USAID CATALYZE EduFinance Activity - DRC

Summary

USAID CATALYZE EduFinance DRC leverages private capital and provides loans and technical support to low-fee non-state schools, prioritizing girls and learners from low-income families in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, and Lubumbashi) to increase access and quality of education for children and youth.

• Project Duration: Dec 2020 – Sep 2024
• Sectors: Pre-primary, primary, and secondary private schools and école conventionnées (faith-based schools)
• Focus: Low-fee non-state schools, especially those prioritizing girls and learners from low-income families
• Implementers: Palladium International, Opportunity International

The Challenge

The education system in DRC faces many challenges including low enrollment rates, low learning outcomes, and high drop-out rates, particularly for girls. In addition, there is a robust demand for private education in DRC, including among low-income families. Eighty percent of DRC’s schools are non-state; a majority (70%) are faith-based schools (école conventionnées), owned by or affiliated with a religious institution, while the rest are privately operated.

Although there is an active banking and financial sector in the DRC, few lenders have designed products suitable for the education sector. Congolese schools serving low- and middle-income communities cannot access the capital they need for infrastructure projects like building more classrooms and gender-separated washrooms, or make key investments like purchasing equipment or hiring additional teachers.

Our Approach

Opportunity is partnering with local financial institutions to create access to affordable finance for non-state schools and serve learners from low and lower-middle income households. Through CATALYZE, we:  

1. partner with local financial institutions to design loans for affordable schools and school-fee loans to parents; and
2. engage school leaders in strategic development planning through the ‘Pathways to Excellence’ tool designed for affordable non-state schools.

We also provide instructional leadership and management best practices to school leaders and teachers to improve education quality using a ‘training of trainers’ approach. This includes training teachers on inclusive teaching practices and coaching school leaders to proactively identify child protection risks at their schools.

Targets

Mobilize Finance and Increase Access to Education

• Mobilize US $13 million from private investors and local financial institutions to finance low-cost primary schools, leveraging 3x capital from USAID CATALYZE.
• Finance 700+ low-cost schools in urban and periurban centers of Kinshasha, Lubumbashi, Bukavu, and Goma.
• Partner with local financial institutions to provide school-fee loans to low-income students.
• Work with local financial institutions to address financing needs of schools in response to COVID-19.

Improve Education Quality—Especially for Girls

• Improve school quality through development planning and professional development trainings for teachers and administrators in 300 non-state schools.
• Include gender-responsive training for teachers and school leadership.

Project Details

Topics

Education

Funders

USAID/CATALYZE, implemented by Palladium

Partners

COOPEC CAHI, SMICO, Advans Banque, FINCA DRC, Baobab DRC, PAIDEK, COOCEC KIVU, Hekima, Tujenge Pamoja, Equity BCDC, UBA, ProcFin, Guilgal

Status

Active