We are using cookies to give a better service experience. By using our services you agree to use cookies. Read more

Accept
Reject
search
clear

IDP Rising Schools Program (IDPRSP)

place Ghana

Empowering local social entrepreneurs with capital, financial literacy and school management capacity to expand access to quality education

The IDP Rising Schools Program, created by the IDP Foundation, Inc., in partnership with local financial institution Sinapi Aba, provides training in financial literacy and school management plus access to loans to proprietors of low-fee private schools in poor communities in Ghana. Currently the program reaches almost 600 schools and nearly 140,000 students.

Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Web presence

2009

Established

140K

Children

1

Countries
Updated
June 2019
Why is it easier to access credit for a yam-selling business than for improving the educational environment of a school?

About the innovation

IDP Rising Schools Program (IDPRSP)

In many developing countries like Ghana, access to quality education remains a limited public service. As a result, poor households are unable to access public education usually because they are non-existent, too far away or expensive. In many of these situations, poor parents in Ghana are choosing to send their children to low-fee private schools (LFPS). These schools are owned and operated by local private school proprietors who charge an affordable tuition to parents who demand access to quality education. However, despite the critical need LFPS address within the market, many of the school proprietors lack access to the much needed credit and support.

The IDP Foundation’s (IDPF) keystone program, the IDP Rising Schools Program, was started in 2008 with the goal to create a sustainable, replicable, and scalable model. During a trip to Ghana to look at microfinance initiatives, Irene Pritzker, President and CEO of IDPF, had identified the untapped low-fee private school market – a sector that was totally ignored but desperately needed support. Irene saw that owners of existing LFPS, who were essentially grassroots social entrepreneurs, lacked access to capital to grow and improve their schools. This was because banks considered them “too risky”.

That’s when she set upon forging a unique partnership with local Ghanaian financial institution, Sinapi Aba, by providing catalytic philanthropic capital to create a program designed to provide loans and training in financial literacy and school management to local school proprietors. The program has reached almost 600 schools and nearly 140,000 students with expansion plans in process. Irene strongly believes in partnering with and empowering communities to strengthen the resources they already have and improve upon those while moving away from aid dependent solutions.

Spread of the innovation

loading map...