How can we best use the NGO’s funds to help children’s education while supporting the local economy?

PROBLEM

Bright Future for Children in Cape Verde is a non-profit organization founded in 2023. It focuses on children's education by providing school supplies, bringing volunteers and training local teachers, building or renovating schools, and funding health screenings and scholarships for higher education. When I joined them, the organization already had the funds for the project; they didn’t know how to allocate them best. It was up to the local community to decide how to use the funds.

My job was to do primary in-person research, starting on the island of Sal.

OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH

Map out the child’s education journey in Cape Verde.
Identify educational institutions and their characteristics.
Understand the demographics of students and teachers.
Explore job opportunities for young adults.
Assess the government’s stance on collaborating with NGOs.
Determine the educational needs and challenges across different islands.
Discover and connect with other organizations or sustainable projects happening locally.

Each island faces different struggles, and depending on the location, children's needs change. That’s why it was necessary to conduct in-person research and interviews.

CHALLENGES

From the beginning, we knew we wanted the local community to tell us how to allocate the funds best. That meant talking to the teachers, the parents, government officials, and the children themselves. This all takes time. We mentioned the need for a website in the beginning but it was clear, there were more important things. The research phase will take up most of our time and dictate our next steps. Building the website in the future will be used as social proof of the NGO’s work and for fundraising purposes, but it isn’t a priority right now.

1. Initial Logistics and Bureaucracy

Difficulty obtaining work permits for NGO employees.
Lack of clear guidance on requirements, leading to confusion and repeated visits between government offices and banks, which are located in different cities.
Coordination with the main government office in Praia adds complexity.

2. Island-Specific Constraints

Most businesses close at 2 PM, limiting opportunities to engage with local stakeholders.
Language barriers complicate communication with locals and officials.
Public transport is unreliable; overcrowded buses hinder mobility and access to education or work.
Tourists primarily use taxis, which aren't affordable or practical for locals.

3. Urban Disparities and Infrastructure Challenges

Distinct separation between the local city (Espargos) and the tourist hub (Santa Maria) in terms of architecture, transport options and shopping availability.
The physical distance between the two cities limits access to shared resources and facilities.
Unequal distribution of utilities like water and electricity, local neighborhoods face frequent shortages.

Personas and user profiles based on in-person interviews with teachers, parents, and children.
Focus groups with local institutions and organizations.
Surveys and questionnaires within the community.
Empathy mapping.
Benchmarking and SWOT analysis.

METHODS TO CONDUCT THE RESEARCH

FINDINGS

EDUCATION SYSTEM

The island has 3–4 schools, including one international private school that serves children of expats and government officials. Children of local workers and Senegalese immigrants primarily attend public schools.

Focus on improving conditions for the local community by providing school and hygiene supplies. The aim is to bridge the gap between children from poorer and wealthier families to provide equal opportunities for all.

Private tutoring is offered by some teachers to keep children engaged after school, during weekends, and holidays.

Provide funding for extracurricular activities.

Typical Child’s Education Journey in Cape Verde

CHALLENGES FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN

Bring in teacher volunteers who will spend time with the children doing extracurricular activities.

Many parents work in tourism, often on weekends and holidays, leaving children without supervision during these times.

Young adults start learning English after high school, often through self-study, to improve employability in the tourism sector.

Engage the tourists who are visiting the islands to volunteer and offer language classes.

COMMUNITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE INSIGHTS

People mainly speak Creole and Portuguese, some know basic English if they work in tourism.

Hiring a translator is necessary to communicate with the local population effectively.

New initiatives like salt mines and wind power mills reflect ongoing development efforts.

The NGO can support and help with this kind of projects to create workplaces for young people and incentivize them to return to Cape Verde after studying abroad.

YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES AND INITIATIVES

Young people move away from Cape Verde for work and education. They don’t come back to their home country.

Starting a scholarship program in the future, whereby young people are encouraged to learn languages and gain education abroad - and then return to Cape Verde to bring their expertise and support the local economy.

TUI travel agency organizes monthly entrepreneurship workshops where tourists share their business expertise with local youth, fostering innovation and skill-building.

Potential collaborator for the NGO.

The funding will be divided into immediate action and long-term collaboration to ensure the project addresses current needs while fostering sustainable community development.

NEXT STEPS

IMMEDIATE ACTION

Buy school and hygiene supplies, and provide a generator to supply electricity to the school in Espargos.

Provide additional training to the teachers we spoke with.

Hire local staff and a translator to ensure smooth communication between the locals and the NGO’s stakeholders.

LONG-TERM COLLABORATION

Provide funding for a library or community center in Espargos and Santa Maria.

Establish trust and communication with the local government.

Collaborate with local travel agencies and organizations that share the same mission.

My research in Sal provided the NGO’s stakeholders with a clear roadmap.

The board of directors quickly realized that this initiative was far more complex than they had anticipated—expanding research to other islands is essential, and collaboration with the local government will be key. Building trust and meaningful relationships takes time. The people of Cape Verde are incredibly welcoming and eager to help, offering insights despite language barriers. However, navigating bureaucracy operates on "island time," meaning patience will be necessary to secure permits and establish a sustainable presence. Employing local researchers ensures that resources directly benefit the communities that need them most.

Though my time in Sal was brief, it moved the project forward. I left with a deeper understanding of the work ahead and friendships that will carry this mission forward.

Designing Opportunities For Education Funding