Alfanar was proud to serve as a strategic partner at the Social Education Summit in Cairo—a gathering of educators, funders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs focused on improving access to quality education in underserved communities. The summit was organised by Man Ahyaha, one of our catalytic grantees.

Some key takeaways from the summit for those developing solutions in education and beyond:

• Reach is not enough. Expanding access to education without improving quality risks reinforcing inequality. Solutions should be built around contextualised content, local languages, and teacher training that responds to real classroom conditions.   
• Tech offers new possibilities. Ed-tech and AI solutions can scale fast and reduce costs – but equitable access in low-infrastructure settings remains a challenge. Opportunity for innovation lies in adapting digital tools to these environments. 
• Partnerships shape outcomes. Strategic partnerships go beyond funding – they unlock access to policymaking, distribution challenges, and technical expertise that can strengthen business models and scale long-term growth.   
• Financial sustainability is critical. Grant funding can kickstart solutions, but long-term impact is made resilient through viable revenue models. Designing early for self-sufficiency can help avoid mission drift and funding gaps.

We are grateful to be part of a community working toward thoughtful, lasting change – and will continue sharing insights as we learn together across the region.