Africa School Assistance Project
Opportunity through Education
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
More than 260 million children globally are not in school or do not have access to school. Of those 260 million, nearly a third of them reside in sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania alone, an estimated 5.1 million youth are out-of-school and only 4% of girls from rural areas complete lower-secondary school. School facilities and environments are often deeply inadequate, overcrowded, and unsafe; teachers are ill-motivated and under-resourced; girls risk attack and rape on the way to school and culturally their education is often not prioritized. Without immediate and monumental effort, by 2030 an estimated 825 million children - half of all young people in the world – will not have the most basic skills necessary for jobs of the future. Education creates opportunity, builds resilience, increases income, empowers future leaders, improves the health and economies of communities and nations, and ultimately is the most effective way of building a more peaceful and prosperous world.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Community School Development
ASAP develops community schools (primary and secondary) in rural Tanzania for the purpose of expanding access to quality education. We have a holistic approach to school development, meaning that we aim to provide each school with the facilities needed to enable the students and teachers to thrive. Most of our schools include classrooms, teacher’s offices, toilets & hand washing stations, water systems, solar power (where appropriate), playing fields, kitchens, libraries, and teacher’s housing. Additionally, we provide teachers the training, skills, and resources they need to be effective and impactful educators. Thus far, ASAP has built 9 community schools (and quickly counting!) serving more than 7,000 children annually in rural Tanzanian communities and the schools are achieving impressive academic results. Our community-owned school development model is efficient, effective, measurable, scalable and culturally appropriate.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children who have access to education
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Community School Development
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of schools established in rural communities
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Community School Development
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
ASAP is dedicated to improving access to quality education for children in rural Tanzanian communities, particularly girls, so they may pursue a brighter future for themselves, their families, and their communities. Our education work focuses on increasing access, quality, equity, learning, school health/nutrition, school management & sustainability, and community ownership. Ultimately, our long term vision seeks to equip all underserved Tanzanian communities with access to locally-led schools that are safe and promote quality learning environments that empower students and their communities.
Specifically, ASAP aims to:
1) Increase access to education for all underserved Tanzanian children and communities;
2) Increase the quality of teaching and learning for primary and secondary levels;
3) Increase completion and matriculation rates for primary and secondary levels;
4) Increase student health, nutrition, and school safety;
5) Increase gender equality;
6) And, increase community engagement, ownership, and financial sustainability of education systems.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
ASAP has three important initiatives that help achieve our mission:
Community School Development: ASAP develops community schools (primary and secondary) in rural Tanzania for the purpose of expanding access to quality education. We have a holistic approach to school development, meaning that we aim to provide each school with the facilities needed to enable the students and teachers to thrive. Most of our schools include classrooms, teacher’s offices, toilets & hand washing stations, water systems, solar power (where appropriate), playing fields, kitchens, and teacher’s housing. Additionally, we equip teachers with the training, skills, resources, and motivation to be impactful and effective educators. This initiative focuses on increasing access and quality to education and increasing completion and matriculation rates.
Kupanda Project for Girls (A Replicable Model to Improve Secondary School Completion Rates in Rural Tanzanian Communities): ASAP created The Kupanda Project for Girls to provide holistic support to girls in order for them to access and succeed in secondary school, thereby improving the likelihood that they will graduate and pursue tertiary education and/or employment. This initiative includes 1) dormitories with wrap-around services, including safety, nutrition, clean water, sanitation and menstrual support, 2) academic programs, including teacher training, science & math, computer training, and personal tutoring, 3) leadership & empowerment development, and 4) community education and engagement to build support for girl’s education. First piloted in 2014, this program increased lower-level secondary completion rates for girls from 4 to 96% and has maintained this level of success for 5 years and counting! Additionally, ASAP provides scholarships for qualified female students to continue their studies at advanced secondary and university levels. This initiative focuses on increasing gender equality, increasing girls completion/matriculation rates, and increasing feminine health and well-being.
Community Education & Engagement: ASAP does not build private schools but rather schools that are built in partnership with Tanzanians and belong to the local communities. In order to identify community specific needs and priorities, we work closely with national, district and local levels of government and with myriad stakeholders to ensure all voices are reflected in our work and a co-investment finance and sustainability model is employed. Further, this program strives to educate communities and stakeholders about gender biases and to strengthen communities' support of gender-inclusive education systems. This initiative aims to increase community ownership, school sustainability, and break down culturally-held gender biases.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Africa School Assistance Project is managed and facilitated by a Board of Directors (both in the United States and Tanzania) and Executive Director who have all lived and worked throughout Africa and specialized in international development, community development, education, gender equality, engineering and more. With more than a decade of experience implementing programs in Tanzania, the organization has learned what works and relies on Tanzanian leadership and professionals to identify and direct locally-appropriate solutions. Further, the organization employs 100% Tanzanian led staff on-the-ground - each of whom are experts in their fields and have shown demonstrated success throughout their careers.
Additionally, through close collaboration with numerous partner organizations and a close working relationship with the Tanzanian government, ASAP is able to effectively mobilize Tanzanian resources and expertise to further its' mission.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As of 2022, ASAP has assisted in the development of thirteen community schools - three secondary schools and ten primary schools in various regions of Tanzania. The needs of many of these schools continue to evolve, but most are now furnished with classrooms, teacher’s offices, toilets & hand washing stations, water systems, solar power (where appropriate), playing fields, kitchens, science laboratories, libraries, and teacher’s housing. 90% of primary and secondary schools have increased enrollment by 30%, 100% of primary and secondary schools have increased access and decreased crowding; 60% of primary schools boast near 100% completion and matriculation rates; secondary school completion rates for girls have increased by 94%; student/feminine health learning has increased by an average of 80%; and, 100% of partner communities meet community investment and oversight partnership requirements.
ASAP seeks to increase community/school development partnerships by 40% annually over the next three years. Additionally, we seek to replicate the Kupanda Project for Girls at a rate of one new site/school per year over the next three years.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Africa School Assistance Project
Board of directorsas of 05/03/2022
Lorez Meinhold
Lorez Meinhold
No affiliation
Charles Musiba
No affiliation
Taryn Finnessey
No affiliation
Luka Powanga
No affiliation
Francoise Mbabazi
No affiliation
Sofia Rainaldi
No affiliation
David Akerson
No affiliation
Dave Falicia
No affiliation
Lieko Earle
No affiliation
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data