Kenya · 24 June 2018 · 1 min
Researchers at Aga Khan University in Kenya partnered with the University of Toronto to develop a pilot programme that launched a brighter future for preschool students and their caregivers.
Under an experimental franchising model, daycare providers in Mlolongo, a poor neighbourhood in Nairobi, organised into a network. They learned about child development and small business management, with the support of local social workers.
Salome Mulandi, who lives in Mlolongo, began volunteering as a social worker for the project when she saw her 4-year-old daughter benefitting from improvements to her daycare.
This franchise model helps both caregiver and child. Children receive better care, and caregivers earn a better living. Thanks to the researchers’ study, the model is now being replicated in other parts of the city.