For thousands of Ugandan families, the beginning of a school term brings both hope and financial pressure. Tuition fees often fall due before household income is available, putting children at risk of missing lessons or leaving school altogether. Since 2024, Furaha, a purpose-driven financing platform, has helped parents bridge that gap and keep 100,000 children in school.
The milestone comes against a backdrop of persistent barriers to education.
A 2025 UNICEF report identifies financial constraints as the leading reason cited for both non-attendance and school dropout. Beyond tuition, families must also meet the cost of uniforms, scholastic materials and meals.
An analysis of Ministry of Education and Sports data illustrates the scale of the challenge: of approximately 1.9 million children who entered Primary One in 2012, only about 142,000 from the same cohort went on to register for Senior Six examinations.
Furaha is addressing this challenge by enabling families to access affordable, short-term school fees financing. Incubated by SC Ventures, the company equips its partner banks, Diamond Trust Bank Uganda, Cairo Bank Uganda, Opportunity Bank and FINCA Uganda with an advanced lending platform and expertise spanning customer onboarding and KYC, alternative-data credit scoring, loan disbursement and collections. It is the first lending fintech in Africa to channel affordable financing from commercial banks towards the substantial need for education financing.
