Save the Children Global Ventures (SCGV) has led the first US$1 million
commitment (of an anticipated US$ 6 million) to USAID’s CATALYZE EduFinance Rwanda
fund. The fund helps improve access to capital for affordable education providers in Rwanda to
enhance their education offerings and improve learning and education outcomes for students.
Early childhood development (ECD) is a key focus area for the CATALYZE EduFinance
Rwanda fund. Greater investment in ECD is critical to ensuring all young children reach their
potential for primary school education. However, children and families in Rwanda lack access
to basic ECD services with only one out of every five children between 3- to 6-years of age
having the opportunity to attend a preschool, daycare, or other early learning facility.
“Save the Children knows that traditional development approaches alone are not enough to
achieve our ambitious goals for children. To make a meaningful difference in children’s lives
for the next 100 years, more effort and money need to flow to innovative and entrepreneurial
approaches like this early childhood education initiative in Rwanda,” says Paul Ronalds, CEO
of SCGV.
“In Rwanda, ECD spaces not only provide a quality early learning environment; they protect
children, improve their nutritional intake, and allow mothers to re-engage in the workforce.
They also create employment for those working in them, which is why investing in ECDs can
have such a deep impact,” adds Maggie Korde, Country Director at Save the Children Rwanda.
CATALYZE EduFinance mobilizes blended finance through the strategic use of USAID funds
in Rwanda. Private capital leveraged with USAID funding addresses the substantial funding
gap in the education sector and improves learning outcomes. In addition to capital, beneficiaries
of the fund also receive training that helps to strengthen their viability while continuing to serve
low-income families.
The fund builds on successful initiatives implemented in India and South Africa by education
investment firm, Kaizenvest, who manages private equity and debt funds and invests in
companies that drive learning innovation. Kaizenvest has invested their own funds into the
CATALYZE EduFinance programming.
