What Educaid does

EducAid is a UK-registered charity (1163161) and Sierra Leonean-registered NGO founded in 1995 by Dr. Miriam Mason-Sesay, operating for three decades to address Sierra Leone's 95.8% learning poverty rate through a vertically integrated education model. The organisation runs three own model schools — Lumley Secondary (Freetown), Maronka Primary (Port Loko), and Rolal Junior and Senior Secondary (Port Loko) — that double as teacher training hubs and demonstration sites, while supporting nearly 2,000 partner schools and 1,996 teachers through training, mentoring, and continuous professional development. Gender equality is delivered via the Strong Girl Incubator (active since 2007), Girl Power Groups, the Pawa school-leadership programme, and the White Ribbon Campaign; climate action runs through the Green Guardians project; and post-secondary pathways include a Business Administration & Management degree with the University of Makeni.

Technically, EducAid's flagship is the Pikin Tab tablet programme, which uses onebillion's adaptive learning software on solar-powered, offline tablets to deliver personalised literacy and numeracy lessons aligned to Sierra Leone's national curriculum, serving 130,000 students across 530 public primary schools via a coalition with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Imagine Worldwide, Rising Academy Network, ActionAid, and SEND. New ICT labs at Lumley and Maronka (2024) and participation in a 2026 Google DeepMind, Fab Inc, Laterite, and Oxford MeasurEd study of LearnLM-supported AI tutoring extend the technology footprint.

Commercially, EducAid is a donation-funded nonprofit with no paid services to beneficiaries; all education, training, and residential support (including the Maronka Safe House and SGI accommodation) are free. Income comes from individual donations (UK, European, US, and Sierra Leonean via Beaconforms and Every.org, supplemented by Gift Aid), community fundraising events (Big Give Christmas Challenge, sponsored runs, treks, school challenges), and institutional grants from a diversified set of partners including Comic Relief, Swiss Development Cooperation, Education Outcomes Fund (via SLEIC), Government of Ireland, Kings Trust International, Rockdale Foundation, Forrester Family Trust, OWL Foundation, Bridges Foundation, and Futures for Kids, alongside strategic relationships with Brookings, RTI International, Education Development Trust, and the University of Makeni.

Name

Educaid

Legal name

EducAid Sierra Leone

Website

https://educaid.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

EducAid is a UK-registered charity and Sierra Leonean NGO, founded in 1995, that provides free holistic education — primary, secondary, teacher training, gender and climate programmes — to over 250,000 students across nearly 2,000 schools, funded by donations and institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Services (nonprofit)

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (6117), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software (EDAJAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Warning & Risk Prediction (Dropout/Failure Alerts, Intervention Targeting) (EDAFAFAE), Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Classroom Support Platforms (EDAFAKAI), Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH), Classroom & Institutional Language Learning Platforms (Schools/Universities) (EDAFAOAI)

Keywords

• Primary education services
• Teacher training programmes
• Girls education initiative
• Tablet-based learning
• Education charity

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: EducAid is a UK-registered charity (1163161) and Sierra Leonean registered NGO funded entirely through donations. Supporters donate via online forms (GBP, EUR, USD, SLL), bank transfer, cheque, legacy bequests, and event-based fundraising. Gift Aid on eligible donations from UK taxpayers adds 25% to each gift.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EducAid is a UK-registered charity and Sierra Leonean NGO that delivers free, holistic education to vulnerable children and young people in Sierra Leone. Its core offering centres on operating three model schools (Lumley Secondary, Maronka Primary, Rolal Junior and Senior Secondary), running a tablet-based adaptive literacy and numeracy programme (Pikin Tab) across 530 public primary schools, and training teachers and school leaders at nearly 2,000 partner schools. Complementary offerings include gender-equity programmes (Strong Girl Incubator, Girl Power Groups, Pawa, White Ribbon Campaign) and climate action initiatives (EducAid Green Guardians).

