What we do

Children being failed their education ultimately translates into lower productivity and earnings when they enter the workforce. Without action, the current generation of students worldwide now risks losing $21 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value ($11 trillion of which borne by students in low- and middle-income countries), or the equivalent of 17 percent of today’s global GDP. This equates, on average, to each of these children losing $975 in income every year in the future – with significantly higher impact in countries where average incomes are already low. Failing to ensure children learn not only impacts their future earnings, but their potential as the leaders of tomorrow to reduce inequality, address global challenges, and build a future where all people and planet can thrive.

The profiles of children not learning and the reasons why vary according to local circumstances, though there are broad trends. Outside of conflict-affected areas, poverty, rurality, disability and gender inequality are common factors among children who are out of school or do not complete basic education, and barriers exist in both the demand and supply of quality education. 

AfriKids works in rural African communities with high rates of poverty, where key development indicators like life expectancy, literacy and formal employment are low. In these communities, barriers to children learning usually include a lack of means, motive and opportunity:

• Means. For families facing extreme financial hardship, the cost of school uniforms and supplies may be prohibitive, or simply the opportunity cost of a child going to school instead of working to support the family’s income is too high.
• Motive. In communities that have lived for generations with poverty, being denied education – especially for certain groups of children like those with disabilities – can be very common. Children working, marrying and experiencing abuse may be widespread and socially normalised, while the case for investing in the longer-term benefits of education not widely appreciated, witnessed or promoted by figures of authority and influence.  
• Opportunity. Schools and education services in poorer and more rural communities with lower political influence are often under-resourced and inadequate. Classes are overcrowded, water and sanitation facilities are poor and trained teachers and teaching materials are in short supply. This poor quality of education is reflected in students’ results. Children living with disabilities face even more challenges and girls often drop out when they reach adolescence.

These causal factors result in key issues like children not attending school at the right age (often missing out on critical early years education), not regularly attending, and not receiving a quality education when they do – all ultimately resulting in children not learning. These factors are complex, interwoven and require holistic interventions that recognise and address this, working closely with local stakeholders to be locally-owned, effective and sustainable. 

It is important to note that children not going to school is not simply the “fault” of parents and caregivers. Many of the hardships children face stem from underlying issues such as deeply ingrained power imbalances or ideologies that manifest through harmful practices and discriminatory institutions. In such circumstances, safeguarding children’s rights necessitates a transformation of the structures that determine how power is distributed within societies.  

This is why AfriKids’ programmes help to shift this power; mobilising communities through increased knowledge, skills and opportunity to make deep and lasting change happen for children now and for generations to come.