Kakuma Afterschool Learning Hub

Refugee-led afterschool learning that helps young children in Kakuma read, count, and grow

Many refugee children aged 4-9 in Kakuma miss school or fall behind. The Kakuma Afterschool Learning Hub is a refugee-led space where they learn reading and maths through play, music, arts, and games, plus sessions on managing emotions. Out-of-school children, girls, and children with disabilities come first. Each year, about 240 children gain the skills and confidence to succeed in school.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Updated October 2026

Web presence

2020

Established

240 2026

1

Countries

Students early

Target group

We dream of a world where displacement never steals a child’s early years. Every child forced from home should still have a safe, joyful place to learn and play. For displaced families, crisis is rarely short. Kakuma has hosted refugees since 1992, and many children here are born and grow up in the camp. Many lose years of learning while fleeing, arrive speaking a new language, and carry fear and stress. Yet emergency response too often leaves early learning out. We hope to see three big changes: Learning and healing go together. Displaced children need to feel safe before they can learn. Early learning in crises should combine reading and maths with play, creativity, and emotional skills. Displaced families are supported as first teachers. With the right support, parents who have lost homes, jobs, and support can still help their children learn. No displaced child is left out. New arrivals, out-of-school children, girls, and children with disabilities should come first. We also want displaced people to lead their own education. Refugee-led groups like ours share the language, culture, and experience of the families we serve, and we stay when projects end. We hope our Hub becomes a model other displaced communities can adapt. Learning is one thing displacement cannot take away. Whether they return home, stay in Kenya, or move on, we want these children to carry their learning and help build peace and a better future

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya is home to more than 320,000 refugees who fled war, conflict, and persecution in countries such as South Sudan, Sudan, the DRC, Somalia, and Burundi. Many young children here grow up with poverty, crowded homes, and the stress of displacement. Some have never been to school. Others are in class but are falling behind.

As a refugee-led organisation, we live in the same community as these families, and we saw the same problems again and again. Many children aged 4 to 9 start school without basic reading, maths, or language skills. Schools are crowded, so a child who falls behind often gets little extra help, and many drop out early. Many children also carry fear and stress from what they have lived through, which makes it hard to focus and learn. At the same time, many parents and caregivers want to support their children’s learning but do not know how, or are busy trying to earn a living.

The early years are when children build the base for all later learning. If a child misses this stage, catching up later is much harder. We created the Afterschool Learning Hub to give young refugee children a safe, joyful place to learn the basics through play, music, arts, and games, and to learn how to understand and manage their emotions. We wanted children, especially out-of-school children, girls, and children with disabilities, to arrive in school ready

What does your innovation look like in practice?

The Hub runs after school hours at our centre in Kakuma 2, so children can join without missing school. Each year we enrol about 240 children aged 4 to 9. A selection committee uses written criteria to give first places to out-of-school children, girls, children with disabilities, and children from very poor or female-headed households.

Children learn in small groups through play. A typical session mixes:

Reading and maths games, songs, and stories to build early literacy and numeracy
Music, art, drawing, and group games that build language, creativity, and teamwork
Emotional regulation activities, where children learn to name feelings, calm down, and get along with others

Our facilitators are trained members of the refugee community, so they share the children’s languages and understand their lives. This builds trust and helps children who are new to Kenya or to school.

The Hub is part of TSL’s wider support for families. Caregivers can join our social and emotional learning (SEL) groups, where they learn parenting skills and ways to support their child’s learning at home.

The Hub uses low-cost, simple materials and does not need internet or technology. We combine play-based learning with SEL methods.

How has it been spreading?

TSL started in 2018 as a small refugee-led centre in Kakuma. The Afterschool Learning Hub began in [YEAR] with [NUMBER] children. Today it reaches about 240 children aged 4 to 9 each year, and more than [TOTAL] children since it started. It has grown mainly by word of mouth: parents see changes in their children and bring their neighbours.

Main achievements in the last 1-2 years:

Reached about 240 children a year, giving first places to out-of-school children, girls, and children with disabilities
Added emotional regulation sessions to our play-based learning, and linked the Hub to our SEL groups for about 100 caregivers a year
Gained support from partners such as We Are Cohere, Amala Education, and the Waterloo Foundation
TSL now chairs a coordination board of 17 refugee-led and community-based organisations under the PSS-SEL working group in Kakuma, where we share what we learn. We are also members of INEE and the MHPSS working group
[ADD A RESULT, e.g. “X children joined formal school in 2025”]

Goals for the next 2-3 years:

Measure learning with simple start-and-end reading and maths checks, and track how many children join and stay in school
Train more refugee facilitators and write a simple Hub guide so other refugee-led organisations can use the model
Support at least [NUMBER] partner organisations in Kakuma and Kalobeyei to start similar hubs
Grow our early learning work, including an ECD playgroup up to Grade 2 in 2027

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Contact us at tsl.transformative@gmail.com or call us at +254712834214. We can share our session plans and selection criteria and invite you to visit the Hub in Kakuma. We can support you as you begin.

Implementation steps

Train local facilitators

Find a safe space near families, such as a community centre or classroom, that children can use after school. Collect low-cost materials like paper, crayons, storybooks, and bottle tops for counting. Choose caring adults from the same community who speak the children’s languages. Train them in play-based learning, early reading and maths, emotional regulation, and child safeguarding, and have each one sign a code of conduct.

Run play-based learning sessions after school

Hold regular sessions after school hours. Each session mixes three parts: reading and maths through games, songs, and stories; music, art, and group games; and emotional regulation activities where children learn to name feelings, calm down, and get along with others. Keep sessions fun and active, and take attendance every day.

Select the children who need support the most

Set up a small selection committee of staff and community members. Write clear selection criteria that give priority to out-of-school children, girls, children with disabilities, and children from very poor or female-headed households. Register each child with their age, school status, and caregiver contact. Explain the programme to caregivers and ask for their consent.

Involve parents and caregivers

Invite the caregivers of Hub children to join social and emotional learning (SEL) groups. Share simple parenting skills, ways to manage stress, and easy learning games to play at home. Meet caregivers regularly to share each child’s progress.

Measure progress and improve

At the start and end of each cycle, do a simple check of each child’s reading, maths, and emotional skills, and compare the results. Track attendance, collect feedback from children, caregivers, and facilitators, and write short success stories. Use what you learn to improve the next cycle.