Furaha reaches 100,000 children by bridging Uganda’s school-fee gap

School fees can fall due before a parent’s income arrives, putting a child’s education at risk even when the family intends to pay. In Uganda, financing platform Furaha says it has helped parents keep 100,000 children in school since 2024 by bridging that gap, according to The Independent Uganda (direct). Its next ambition is to help 1 million children stay in education by 2028.

The business centres on short-term loans for school fees, provided through partner financial institutions. Furaha supplies the lending technology and operational expertise rather than working alone. Its network now gives parents access to fee financing for more than 7,000 schools across Uganda, connecting household payment needs with commercial-bank funding.

A cash-flow problem with classroom consequences

The challenge extends beyond a single tuition bill. A 2025 UNICEF report identifies financial constraints as the most frequently cited reason for both school non-attendance and dropout. Families must also find money for uniforms, learning materials and meals. Those expenses sit alongside the timing problem Furaha seeks to address: fees become payable before household earnings are available.

Education ministry figures cited in the report illustrate the wider challenge of keeping children in education. Around 1.9 million children entered Primary One in 2012, but only about 142,000 from that cohort later registered for Senior Six examinations. That comparison provides context for the financing platform’s work; it is not a measure of Furaha’s impact.

Furaha chief executive Dennis Musinguzi said the company reached the 100,000-child milestone sooner than expected. He credited parents’ commitment to education and said their repayment behaviour showed the value of financing structured around how they earn. He also acknowledged the role of schools and partners in building the service.

Musinguzi said the aim at launch was to prevent children from being sent home simply because school fees were due before their parents had the money.

Banks and payment partners underpin expansion

Incubated by SC Ventures, Furaha provides a platform covering customer registration, identity checks, loan payments and collections. It also uses alternative-data credit scoring: assessing borrowers with information beyond conventional credit records. Its financial partners include Diamond Trust Bank Uganda, Cairo Bank Uganda, Opportunity Bank and FINCA Uganda. The company describes its short-term school-fee financing as affordable.

The service launched in Uganda with Opportunity Bank and SchoolPay. Its network subsequently expanded to include Cairo Bank Uganda, Diamond Trust Bank Uganda, SurePay and the National Private Education Institutions Association of Uganda. School-fee payment services and education-sector organisations are part of that network, alongside the financial institutions supplying the financing.

Board chair Sanjay Rughani said education was central to Furaha’s purpose. He presented the milestone, together with growing partner confidence, as evidence that its approach could serve Ugandan families over the long term. The model combines that education goal with commercial partnerships, making the expansion of its institutional network a central part of the business.

The next test is the scale of that expansion. Furaha plans to add partners and reach more Ugandan schools as it works towards its 2028 target. Progress towards helping 1 million children will be the next milestone to watch after the company’s reported first 100,000.