Naledi

What Naledi does

Naledi is a private nonprofit organization headquartered in Portola Valley, California that supports educational programs for girls in Sub-Saharan Africa, with active operations in Uganda and Zimbabwe. The organization was founded by board chairperson Amit Pandey and operates through a grant-making model, funding small, targeted projects implemented by vetted African social-entrepreneur partners. Its interventions address three primary barriers to girls' education: safety during school commutes (e.g., funding dormitories so girls can travel in daylight), menstrual health-related absenteeism (provision of disposable pads), and access to digital learning resources in teacher-scarce rural areas. The first project, a $10,000 dormitory, established the small-grant, immediate-impact template that still defines the operating model.

Naledi's programmatic approach pairs modest, fast-evaluable grants (a typical dormitory project costs approximately $10,000) with a curated partner ecosystem. Technology plays a supporting rather than central role: the organization deploys low-cost electronic tablets (around $50 each, shared among four to five students), solar panels, and internet connectivity to deliver educational content in resource-poor communities where qualified teachers are scarce or expensive. The organization does not sell products or services commercially; all revenue is philanthropic grants and donations channeled to partner-implemented projects.

The go-to-market approach is community-led and relationship-driven. Naledi does not accept unsolicited proposals; instead, its network identifies trustworthy local partners through twice-annual community "Ndaba" meetings that facilitate communication and shared learning across the partner base. Named partner relationships include Bwindi Plus School in Uganda (the first partner), the Chikukwa Project in Zimbabwe, and Education Matters' USAP School in Zimbabwe. Operational leadership on the ground includes Ezra Makaza as Country-Director for Zimbabwe, supporting the organization's expansion beyond its initial Uganda footprint.

Name

Naledi

Legal name

Naledi

Website

https://naledi.ngo

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Naledi is a private nonprofit that funds and partners with African social entrepreneurs to keep girls in school, addressing safety, menstrual health, and rural education access through small grants and tablet-based digital learning in Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Homeless, Foster Care & Highly Mobile Youth Education Services (EDAJAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Systems & Skills Technical Assistance (BPADAEAI)

Keywords

• Girls education programs
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Menstrual health support
• Rural education access
• African educator partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Portola Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: As a nonprofit organization focused on education, Naledi operates through philanthropic funding and grants to support their mission of keeping girls in school across Africa.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Naledi is a nonprofit grantmaking organization that funds and partners with African educators and social entrepreneurs to keep girls in school across Sub-Saharan Africa. It delivers programs addressing safety (dormitories), menstrual health (disposable pads), and access to quality education (tablets, solar panels, internet connectivity), with projects currently in Uganda and Zimbabwe. The organization operates exclusively through philanthropic grants and donations rather than commercial fees.

Product overview

Naledi is a non-profit organization focused on keeping girls in school in Africa. While not a traditional technology product company, Naledi supports educational initiatives that include leveraging technology such as basic electronic tablets combined with solar panels and internet access to provide educational resources to girls in resource-poor communities. The organization partners with African educators and social entrepreneurs to implement programs addressing barriers to girls' education including menstrual health, safety from sexual abuse, and access to digital learning tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Girls Education Grantmaking Program
• Dormitory Safety Initiative
• Menstrual Care Initiative
• Chikukwa Project Partnership
• USAP School Partnership

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced menstrual health related absenteeism by about half at Bwindi Plus School Uganda for 90 girls
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Education Matters (USAP School) - ZimbabwecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2021Education Matters' USAP school is a residential 11th and 12th grade school that educates high-achieving, low-income Zimbabwean students to excel at the world's top universities and return home to build society. Naledi is partnering with USAP to help low income girls by improving menstrual hygiene and facilitating access to online education.
• Chikukwa Project - ZimbabwecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2021The Chikukwa Project examines the conflux of education, health, and art as a means of social change and community dialogue focusing on gender empowerment and access to education for women and girls. Naledi has partnered with Chikukwa to help with the production of sanitary pads, and the creation of a safe space for girls to access online educational resources.
• Bwindi Plus School - UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2021Bwindi Plus School in rural Uganda was Naledi's first partner. The school has a very large dropout rate for girls post puberty. Naledi supported Bwindi in implementing a program to provide disposable menstrual pads to all 90 of its post pubescent girls. The project has already reduced menstrual health related absenteeism by about half and should help a significant percentage of the girls stay in school.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Malala Fund: Global nonprofit advocating for girls' education and funding local education programs, with significant activity in Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions. Direct peer to Naledi: shared mission of keeping girls in school, comparable grant-making operating model, and overlapping programmatic geographies.
• Days for Girls: Nonprofit that produces and distributes sustainable menstrual care products and education to girls in low-resource settings globally, with strong African presence. Direct peer to Naledi: directly comparable menstrual health intervention (pads to keep girls in school) and shared target population of school-aged girls in rural Africa.
• CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education): Pan-African nonprofit supporting girls' education and young women's leadership across multiple Sub-Saharan African countries. Direct peer to Naledi: same target population (rural African girls facing education barriers), similar community-based model, and overlapping interventions around school retention and economic empowerment.
• Room to Read: International nonprofit focused on literacy and girls' education across Asia and Africa, with multi-country programs and a focus on school-level interventions. Direct peer to Naledi: both deliver school-based girls' education programming in low-resource settings through partnerships with local educators.
• Girl Rising: Nonprofit that uses storytelling and local partnerships to advance girls' education and empowerment in countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Direct peer to Naledi: shared girls' education mission and parallel partner-driven programmatic approach in multiple African geographies.
• She's the First: Nonprofit that sponsors first-generation girls through secondary school in low-income countries, with operations in multiple African and Asian countries. Direct peer to Naledi: nearly identical model of supporting individual at-risk girls to complete schooling, funded by donations and grants.
• Educate Girls: Nonprofit working to enroll and retain out-of-school girls in rural India, with measurable outcomes on enrollment and learning. Direct peer to Naledi: same mission of bringing marginalized girls into education, comparable grassroots partner model, and emphasis on rigorous impact measurement.

Broad incumbents

• Plan International: Large global NGO focused on children's rights and equality for girls, with extensive programming in Sub-Saharan Africa. Broad incumbent peer to Naledi: significant overlap in girls' education programming across African countries, but operates at much larger scale across many issue areas.
• UNICEF (Education): UN agency with a global mandate for children's rights and well-being, including one of the world's largest education portfolios spanning hundreds of countries. Broad incumbent peer to Naledi: substantial programmatic overlap on girls' schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa, but at vastly larger scale and as part of a broader children-focused mandate.

Emerging players

• African Library Project: Smaller nonprofit establishing libraries and literacy resources in rural African communities. Emerging player peer to Naledi: comparable footprint in rural African education, similar small-scale grant-based model, but narrower focus on literacy infrastructure rather than school retention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naledingo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Naledi