About Us
Our Organisation
RELI Africa is a not-for-profit regional non-governmental organization duly registered in Kenya under section 10 of the Non-Governmental Organisations Co-ordination Act. RELI Africa is a member-driven and peer learning initiative that brings together over fifty Civil Society Organizations from the East African region working on education with the main aim to enhance learning outcomes in our education systems so that no child is left behind. Our approach is guided by evidence-based practice drawn from lessons, experiences, and insights from our work and collaboration. It achieves this by leveraging local knowledge and expertise to influence education policy and practice.
Membership is by invitation and brings together a diverse, energetic, and impactful group of members from across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. RELI members are committed local education organisations in the region, working tirelessly for the most vulnerable children. Created in 2017, RELI is already seen as the strongest, largest education network in East Africa. RELI stands out as it simultaneously operates as a policy-influencing network, a peer-led community of practice, and an organisational strengthening initiative.
How RELI works
RELI works simultaneously at three levels – organisations, country-based groups, and across a regional network. At organisational level, RELI members work with monitoring and evaluation specialists called “MEL mentors” to receive support to strengthen the effectiveness of their programmes and leadership within education. This strengthens a culture of evidence generation and use to improve programmes.
RELI members regularly work together in thematic groups, national leadership teams, and member-organised learning activities. Members also organise special interest groups that meet periodically and country and regional convenings for all members to deepen relationships, develop action plans for thematic groups, and collectively learn and share programmatic information. Here members share programme knowledge and evidence to deepen their learning and strengthen their programmes both individually and collectively.
Nationally and regionally, RELI members also join as a policy-influencing network and draw on their collective strengths and size to build relationships with policymakers and craft a policy-influencing agenda.
RELI’s work is rooted in trust, mutual respect, rigour, and joint ownership that led to the organic growth of RELI structures, governance, and core activities. RELI is currently hosted regionally by the Zizi Afrique Foundation.
Vision
All Children in Africa receive Inclusive and Quality Education that enables them to thrive in life.
Mission
To nurture and transform members’ capacity to collectively influence positive shifts in education policies, practices, and systems.
Our Core Values
Trust
RELI values good faith efforts and deals both honestly and openly with all stakeholders. We are accountable to ourselves and to others. As a result, members have strong relationships with each other and with the communities in which they work.
Equity
RELI membership is anchored on justice and fairness for learners, but also for its members. Within RELI everyone has access to equal opportunities and resources. Recognizing the diversity of members, eliminating barriers that prevent full participation of all members is central to what RELI Africa is and what RELI Africa represents.
Respect
RELI strives to foster an environment of positive engagement that honours each member’s contribution to the network and respect to the diversity of opinions within RELI.
Mutual Accountability
RELI aims to promote a spirit of openness and honesty in how members relate with one another and collaborate. RELI members build and maintain effective working relationships for cooperation and collaboration where information, data, and experiences are shared freely among members. RELI Africa demands that members conduct themselves ethically towards one another and the communities in which they work, take responsibility for the achievement of the network’s vision and goal.
Collaboration
RELI members build and maintain effective working relationships for cooperation and collaboration where information, data, and experiences are shared freely among members. Use of shared data and information must be in consultation with the owners.
Strategic Focus Areas
RELI achieves its goals in three areas of collective work
Creating evidence of what is working
Members generate and use evidence to guide programme improvements and share evidence and other resources with other RELI members. With support from MEL mentors and strategic communications advisors, members develop papers, videos, and blogs to share with other RELI members and key actors in education.
Members believe in sharing learning with peers and the world through focused learning events, webinars, videos, and blogs. Collective learning is shared on RELI’s online “knowledge hub” for other members and the wider education community to access.
Engaging in Collaborative Policy Influencing
Members draw on their collective experience to build strong relationships with policymakers nationally and regionally. RELI members target a range of policy issues from accountability to teacher support, learning assessments, curriculum reforms, and inclusion of excluded groups. As a large network, RELI is well poised to influence across a range of issues with collectively generated evidence-based policy positions. MEL mentors, communications support, country and regional leadership teams also help keep RELI members strategically focused while staying open to emerging areas for influence.
At the country level the network is led by two co-leads and each thematic group is led by two co-leads who are elected by members for a tenure of two years. The role of the leadership team includes working with the country coordinator and members to develop an annual plan which is informed by the RELI country strategy.
Transforming Organisations
Members work together to transform their organisations into high functioning vehicles of regional change. This is done through becoming self-learning organisations that learn and transform from experiences. Through active engagement in RELI, members further strengthen their programmes, support education innovations in the region, and build strong leadership. They are guided by Monitoring Evaluation and Learning experts to learn and transform from our experiences