CDL Group launches The Mwalimu Co in Kenya, one of East Africa’s first teacher-laptop program

The CDL Group announces the soon-to-launch The Walimu Co., a project that aims to empower every public school teacher in Kenya with a laptop, internet, certified professional development and solar power for 1800 – 2500 KSH/ month. Partnering with global tech, regional banks and financiers (including RentCo& House of Procurement), teachers can lease to own the bundled laptops for a period of 1 to 3 years. .

Teachers are the most essential facilitator in the implementation process of the curriculum.^[1]Children have endured difficult times since COVID-19 arrived in Kenya. In 2020, according to Unicef, school closures interrupted learning for over 17 million children and increased their risk of violence, child labour and child marriage. The aim of teacher education is to produce qualified teachers who can help pupils learn the material they need and help them navigate the difficulties brought on by environmental and social pressures.

The Mwalimu Co.‘s goal is to make digital education accessible and affordable for all African teachers by leveraging funding from top brands like Microsoft and HP, as well as Intel and Dell.

The first phase of this project will be launching 3000 devices in Kenya, with the aim of scaling to up to 200,000. Lease options are available from 1 to 3 years. Furthermore, the company has partnered with Mirai Partners to provide teacher development programs and training, with Safaricom to distribute data bundles, solar power systems, and with Rentco.

According to the International Labor Organization, the main issues in Kenya’s education sector include access to education and technology to teachers and students.

 Nyla, Founder of CDL, Co-founder or Mirai Partners, Founder of Louisa says,

“I’m the daughter, god-daughter, best-friend of teachers and a teacher myself. Teachers do god’s work, yet so little of that work is ever recognized or acknowledged by the world. We’ve started The Walimu Co. so that teachers can use digital tools to grasp the same opportunities as everyone else, uplift their families and most importantly recognize their own power. There is no better solution to empower a generation than having informed, inspired and digitally informed teachers.”

The Mwalimu Co aims to support educators in their quest for digital learning. We believe education should be available to all, and that it’s our duty to provide adequate access to quality the latest digital resources. We intend for this project to benefit all areas of needs – from devices, training, solar power, and data bundles to cover all the needs of teachers so that they can focus on what they love most: teaching.

Teachers can very soon take part in the program, which will be announced and launched on our website. Teachers will then be able to log into any time to register their interest in our offer.

At Casa Da Louisa, we are thrilled to inaugurate The Mwalimu Co in Kenya. The program will be rolling out across East Africa, including Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda.

The Mwalimu Co is an opportunity for growth for all teachers who need professional support with educational resources which are easy, accessible, and adorable. We believe that the future of our upcoming generations is in our hands, so we are committed to using every resource at our disposal to ensure that teachers are equipped with the essential tools to raise those generations.