Refugee education

CASE STUDY

Accelerating private sector investment in refugee education

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In places like the Horn of Africa where prolonged humanitarian crisis and conflict have resulted in years of displacement for youth, education remains a powerful tool towards empowerment. However, the opportunity for post-secondary education is severely limited for displaced youth and refugee children and adolescents. To accelerate investment in post–secondary education, a multilateral institution engaged Botho to devise a strategy to promote and increase private sector engagement in post-secondary refugee education and galvanise support for the broader refugee cause.

Botho developed a holistic, multi-pronged approach to private sector engagement encompassing knowledge-sharing, collaborative problem-solving, policy engagement as well as technical assistance. This blueprint for engaging the Kenyan private sector identified new avenues to unlock long-term engagement and financial assistance, designed a multi-sectoral collaborative vision featuring tailored innovative educational solutions, and generated investment in the local refugee-host communities.

In a short amount of time Botho took to the field, and surveyed and conducted focus groups with seasoned executives across a diverse set of industries. Following the research stage, the Botho team led a half-day cross-sector ‘sprint’ to develop practical and innovative solutions, elements of which are already being implemented, and designed an interactive event convening over fifty prominent Kenyan private sector figures to rigorously evaluate the options. Within three months of the project, Botho staff led the development of a scholarship scheme in partnership with a local private university and secured an early-stage commitment from telecommunications companies to expand their service offerings supporting digital education.

Our community-centred and solutions-oriented approach has laid the groundwork to develop and present a broader private sector engagement strategy reflecting the unique context of the East African business community.