How Furaha is helping Ugandan parents keep 100,000 children in school

What the report says

Kampala-based financing platform Furaha says it has helped Ugandan parents keep 100,000 children in school since launching in 2024. The Independent Uganda reports that the service is aimed at easing a common problem for families: school fees often come due before household income is available, putting children at risk of missing class or dropping out.

The article says Furaha offers short-term school-fees financing through partner financial institutions, including Diamond Trust Bank Uganda, Cairo Bank Uganda, Opportunity Bank and FINCA Uganda. It also works with education-sector partners and fee-payment aggregators to reach more than 7,000 schools nationwide. According to the report, Furaha uses lending technology that covers customer onboarding, identity checks, alternative-data credit scoring, loan disbursement and collections.

The Independent places the milestone against broader education pressures in Uganda, citing a 2025 UNICEF report that identified financial constraints as a leading reason for non-attendance and dropout. The story also references Ministry of Education and Sports data to show how few pupils progress from Primary One to Senior Six, underscoring the scale of the challenge.

Furaha CEO Dennis Musinguzi said the milestone reflects parents’ determination to keep children in class, while board chair Sanjay Rughani said the model shows finance can be built around education needs. The company says it wants to help 1 million children stay in school by 2028, which makes this an early indicator of whether its blended commercial-social approach can expand further.