Through TV, radio, and mobile, children in 26.4 million households in 41 countries across Africa watch, listen, and learn from Ubongo’s educational cartoon programs every week.
These educational – and fun – shows are designed to improve school readiness – and to provide an education where there is no opportunity for school. Reaching over 24,600,000 children, Ubongo is Africa’s biggest classroom – putting it in a powerful position to promote social and behavioral change for kids, caregivers and educators — and make a lasting impact.
Characters in Ubongo cartoons are truly representative. They feature empowered, smart, adventurous children from across Africa, and they are delivered in 9 languages – often the only time children hear educational content in their own local language.
In one of the studio’s most popular shows, Akili And Me, Akili, a curious 4-year-old, explores a magical world of language, letters, numbers and art with her family and animal friends. At every step, she overcomes barriers to learning, so that she can achieve her goals. In Ubongo Kids, 5 friends use STEM skills to solve problems and mysteries in Kokotoa Village in Tanzania.
“Ubongo’s edutainment is helping millions of kids to learn and love learning, and the scale of the impact is really important,” says Nisha Ligon, co-founder of Ubongo.“But what inspires me the most is seeing kids pretending to be our characters when they play or hearing them say how our characters gave them confidence or inspired them to do more.”
In July, Ubongo was honored by UNESCO for leading the way in digital education. The award acknowledges that stories like Ubongo’s do more than only educate children. They change their perspectives and expectations too – inspiring them to fulfill their potential, and change the world for the better.
How to help
Learn more about Ubongo’s programs and impact – and meet Akili! – in this entertaining video.
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