RLO Education Incubation Fund (Kakuma)

Enhancing Quality Education through SEL and Digital Learning

KI4BLI operates a school called Light Academy, supporting over 250 children. This project aims to integrate Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and digital learning into the national curriculum to improve learning outcomes for children and foster a supportive teaching and learning environment.

We achieve this through:

• Teacher and learning support: Assisting teachers in integrating SEL into daily classroom activities.

• Digital content integration: Using technology-based learning resources to enhance students’ academic performance.

• Parental engagement and empowerment: Equipping parents with the knowledge and skills to support their children’s learning both inside and outside of school. Parents are supported through a holistic approach that includes sprout farming to provide food for their families, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) to strengthen family mental health, and sexual and reproductive health education to enable informed and responsible decisions for themselves and their families. This support also includes guidance on transitioning to sustainable livelihood pathways.

We have reached over 60 parents, guiding them to design and implement their own SEL activities, which they now run bi-weekly with children across Villages 1–3 in Kalobeyei. In addition, 40 parents are actively supporting SEL at Light Academy, working hand-in-hand with teachers to nurture students’ emotional well-being and academic success.

25 KI4BLI staff and teachers have successfully completed Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Training of Trainers (ToT), equipping them to embed SEL into daily teaching and school life. Beyond the classroom, our Community Development and Livelihoods team has integrated SEL activities into programs targeting parents, ensuring learning support extends into the home.

Empowering parents to lead Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) interventions in both school and community settings is the most sustainable path to building lasting community ownership of our program. In a school like Light Academy, which implements project-based learning, SEL plays a critical enabling role, fostering collaboration, empathy, and leadership among children.

To sustain this progress, we still need regular capacity strengthening from partners and SEL experts, helping our staff refine approaches that work best for our unique context.

Our Whole Development Approach combines strong teacher–learner relationships, morning check-ins, fun and engaging teaching methods, digital learning, entertainment, feeding programs, and mental health support. As a result, children describe Light Academy as fun and safe, and feel more confident tackling challenging subjects like mathematics.

However, greater advocacy efforts are needed, particularly among Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs), the Ministry of Education, implementing partners, and UNHCR, to secure essential resources such as clean water and adequate learning materials. Ensuring refugee-led schools receive these basic provisions will allow them to operate with dignity, meet community needs effectively, and deliver the intended impact, without having to plead for fundamental necessities from concerned partners.