News & Media
In the News
Right Ingredients, Wrong Recipe: What It Takes to Really Get Children Learning
Shifting away from rote learning requires more than the right inputs. Meaningful learning can only take place when school systems put the right political, cultural, and behavioral conditions in place.
Liberia Education Study Shows Big Literacy Gains
A randomized control trial of a catch-up program for out-of-school children has shown impressive results with students reading three times more words per minute than kids in the control group after just 10 months.
How One U.S.-based Education Organization is Working in Developing African Markets
Luminos CEO, Caitlin Baron, explains how Luminos delivers a high-quality, evidence-based literacy and numeracy program for out-of-school children in low-resource settings across Africa and the Middle East.
Press Releases
The Luminos Fund Launches “Bilingual Boost” Initiative with Support from the Gates Foundation
The Luminos Fund, with support from the Gates Foundation, is launching a new initiative to strengthen how children learn to read in multilingual classrooms across sub-Saharan Africa. The three-year initiative, Bilingual Boost, will bring together community-based organizations, educators, researchers, and government partners to address a critical constraint to learning: the transition between languages of instruction in the classroom.
Audrey Nuna and Charitybuzz Launch VIP Sweepstakes Benefiting the Luminos Fund
Winner to Receive VIP Experience at Hinterland Music Festival this JulyLos Angeles, April 2, 2026 — Genre-defying Korean-American artist and songwriter Audrey Nuna is teaming up with leading fundraising platform Charitybuzz to launch a global sweepstakes giving a...
Audrey Nuna Launches $1 Million Campaign for the Luminos Fund Following MrBeast Celebrity Challenge
Boston, MA — January 13, 2026 — The Luminos Fund, an international nonprofit helping the world’s most vulnerable children to catch up and thrive in school, welcomed a major fundraising campaign launched by award-winning singer Audrey Nuna, following her appearance as...
Evidence & Resources
Proven by over 30 independent evaluations, the Luminos model is among the most rigorously validated in the sector.
Latest Blogs
New Impact Results Show Structured Pedagogy Is Improving Literacy at Scale in Ethiopia
In Sidama, Ethiopia, Luminos scaled a structured pedagogy program fivefold. In Tigray, it introduced the model for the first time. Luminos' newest impact report, published for International Literacy Day, details the results from all 950 classrooms across both regions...
Unlocking the Light of Learning for Liberia’s Youth
International Youth Day’s 2026 theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” recognizes that young people everywhere share the same hopes, even as the paths to reach them vary widely. For many, that path starts with something foundational: the ability to read, write, and do basic math. Without those skills, the doors to further education, employment, and opportunity stay closed—regardless of how much a young person wants to walk through them.
That is the premise behind the Youth Educational Empowerment Program (YEEP!), a joint initiative of the Luminos Fund and Liberia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports: that strong literacy and numeracy skills unlock opportunity for out-of-school youth.
Azalech’s Story: From Out of School to Sixth Grade in Ethiopia
Azalech is a proud 6th-grade student in her local government school—and a proud Luminos alum. She excels in math and is focused on completing her education to one day become a doctor. Her journey to the classroom began at age 11, when she enrolled in the Luminos program after years out of school.
Spokespeople and Areas of Expertise
Our experts can speak about a broad range of topics, including foundational learning, education systems, government partnerships, evidence, philanthropy, and program implementation. You can browse our news releases and social channels for the latest news about Luminos and the issues we care about.
Caitlin Baron
Dr. Kirsty Newman
Dr. Alemayehu Hailu Gebre
Donnalee Donaldson
James Earl Kiawoin
Senyo Tettegah
Hassen Ahmed Assen
Neha Raheel
Matthew Jukes
Matarr Sanneh
Chief Executive Officer, The Luminos Fund
Caitlin Baron
Caitlin Baron is the CEO of the Luminos Fund and editor of The Luminos Method: The Secret to Unlocking the Light of Learning in Every Child.
Under Caitlin’s leadership, Luminos has grown into an award-winning leader in joyful, foundational learning, helping hundreds of thousands of children across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East secure a second chance to learn. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Luminos works in partnership with community-based organizations to marry the best of global learning science and local insights, enabling the most vulnerable children to catch up to grade level and go on to lifelong learning.
More than 30 external evaluations confirm the transformative learning gains made possible by the Luminos Method. In one year, a child in the Luminos Liberia program learns as much as 90% of what the average Liberian will ever learn in school. Over 95% of Luminos students complete our program and transition into government schools.
Caitlin spent the previous decade as a senior leader within the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, helping to grow the organization to steward over $1 billion in charitable giving.
Vice President of Programs
Dr. Kirsty Newman
Dr. Kirsty Newman is the Vice President of Programs at the Luminos Fund where she oversees the global programs team to support joyful, foundational learning for children at the margins. Before joining Luminos, Kirsty held senior leadership roles in various bilateral, multi-lateral, and non-governmental development organizations. Kirsty trained initially as a scientist (she has a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology) and has worked throughout her career to enable local research and evidence networks to support decision-making. She has a particular passion for equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and in the world! She believes that all children deserve the chance to become lifelong learners – and that a vital first step towards achieving this is providing every child with the opportunity to develop foundational skills in literacy and numeracy.
Senior Director of Programs, Ethiopia
Dr. Alemayehu Hailu Gebre
Dr. Alemayehu “Alex” Hailu Gebre is the Senior Director of Programs for the Luminos Fund and has been instrumental to the education nonprofit’s award-winning success since its earliest days. Alex leads Luminos’ flagship program in Ethiopia—its largest and longest running program, having helped transform the lives of over 380,000 children to date—and provides strategic oversight of global programming and external relations at the organization. Luminos’ success in Ethiopia is attributable in part to deep partnership with government fostered by Alex, resulting in shifts to national policy and a new education unit at the Ministry of Education that Alex chairs. Recently, Alex and his team at Luminos were one of the first organizations to reopen education programs to children displaced by the devastating civil war in Tigray.
