Across The Gambia, many children face significant gaps in social and financial education, skills that are critical for their personal development, decision-making, and future economic well-being. Without early exposure to concepts such as rights, responsibilities, saving, and goal-setting, children are often ill-prepared to navigate real-world challenges.

To address this, the Aflatoun programme was introduced in The Gambia over a decade ago by ChildFund, in partnership with Aflatoun International, to strengthen social and financial education within the country’s school system. 

Recognized for its positive impact on children’s learning and behavior, Aflatoun has since been integrated into the national curriculum by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) and is now being implemented in selected primary schools nationwide.

The programme equips children with essential social and emotional skills such as understanding their rights, making informed decisions, and developing empathy as well as foundational financial literacy, including saving, budgeting, and entrepreneurship. Together, these skills promote greater confidence, resilience, and preparedness for life beyond the classroom.

To measure the effectiveness of this approach, ChildFund, in collaboration with MoBSE and the University of The Gambia, is leading a one-year Randomized Control Trial (RCT) research project in 90 schools across the North Bank and Lower River Regions. This initiative will provide critical evidence on how social and financial education influences children’s academic performance, behavior, and overall development, informing future education policy and programming across the country.

The main objective of this project is to assess how social and financial education influences children’s development and academic performance.

As part of the initiative, project staff are trained to understand and effectively deliver Aflatoun’s five core elements using a participatory, child-friendly approach.

These core elements include:

• • Personal Understanding and Exploration
    
  • Rights and Responsibilities
    
  • Saving and Spending
    
  • Planning and Budgeting
    
  • Social and Financial Enterprise

To establish a baseline, the Research Unit at the University of The Gambia will evaluate the current status of implementation in schools, focusing on both student and teacher performance.

ChildFund is leading the capacity-building component by training 20 master trainers, who will in turn train 300 teachers from 60 intervention schools. An additional 150 teachers from another 30 schools will also be engaged to strengthen delivery and ensure broader impact across participating regions.

Learn more at https://aflatoun.org/

Aflatoun International

Learn more at https://aflatoun.org/

ChildFund

Learn more at https://www.childfund.org/

Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education

Learn more at https://mobse.gov.gm/

University of The Gambia

Learn more at https://www.utg.edu.gm/

• Lower River Region
• North Bank Region

The project targets 90 primary schools across the North Bank and Lower River Regions, with a strong focus on building the capacity of teachers to effectively deliver social and financial education.

ChildFund is spearheading the capacity-building component in close collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. As a first step, 20 core master trainers are being equipped with in-depth knowledge of Aflatoun’s curriculum and participatory teaching methodology. These master trainers will cascade the training to 300 teachers from 60 schools, ensuring consistent and high-quality delivery across classrooms.

In addition, 150 teachers from 30 supplementary schools will be engaged through follow-up coaching and refresher sessions. This broader engagement is designed to strengthen teaching quality, support peer learning, and ensure a wider reach and long-term sustainability of the program’s impact across the participating regions.