, Meghan Mahoney, will join partners from BRAC, Innovations for Poverty Action and Z**i Afrique Foundation to explore an urgent question: what does it take to design education systems that respond to changing economies and the realities young people face today?

In this session, Meghan will share insights from Educate!’s work alongside governments to embed practical skills into secondary education systems across East Africa — including lessons from impact evaluations and efforts to identify early indicators that help predict long-term success for youth.

📍 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Is Secondary Education Building the Skills Youth Need for Success Later in Life?
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Sunday, March 29
📌 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 4:30 to 5:45pm PT

If you’re attending , we’d love to connect and continue the conversation!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗼-𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮?

A new Global Partnership for Education blog, co-authored by Educate!’s Boris Bulayev, Diana Mwai, and Missy Mwendwa, highlights two complementary approaches:

• 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀
• 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹

By embedding practical, employment-focused skills within national education systems, impact can be sustained beyond time-bound efforts and external funding.

At the same time, for the millions of young people who cannot access secondary school, inclusive and accessible pathways can help youth build market-relevant skills and start a business — ensuring no one is left behind.

Together, these approaches require strategic investment so all young people are prepared to enter the workforce with the skills and confidence to build their future.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 👇🏿

Scaling learning that earns: Pathways to work for every young person | Global Partnership for Education Educate! works with governments, teachers and youth to transform education systems and equip young people with the skills they need for the future of work. Achieving impact at this scale requires collective action, and leaders across GPE, policy makers, civil society and investors are essential to m...

"𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝟭𝟱𝟬 (𝗨𝗦𝗗 $𝟭), 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁!" 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻.

With mentorship from Mathilda, an Educate! trainer, Sharon learned how to save small amounts consistently and manage her profits. At a livelihood bootcamp designed for youth who are unable to access secondary education, Sharon also built problem-solving skills and the confidence to act.

She connected with other young women in her community and they encouraged each other to save as a group. Over time, Sharon saved 13,000 KES (USD $85) from her small business, “Chochote Shop.”

By reinvesting those savings, Sharon expanded her stock — adding household items and second-hand children’s clothes. The changes attracted more customers and increased her sales.

With her growing profits, Sharon is also supporting others. She launched a local effort to provide sanitary pads to teenage girls, ensuring they do not miss school due to lack of access to these essential menstrual products.