Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Ciku is an innovation manager and works on one of Brink’s programmes, Edtech Hub,  across two teams: In the innovation team where we test EdTech interventions using a tool we call the sandbox, and in the engagement team as the co-lead on our portfolio of work in Kenya where we support governments, development partners and edtech entrepreneurs with the evidence and technical support they need to effectively implement technology in education.

Ciku holds an MSc in Public and Urban Policy from University of Glasgow. She is passionate about redefining systems and cultures in Africa to see a shift in thinking/behavior that will propel the continent to its full potential.  She has over 10 years experience working with social enterprises in East Africa using iterative and human centred approaches to test and refine promising interventions and increase their chances of success and impact.

While doing her masters, Ciku worked to fundraise (from friends and family) to take young girls from a marginalised community in Kenya, who were either rescued from, or at risk of child marriage, to school, because she believed that equipping them with an education would open them up to a future beyond what they could see. It remains to date, one of the most powerful experiences of her life.

Questions Ciku is exploring in their work right now:

• How can governments create Edtech strategies that while being aspirational, remain realistic to their current circumstances and needs?
• How can technology be leveraged to increase access and equity for children who are missing out on learning because they are  in marginalised areas and communities?