Kantaya After School EdTech

Asociacion Kantaya Inc.

Kantaya After School EdTech

Educational Digital Program providing equitable access to quality education After School for children in underserved areas in Peru.

Lima, Perú

PER

Nonprofit

Peru faces a severe educational crisis, ranking 129 out of 137 countries in quality of primary education (WEF, 2018). The crisis is primarily driven by the lack of quality teachers (83%) and insufficient focus on developing socio-emotional skills in children (58%) (Encuesta CADE Educación, 2017). In remote and underserved areas, the educational gap deepens due to deficiencies in school infrastructure: 70% of schools lack basic services like water, sewage or electricity, and more than 60% does not have access to internet (Censo Educativo, 2023). As a result of these conditions, only 12% of children living in poverty develop reading comprehension skills, and 8% can solve basic math problems (Evaluación Muestral de Estudiantes, 2022). Consequently, long-term opportunities are severely limited: only 3% of youth from low-income backgrounds aged 15-29 access higher or technical education (INEI, 2023). Confronted with these barriers, traditional educational models are not enough. Digital solutions and after-school programs represent a scalable and efficient complement providing quality education to more children, without depending on the limited school infrastructure.

Kantaya tackles the educational crisis in Peru through two programs: 1.Kantaya After School, a program that empowers children to achieve their dreams with a free learning program of intellectual and socio-emotional skills. 2.Podera, a program that trains, certifies and empowers women from vulnerable areas as teaching assistants. The After School Program focuses on elementary and middle school levels, and it is structured in three pillars: (1) Personalized curricula aligned to the national curricula, (2) Development of socio-emotional skills, and (3) Life experiences. For over 20 years, it has positively impacted 3,100+ children, obtaining significant improvements in children’s reading comprehension, mathematics, science, technology and socio-emotional development and skills. Currently the program operates in eight centers, owned or in alliance with schools and social organizations. These alliances have been key but are limited by the available infrastructure of our allies. As a result, demands overcome our operational capacity and our impact remains localized. We are aiming to scale up the reach of the program, by migrating to an EdTech program, through Moodle, an open-source platform accessible from cellular phones, even offline. This solution allows for a multimedia, personalized and data-based educational experience, without depending on physical infrastructure.

In Peru there are more than 2.6 million children 12 years or younger living in poverty and facing deficiencies in health, nutrition, education and protection (INEI, 2024). Throughout the country, children suffer enormous educational gaps, emotional abandonment and limited access to quality education, especially in rural and vulnerable urban areas. Kantaya serves this segment of children aged 5 to 12 living in poverty across Peru, including some of the country’s most underserved communities. They grow in unstable homes, with alimentary insecurities (33% of children from 6 to 59 months had anemia – ENDES, 2023) and without positive adult role models (1 million+ of children ages 9-11 are at risk due to lack of family protection – ENARES, 2019). And they face precarious conditions at school. Our solution responds directly to these challenges, bringing academic content with a focus on personalized socio-emotional support through mobile devices, reaching areas without the need of physical infrastructure, connectivity and available teaching staff.