Zee Tech Foundation is committed to advancing inclusive education, dignity, and economic empowerment for underserved children and youth in Northern Nigeria—particularly Almajiri children and youth engaged in traditional Islamic learning systems.

The Challenge

Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world, with a significant proportion coming from Almajiri communities. While Almajiri learners often demonstrate discipline, resilience, and a strong desire for knowledge, they face persistent structural barriers, including:
• Limited access to formal and digital education
• Minimal exposure to technology and employable digital skills
• High vulnerability to street involvement, child labour, and social exclusion
• Few pathways from learning to safe, dignified livelihoods

For many Almajiri children, education does not translate into opportunity. Even when skills are introduced, the absence of economic pathways often pushes learners back onto the streets—not by choice, but by necessity.

Our Response: Skills for Self-Reliance

Through the Almajiri Digital Academy, Zee Tech Foundation equips Almajiri learners with practical, digital-supported, and hands-on skills that enable them to become self-employed and productive members of society.

Learners are trained to design and produce physical, market-ready products using creativity, basic technology, and structured craftsmanship—guided by facilitators in safe, supportive learning environments. These skills are intentionally designed to:
• Promote self-employment and entrepreneurship
• Restore confidence, purpose, and dignity
• Reduce dependence on street activities
• Create a clear transition from learning to earning

The Missing Link: Market Access

Despite gaining valuable skills, many Almajiri learners face a critical challenge: they have no access to markets. Without platforms to showcase and sell what they produce:
• Skills remain underutilized
• Motivation declines
• Income opportunities disappear
• The cycle of poverty and street exposure continues

The Almajiri Digital Marketplace

The Almajiri Digital Marketplace was created to close this gap.

It is a dedicated digital platform where physical products produced by Almajiri learners are showcased, marketed, and sold to individuals, organizations, and supporters. The marketplace directly connects learning outcomes to economic opportunity.

How the Model Works
1. Training & Production
Almajiri learners acquire practical skills and produce physical goods through the Almajiri Digital Academy.

2. Market Placement
Completed products are listed on the Almajiri Digital Marketplace for purchase.

3. Revenue Reinvestment
Income generated from sales is reinvested into the program to:
• Purchase raw materials for further production
• Train and onboard more Almajiri learners
• Improve tools, equipment, and learning spaces
• Sustain facilitators and program operations

4. Sustainable Impact Cycle
Each purchase enables:
• More products to be created
• More learners to be trained
• Fewer children returning to the streets
• Stronger pathways to dignity and self-reliance

More Than a Marketplace

The Almajiri Digital Marketplace is not just a sales platform—it is a social impact system designed to transform lives. By linking skills, production, and markets, the initiative:
• Draws Almajiri children off the streets and into productive pathways
• Turns learners into creators, earners, and contributors
• Challenges harmful stereotypes surrounding Almajiri communities
• Demonstrates that with the right support, every child can thrive

At its core, the Almajiri Digital Marketplace is built on a simple belief:
No skill should be wasted.
No child should be left behind.

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