The School in the Market: How Localization Is Helping Africans Start Their Own Education Revolution

The inspiring story of the creation of what is proving to be one of the world's most innovative financing programs, which has helped thousands of underserved African communities take control of their own futures through sustainable and localized low-fee private schools.

When Irene Pritzker walked into the Agbogbloshie Market in Ghana's capital city of Accra in 2008, her heart ached.

Inside the market was a small but growing school--Paulina's Queensland School, run by entrepreneur Paulina Nlando--with between 100 and 150 students. It was in a desperate state of physical disrepair, with dirt floors, poor lighting, and dangerous exposed wiring. But Paulina and thousands of school owners like her were unable to obtain business loans to improve their schools.

Upon returning to the U.S., Irene made herself a promise that she would do everything in her power to give schools like Paulina's a fighting chance.

Through the creation of the IDP Foundation and its Rising Schools Program, she set out to challenge the top-down model and foreign aid that had been in place for decades and left millions of children underserved and schools financially dependent.

Instead, the program focused on treating low-fee private schools as businesses, giving the owners what they needed--access to sustainable microloans from local financial institutions--and empowering them to grow and deliver life-changing opportunities for their students.

The results were amazing. By 2025, the Rising Schools Program had improved more than 2,300 schools like Queensland and affected the lives of more than 500,000 children while spearheading a movement of sustainable localization that has spread to Kenya and is gaining global traction.

The School in the Market is both a compelling journey of determination for anyone passionate about making a difference and a handbook for the future of global philanthropy.

Irene Pritzker cofounded the IDP Foundation, Inc., with her daughter, Liesel, in 2008. She was motivated when she visited Ghana that same year and saw how many local schools had barely any infrastructure or resources. Irene considered whether it would be possible to successfully provide a business loan to these schools given that they had no collateral but were serving the poorest families in Ghana.

Focusing on localization and working closely with government, the school proprietors, and an extraordinary microfinance NGO, Sinapi Aba, she launched a successful pilot program. The program continues to grow today and is no longer dependent on aid. The model has been replicated, expanding with new partners into new countries, reaching over 2,300 schools, and serving over 500,000 children.

In addition to program development, Irene actively works to mission-align the foundation’s investment strategy -- particularly incorporating alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals. The foundation has also made significant contributions to extraordinary developments in medical research.

As an advocate for developing sustainable and market-driven solutions that are no longer aid-dependent, Irene has frequently been invited to share the work of her philosophy behind the IDP Rising Schools Program. She has given major speeches on effective philanthropic investment and participated in numerous panels at the United Nations and other international forums, including throughout the US, Accra, Beijing, Paris, Zurich, Istanbul, Rome, and Dubai.

She has won multiple awards, including the American Association for Cancer Research Public Service Award, the Foreign Policy Association Global Philanthropy Award, and the Australian Consul-General’s Outstanding Achievement Award. In 2012 the IDP Foundation, Inc., was granted special consultative status to the United Nations, which continues to this day.