Product overview

EducAid is a Sierra Leonean-led UK registered charity (1163161) that has been transforming education in Sierra Leone for 30 years. The organization operates a holistic education network comprising model schools (Maronka Primary, Lumley Secondary, Rolal Junior and Senior Secondary), the tablet-based Pikin Tab learning programme, teacher training services, and gender equality initiatives including the Strong Girl Incubator, Girl Power Groups, and Pawa. The Pikin Tab programme uses onebillion's adaptive learning software on solar-powered tablets to deliver personalized literacy and numeracy lessons to over 130,000 students. EducAid reaches over 1,900 schools through teacher development and system strengthening programmes, making it one of the largest educational networks in Sierra Leone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lumley Secondary School EducAid's first and model secondary school in Freetown, hosting junior and senior secondary school students and the Strong Girl Incubator programme; delivered free of charge to pupils.
• Maronka Primary School Model primary school and teacher training hub in Port Loko district providing free high-quality education to 100 vulnerable children and housing the Maronka Girls' Safe House.
• Rolal Junior and Senior Secondary School EducAid's largest school site in Port Loko district, serving 360 students with residential facilities, functioning as a model school, teacher training centre and host of the Strong Girl Incubator programme.
• Strong Girl Incubator (SGI) Gender-equity programme providing accelerated learning, mentoring, school feeding, learning materials, hygiene supplies and accommodation to vulnerable girls and young women who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out of secondary school, supporting them back into mainstream education.
• Girl Power Groups Weekly peer-education sessions where girls discuss rights, gender-related topics, violence prevention and empowerment, led by female role models from local communities.
• Pawa Programme working for safer, more girl-friendly and inclusive schools by training school leaders on gender-inclusive leadership across Freetown.
• White Ribbon Campaign Gender-based violence prevention initiative engaging boys and young men in discussions about equality and ending violence against women and girls.
• Pikin Tab Tablet Programme Tablet-based adaptive learning programme aligned with Sierra Leone's national curriculum that delivers personalised literacy and numeracy lessons to children on solar-powered, offline-capable tablets running onebillion software; serves 130,000 students across 530 public primary schools.
• Teacher Professional Development Residential training, mentoring and continuous professional development for teachers and school leaders across nearly 2,000 partner schools, covering literacy, numeracy, classroom management and gender-responsive practice.
• Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC) Multi-year school improvement programme working with 65+ schools and training 500+ teachers in literacy, numeracy, classroom management and gender-responsive practices, with funding from the Education Outcomes Fund.
• EducAid Green Guardians Climate action project working with schools and communities around Freetown and Port Loko on environmental awareness, education, research and student-led environmental activities.
• Business Administration & Management (BAM) Course University degree programme run in partnership with the University of Makeni, providing higher-education pathways for talented EducAid students and alumni, with a focus on supporting women.
• EducAid Alumni Network Network providing career guidance, job opportunities, mentoring and sponsorships for EducAid alumni, with inclusive leadership that ensures women's voices are heard.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250,000 students reached in 2026 across all programmes
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Global Schools Forum (GSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Schools Forum is a partner supporting EducAid's mission to transform education in Sierra Leone through shared learning and collaboration with other education-focused organisations globally.
• Brookings InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrookings Institution has published policy research on EducAid's work including family, school, and community partnerships in Sierra Leone. EducAid contributes to Brookings research on education system strengthening.
• RTI InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTI International partners with EducAid on education improvement programmes, bringing research and technical expertise to Sierra Leone's education system.
• Imagine WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImagine Worldwide is a key partner in the Pikin Tab tablet programme, providing adaptive learning software and coordinating the initiative across 530 public primary schools serving 130,000 students.
• Rising Academy NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRising Academy Network partners with EducAid on the Pikin Tab tablet programme and shares best practices in education across Sierra Leone.
• Global School LeadersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal School Leaders works with EducAid on school leadership development and best practices sharing.
• Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBSSE is the government ministry that EducAid works with on teacher training programmes, the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC), and the Pikin Tab tablet programme. The Ministry officially recognises and partners with EducAid on national education initiatives.
• Education Development TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation Development Trust partners with EducAid on school leadership knowledge events and education system improvement programmes in Sierra Leone.
• Google DeepMindcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle DeepMind partnered with EducAid, Fab Inc, Laterite, and Oxford MeasurEd on research exploring the impact of AI-supported learning in Sierra Leone's lower-income education setting.
• Fab InccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFab Inc partners with EducAid on AI research and education innovation projects, including the Google DeepMind research study on AI-supported learning.
• Girls Empowerment Sierra Leone (GESL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGESL partners with EducAid on the Comic Relief Gender Justice Fund 3-year project to improve the employability of young women in Sierra Leone.
• TalentEdgeminorOthersTalentEdge partners with EducAid on talent development and skills programmes.
• Next EnergyminorOthersNext Energy partners with EducAid on energy solutions including solar power for school sites.
• University of MakenicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Makeni partners with EducAid on the Business Administration & Management (BAM) degree course, providing higher education pathways for EducAid students and alumni.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• onebillion: Non-profit developer of the offline, solar-powered adaptive literacy and numeracy software that powers EducAid's Pikin Tab tablets. Direct technology peer delivering personalized learning to children in low-income, low-connectivity environments.
• Room to Read: Global non-profit focused on literacy, girls' education, and school library programmes across low-income countries. Comparable model: operates schools, trains teachers, and has a strong gender-equity focus, but with a much broader geographic footprint.
• Camfed: Non-profit focused on girls' education and economic empowerment across sub-Saharan Africa. Directly comparable mission and beneficiary segment to EducAid's Strong Girl Incubator, with a similarly strong alumnae-to-leader pipeline model.
• War Child: International non-profit delivering education and child protection in conflict and post-conflict settings. Comparable given EducAid's origin in post-civil war Sierra Leone and similar focus on access, teacher development, and child wellbeing in fragile states.
• Imagine Worldwide: Non-profit that partners with governments to deploy tablet-based adaptive learning at scale. Direct co-delivery partner with EducAid on the Pikin Tab programme reaching 130,000 students in Sierra Leone, sharing a near-identical technology-and-government model.
• Rising Academy Network: A multi-country education network operating schools and teacher training in Sierra Leone and other contexts, with overlapping mission in system strengthening and a direct partnership with EducAid on the Pikin Tab programme. Most direct peer given shared geography, model, and partner ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF Education: The UN agency leading global education in emergencies and system strengthening, with active programming in Sierra Leone alongside MBSSE. Comparable at the level of mission and government partnership, though it operates as a multilateral rather than a delivery NGO.
• Plan International: Large global development organization with extensive education and girls' equality programmes across West Africa, including Sierra Leone. Comparable mission on gender-equity-in-education but operates at a much larger scale and broader thematic scope.
• BRAC: One of the world's largest non-governmental development organizations operating schools, teacher training, and education programmes across multiple low-income countries. Highly comparable operating model (schools + system strengthening) but at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.

Others

• Education Cannot Wait: Global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. Functions as a potential funding and coordination peer to EducAid, given overlapping focus on Sierra Leone and fragile-state schooling, but operates as a financing mechanism rather than a service deliverer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/educaidsl_ldn
• Facebookfacebook.com/EducAidSL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/educaid-sierra-leone
• Instagraminstagram.com/educaidsl

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Educaid