Development done to communities fails. Done with them, it lasts.
Our philosophy.
At the heart of everything Memusi does is a single, non-negotiable belief: lasting change happens when communities lead. We are not here to build schools and leave. We are here to walk alongside children and communities — providing education, care and opportunity so that every child can learn, thrive and shape a hopeful future.
Too much emphasis in international development is placed on building classrooms. Classrooms matter — but they are the last step, not the first. A building without trained teachers, healthy children, fed students, supported girls, and engaged parents is just a building. We invest in all of it, and we only wrap it in the building once everything else is right.
Every intervention Memusi develops is tested, measured, and shared freely. If our model works here, it should work everywhere — and it's not ours to keep. Our ambition is not just to improve education in Magadi. It is to demonstrate what works and share it with the world.
"Where investment is done to a community, it will not succeed. Development, when focussed on creating partnership with the community, with shared and achievable goals, is where progress and success is possible."
Five things that are true of every school we support.
Our principles.
These aren't aspirations — they are the operating conditions we work to create in every school and community we support.
Community ownership first.
Every school we support was started by the community it serves. We back their passion — we don't impose our own. Schools that communities believe in are schools that last.
We measure what matters.
Three simple metrics guide everything we do: grades, absence rates, and girls' enrolment. If we're not moving those numbers, we change what we're doing. Data tells us the truth.
We share everything.
Every programme we develop gets given away freely. If our model works here, it should work everywhere. Sharing what works is how we multiply our impact far beyond what we could achieve alone.
We stay.
We don't build and leave. We commit to communities for the long term — because the only way to know if anything actually works is to still be there years later.
The Memusi Model.
Our beacon schools — Memusi A and B — act as proof points for the 42-school network across Magadi. What we learn at our schools, we share freely with every school in our network and beyond.
Three numbers. Everything else follows.
The impact bond.
Every school in the Memusi network operates under an Impact Bond — a formal commitment between Memusi Foundation, the school community, and the Head Teacher. It sets out shared goals, shared accountability, and the three metrics we use to measure whether the work is actually changing outcomes for children.
The Impact Bond isn't a grant agreement. It's a partnership — and it puts the community at the centre of the decision about what success looks like.
01
Grades improving.
Academic performance is the clearest signal that teaching, resources, and environment are working together. We track it at every school we support.
02
Absence coming down.
A child who isn't in school isn't learning. Attendance tells us whether our health, nutrition, and family support programmes are doing their job.
03
More girls graduating.
Girls face the steepest barriers to staying in education. If the amount of girls' graduating isn't rising, something isn't working — and we change it until it does.
What happens when the model works.
Proof of the model.
The Memusi model isn't theoretical. It has been tested in schools across Magadi for over twenty years, shared with 42 schools in the wider network, and — in the most significant proof of all — replicated beyond Kenya entirely.
In 2007, Memusi built and handed over TEAM School in Dodoma, Tanzania. The school was built by Memusi, rooted in the model, handed to the community, and then left to flourish under its own leadership. That handover was a deliberate act — a demonstration that the model works without us, which is the only kind of model worth having.
In Magadi, Memusi C — also known as Nasaru School — is now led by a former Memusi teacher. An ex-student running a school in the same community they grew up in is the clearest possible signal that the model works the way it's supposed to.
Since 2003: Memusi A & B — Magadi.
Our two beacon schools — serving nearly 1,000 students, running to Junior Secondary, and acting as proof points for the 42-school network across the ward.
Est. 2007: TEAM School, Dodoma, Tanzania - Handed over.
Built by Memusi, rooted in the model, handed to the community, and has been able to flourish independently. The ultimate proof that community ownership works.
Est. 2018: Memusi Outreach, 42 schools.
The model shared freely with every school in the Magadi network. Teacher Resource Centre, healthcare, AfriPads, de-worming — all given away without condition.
Est. 2019: Nasaru School.
An Early Childhood Development school now led by a former Memusi teacher. The model continuing without Memusi's direct leadership — exactly as intended.
Seven values. One way of working.
Our values.
These values guide every decision Memusi makes — in Kenya, and in the UK.
Dignity.
We treat every child and every community member with respect, compassion and humanity. Everyone deserves to feel seen, valued and safe.
Togetherness.
We work side by side with communities, partners and each other. Lasting change is created with people — not done for them.
Kindness.
We lead with empathy and understanding — meeting children where they are, without judgement, and offering support grounded in care.
Sustainability.
We prioritise long-term, community-led solutions that can be owned, maintained and strengthened locally for generations — long beyond Memusi.
Honesty.
We act with honesty, humility, integrity and accountability — earning trust through transparency and the way we show up.
Impact.
We focus on meaningful, measurable change — improving education, lives, and communities in ways that last. Our work is about providing the very best opportunities.
Innovation.
We continue to learn. We listen, we challenge, we test, we learn, and we implement where the outcomes prove to enhance our projects or improve lives.
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Stories of the children and the communities we serve.
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