Geneva Global is part of Global Impact Ventures
Geneva Global begins its third year managing an accelerated primary school learning program, called Speed School, in the SNNP (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples) Region of Ethiopia on behalf of its client, Legatum Foundation. This year, 31,750 students are enrolled, a 150% increase from last year.
It’s a strong indicator of the success and scalability of the program and of Legatum’s commitment to addressing Ethiopia’s educational crisis in a comprehensive and integrated way.
Speaking about its support of the program, Alan McCormick, Managing Director of Legatum said, “The Legatum Foundation has been investing in programs to improve educational opportunities for children in Africa since 2005. Education helps break the poverty cycle and equips young people with skills to work and, in many cases, start their own business.”
“This is one of our most innovative and effective programs. Not only are we educating children, but also by educating mothers we’re helping entire families look forward to a better future.”
“We’re delighted that our funding of Speed Schools is enabling a record number of Ethiopian children to re-enter the conventional school system. We couldn’t do it without the advice and management support provided by Geneva Global. We appreciate the thorough approach they take to find the right implementing partners, coordinate field activities, and actively monitor results to ensure our philanthropic investments have the best possible impact.”
“Our commitment is to make sure our clients’ philanthropy is conducted in a responsible, transparent, and results-oriented manner, and the Speed School program is an example of that in action,” said Doug Balfour, CEO of Geneva Global. “We know that there are many factors involved in solving the educational crisis, so we developed the program with multiple components that help students, their parents, and their teachers. We’ve identified the best implementers in Ethiopia and have brought them together to collaboratively work and learn from one another. Together with Legatum Foundation, we began this program in Ethiopia as a small pilot involving just 2,633 children. Now we have proof that it works, we have scaled up the program and have even bigger plans for next year.”
Additionally, to provide an independent evaluation of the program’s impact and its scalability, Geneva Global has partnered with the Center for International Education at the University of Sussex. Their evaluation allows the Speed School Initiative to reach a broader audience by producing academically-rigorous research about its impact.
