After 12 years of Strathmore's Community Service Centre working in Kenya's most marginalised communities, Kibera, Mukuru and Kangemi slums and rural Kitui, we learned that isolated interventions fail. Students lack resources; 48% of teachers have no ICT training; counsellor-student ratios average 1:218; mental health crises fuel school fires and student suicides; 70% of parents remain disconnected. Only 22% of 800,000+ annual exam-takers qualify for university. We created Project Msingi because sustainable transformation requires addressing all barriers simultaneously through whole-school ecosystems. It aims to optimise scalability and increase the accessibility of technology (especially mobile technology and internet access in Africa) to not only create contextual solutions but also make them available to many.
With the integration of ICT or Digital literacy as a competency to be embedded across all subjects in the new competency-based curriculum, we saw a gap full of promise. The more teachers and learners use ICT, the easier and faster it will be for them to take up programs that are contextual, fun and available online. As the country and continent continue to expand internet access, initiatives such as ours have the potential to shape and positively influence the realities of teachers, learners, and parents across the continent.
Macheo (2012-present): Every Saturday at Strathmore University, 150 students from 7 schools in Kibera, Mukuru, and Kangemi slums receive academic tutoring, peer mentoring by university students, character development, and excursions. Parents and teachers receive training. Over 80% transitioned to tertiary institutions; dozens on scholarships.
Project TAI (2019-present): Peer mentoring for 10,000+ students annually, engaging 250 teachers. Started in rural Kitui, now in Samburu, Turkana, Bondo, and Nairobi environs. In-school programming: mentoring, teacher capacity building, parental forums.
eMsingi Platform (2023-present): Digital ecosystem scaling across 132 schools. Teachers access professional development via Google Meet/WhatsApp (556 graduates, with an average completion rate of 80%). Students engage University of Colorado PhET simulations. 150 guidance counsellors access trauma-informed resources. 2,000+ parents listen to Familia Mtaani podcasts. Mobile-accessible, low-connectivity compatible. Five pillars: Subject Content, Teacher Enhancement, Psychosocial Support, Life Skills, Parental Engagement, address barriers simultaneously. Teachers are the bedrock; we build communities of practice that transform schools.
Phase 1 (2012-2017): Macheo grew from 25 to 150 students annually across seven schools in three Nairobi slums (Mukuru, Kangemi and Kibera). Scholarship program started in 2016; 2 graduates earned first-class honours in 2025; 8+ now working at Strathmore University.
Phase 2 (2019-2022): Project TAI replicated Macheo in rural contexts. Started with 5,000 students in 10 Kitui schools, now doubled to 10,000 high school students annually across 6+ counties (Kitui, Samburu, Turkana, Bondo, Nairobi environs) in more than 25 schools. Demonstrated adaptability to rural and semi-arid regions.
Phase 3 (2023-present): eMsingi digitised proven approaches. Growth from 30 to 132 schools in two years. Teachers completing courses recruit colleagues through WhatsApp. County directors facilitate district adoption. Partnerships (University of Colorado Boulder, Nottingham Trent, KICD) accelerate reach. Familia Mtaani spans three continents. Pattern: impact creates advocates driving expansion. From 150 students physically to 10,000+ both digitally and physically annually; infrastructure ready for millions across Africa with proper investment. To date, we have grown our WhatsApp community to 2243 active users, who push for and engage with our content. With teachers, this allows us to indirectly reach more than 500,000 learners at the standard average rate of 1 teacher to 41 students in Kenya. Further, this reach allows us to indirectly reach 43,551 households.
2012-2017 (Macheo): Established holistic model; tutoring, mentorship, character development, parental engagement, teacher training, proving barriers require simultaneous intervention.
2019 (Project TAI): Adapted for rural schools, shifting after-school to in-school. Reaching 10,000 students across 6 counties (Kitui, Samburu, Turkana, Bondo, Nairobi environs) with more requests for 2026.
2023 (eMsingi): Digitised for continental scale. WhatsApp delivery for low-connectivity; partnerships (Colorado Boulder PhET, Nottingham Trent curriculum); revenue model; validated psychosocial tools; KICD-aligned CSL; Familia Mtaani podcasts; Communities of Practice for 280 guidance counsellors; literacy/numeracy testing; parental content competition; Starlink partnership. The blended-model maintains human connection while achieving digital reach across Africa.
Visit emsingi.org & select your pillar of interest for mobile-accessible resources with offline options.
Schools: Explore free resources—email communications@emsingi.org for partnerships.
Teachers: Enrol at elearning.emsingi.org or join WhatsApp communities.
Parents: Listen to Familia Mtaani on emsingi.org or Spotify.
Life Skills: Listen to Winning @ Life Skills podcast on emsingi.org or Spotify
Students: Access gamified content via the website
All are designed for low-connectivity contexts.
