Ugandan ed-tech startup KAINO has developed a homeschooling app for early childhood development (ECD) in response to the closure of schools in the country as a result of COVID-19.
When Disrupt Africa first reported on KAINO in late 2018, the startup was in the process of piloting its e-learning solution KAINOtab, offering teachers, students and parents access to online guides and textbooks, assessment tools and educational games both online and offline.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, however, the startup pivoted to solve what it considered to be a pressing need.
“Because of COVID-19, all schools were closed here in Uganda. The government has moved to open schools this month, but only for final year students. The rest still don’t know when they will get back to school. KAINO had been building a product for schools before the pandemic but when it hit and schools closed, we had to pivot real quick and started developing a homeschooling app for ECD,” chief executive officer (CEO) Alfred Opio told Disrupt Africa.
The MVP of this app was launched late last month, and is already being used by over 350 people not only in Uganda, but also in Burundi, Tanzania, South Sudan and Rwanda. Opio attributes the swift uptake to the fact ECD is often neglected by ed-tech companies on the continent.
“The ed-tech space in Africa is mainly centered around solutions for primary and secondary school students. These are the majority, leaving ECD lagging behind,” he said.
