Dignitas Project was founded in 2008 with the mission to empower children and families living in the poorest communities around the world through education and opportunity. We invest in and develop school and community-based leaders so that all children have the academic skills and strength of character to succeed in life. Since our founding, we have focused our efforts in Mathare Valley, one of Kenya's largest informal settlements (slums). Following a participatory needs assessment conducted in collaboration with youth researchers in 2008, Dignitas Project launched its first pilot program in 2009 targeting teacher development in five community-based schools in the slum. Since then, Dignitas Project has successfully elevated the needs and opportunities for education interventions for the urban poor to government officials, policymakers, donors, and other partners. The organization has worked to strengthen leadership, governance, and instructional quality in 40 primary and secondary schools in Mathare Valley through an innovative training institute for school teams comprised of more than 300 headteachers, teachers, and parents; a comprehensive coaching and school-based professional development model; and infrastructural improvements through engaging private sector, government officials, and local and international partners.
