Our Pathways to Change

How We Turn Evidence into Lasting Systems Change

Lasting change does not happen through single projects or linear steps. It happens when systems shift — and when the people within them are supported to lead that change over time.

Guided by Vision 2040, our work is delivered through five mutually reinforcing interventions. Together, they translate evidence into action, strengthen education systems from within, and build the collective capacity required for impact at scale.

These interventions are not sequential. They operate together, responding to real system conditions and evolving as contexts change.

How the Five Interventions Work Together

Evidence informs policy.
Policy enables system reform.
Innovation strengthens practice.
Systems embed change.
Ecosystems sustain it.

Together, these five interventions form Mizizi Elimu Afrika's pathway to impact, enabling us to strengthen foundational skills, transform education systems, and build the collective capacity needed to catalyse improved foundational learning at scale for 10 million learners across 10+ countries by 2040.

Our Theory of Change

Why systems matter:

Mizizi Elimu Afrika believes that lasting improvements in learning only happen when systems change from within. Children do not gain strong foundations through isolated projects or short-term fixes. They gain them through effective public education systems, informed by evidence and supported by connected, capable ecosystems.

Our theory of change is simple and deliberate:

If we centre the most excluded learners, strengthen systems from within, and nurture a values-based ecosystem, then all children can gain the foundational skills to learn, relate, and thrive.

What sets us apart

How We Pursue Change

What distinguishes Mizizi Elimu Afrika is not just what we do, but how we do it.

We work with and through government, recognising that only public systems can reach every learner equitably.

We treat evidence as a public good, embedding it into policy, practice and accountability, not confining it to reports.

We use innovation as a learning tool, enabling systems to test, adapt and adopt what works.

We invest in ecosystem building, strengthening African-led leadership so reform is shared and sustained.

We remain power-aware and equity-centred, ensuring children and communities furthest behind shape the solutions that affect them.

Our role is catalytic. We enable others to lead, while strengthening the conditions that allow change to endure.

The Five Interventions

1. Training and capacity strengthening

Building the human capability that systems depend on

Education systems only change when the people within them are equipped to lead that change.

At Mizizi Elimu Afrika, training and capacity strengthening is about building practical, relational and values-based capability so reforms are not just designed, but lived in classrooms, schools, families and communities.

What we do

Through training pathways and learning communities we:

Strengthen inclusive, relational and values-based teaching
Support educators to translate curriculum and policy into everyday practice
Equip families and youth as co-educators and learning mentors
Generate practical insight on what works, for whom, and under what conditions
Support governments to embed and scale effective capacity-building models

Capacity strengthening ensures change is carried forward by those who remain in the system, not dependent on external factors.

How this drives change

When teachers, school leaders, families and youth are equipped with the right tools, relationships and values, reform becomes lived practice — not just policy on paper. Capacity strengthening is what makes systems change durable.

Our stance

Capacity is not a deficit to be filled. It is a resource to be activated, deepened and sustained. We invest in people as the primary agents of systems change.

2. Research and evidence use

Making evidence work for systems, not shelves

Evidence only matters when it shapes decisions.

What we do

We generate, synthesise and translate evidence to inform policy, strengthen practice and drive accountability. Our research is applied and participatory — designed with those who use it.

How this drives change

When evidence is embedded in how systems plan, budget and deliver, decisions are better, resources are better used, and learners are better served.

3. Technical support

Shifting priorities, ensuring reform reaches classrooms

Policy is where scale happens but only when reform is embedded, resourced and owned.

What we do

We provide technical support to governments and institutions to strengthen policy frameworks, curriculum design, assessment systems and resource allocation for foundational learning.

How this drives change

When governments own and lead reform — with strong technical support — change reaches every classroom, not just pilot schools. Policy becomes the vehicle for scale.

4. Relational convening

Embedding change where it can last

Lasting systems change begins with relationships.

Relational convening is how we bring people, evidence and power together to shift systems from within. We create trusted spaces where government, educators, communities, researchers and partners can think, learn and act together over time.

What we do

We convene cross-sector learning communities, multi-stakeholder dialogues and peer exchanges that build trust, align priorities and sustain collective action for foundational learning.

How this drives change

When relationships are strong, systems become adaptive. Relational convening builds the social infrastructure needed for reform to hold — even when leadership changes or funding shifts.

Our stance

We do not convene to consult. We convene to co-create. Power-aware, inclusive spaces are where lasting change takes root.

5. Ecosystem building and collective impact

From isolated actors to shared movement

No single organisation can transform education systems alone.

What we do

We invest in building connected, values-driven ecosystems where African-led organisations, governments, communities and funders work together towards shared goals for foundational learning.

How this drives change

When ecosystems are strong, reform is shared, sustained and scaled. Collective impact replaces fragmented effort — and children benefit from systems that work together, not in silos.