Alex is an accomplished international education leader with over forty years of experience serving vulnerable populations and designing evidence-based programs to drive learning. Alex is a published author and has earned many accolades over his career, including leading Adult and Non-formal Education Association in Ethiopia (ANFEAE) to receive UNESCO’s International Literacy Prize (2008) and the World Bank’s Development Market Place Award (2003). Alex has a Masters in economics from the Indira Gandhi National Open University and a PhD in education from Atlantic International University.
Senior Director of Programs, West Africa
Donnalee Donaldson
Donnalee Donaldson is the Senior Director of Programs, West Africa at the Luminos Fund where she helps lead large-scale government advisory projects and oversees the adaptation of various Luminos program elements to impact teachers and learners in the region. She has expertise in collaborating with governments on the design and implementation of national education reforms, and integrating technology into education. Prior to joining Luminos, Donnalee served as the Rwanda Country Director at Educate! where she co-designed and scaled a national skills-based secondary education reform program. She was also a founding team member at Kepler, where she played a key role in designing blended learning courses for multilingual learners and managed the launch of Rwanda’s first university in a refugee camp. She has been recognized as an education sector changemaker by UNESCO, Ashoka, and UNLEASH.
Donnalee is also an attorney and began her career as a litigator for the New York City Law Department. She holds a BA from Seton Hall University, a JD from the Emory University School of Law, and a certificate in Higher Education in Emergencies from the University of Geneva. Donnalee is proudly Jamaican and passionate about contributing to the advancement of the African diaspora.
Country Manager, Liberia
James Earl Kiawoin
James Earl Kiawoin is the Country Manager for the Luminos Fund in Liberia where he manages day-to-day operations, overall program delivery, government and stakeholder engagement, and supports staff development. Previously, James worked as a Strategy Consultant at Dalberg Advisors in Rwanda where he completed projects on higher education financing and digital ecosystem development including e-government services.
James began his career at Last Mile Health in a strategic advisory role with the Liberian Ministry of Health. There, he worked to develop, finance, and scale a national community health workers program that delivered health care to 1.2 million people in rural, hard-to-reach areas. James has vast experience leading initiatives in Liberia and previously held leadership roles at the Khana group, LEAD Monrovia Football Academy, and SMART Liberia, which he co-founded.
James holds an MPA with a focus on international development from the school of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and a BA in Political Science from Colorado College.
Country Manager, Ghana
Senyo Tettegah
Senyo Tettegah is the Ghana Country Manager for the Luminos Fund where he oversees Luminos’ operations in Ghana, including program design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and stakeholder management.
Senyo is an international education and development professional with over a decade of experience working across Africa. He has led several innovative projects and policies to improve education outcomes for underserved populations. Senyo has a degree in Political Science and English language and a master’s degree in International Education and Development from the University of Sussex where he was a Chevening Scholar.
Prior to joining Luminos, Senyo was a Global Program Manager at the Education Partnerships Group (EPG). In this role, he provided technical assistance and program management support to EPG’s country programs, including the £64m Sierra Leone Secondary Education Improvement Program. He was the first Head of Education and Leadership Development at EduSpots where he led the design, delivery, and evaluation of projects to improve foundational literacy skills among rural school pupils across 52 communities. Senyo has also worked as a teacher in Ghana and Israel, and volunteered as a facilitator for the UK’s first Youth Club of Sanctuary. He has held previous roles as a Strategy and Operations Manager at Lead For Ghana, Grants Manager at Move The World, and Program Manager at Motive8 Global and Charis Touch Foundation, among others.
Senyo is the creator and host of “Let’s Talk Education Africa,” a podcast exploring themes in education practice and research and sharing inspiring stories of educators and innovators making a difference in their schools and communities. Outside of work, Senyo enjoys traveling, spending time with nature, taking photos, cooking, and playing board games.
Country Manager, Ethiopia
Hassen Ahmed Assen
Hassen Ahmed Assen is Country Manager for the Luminos Fund in Ethiopia. As Country Manager, Hassen plays a key leadership role in program planning and execution, curriculum development, and monitoring & evaluation. Previously, Hassen was Senior Program Manager, responsible for program management and reporting for the Luminos Fund projects in Ethiopia.
Hassen is an education, conflict prevention, peace building, and development program specialist with more than 25 years of experience in government and the NGO sector. In his previous roles with Save the Children (Finland, Denmark, and the UK), Pact Ethiopia, and Somaliland Development Fund (SDF), Hassen managed various projects in education, conflict prevention, organizational capacity development, and child rights. He also served as a Chief of Party for Strengthening Institution for Peace and Development Program 2 (SIPED) at Pact Ethiopia. Recently, Hassen served as a Deputy Team Leader and Engagement and Influence Lead for Civil Society Support Program 2 (CSSP2) implemented by a consortium of Pact, Social Development Direct, and the British Council.
Hassen holds a diploma in English language teaching from Kotebe College of Teacher Education, a BA in Educational Administration, and a master’s degree in Educational Research and Development from Addis Ababa University.
Director of Teaching and Learning
Neha Raheel
Neha Raheel is Director of Teaching and Learning at the Luminos Fund where she leads the development of high-quality teaching and learning materials grounded in the latest evidence from the science of teaching. She also designs and delivers impactful training on foundational learning and strengthens the capacity of colleagues and partners to help every child learn. Prior to joining Luminos, Neha worked at the World Bank, where she supported the Education Global Practice team on curriculum, instruction, and learning, focusing on foundational learning. Neha is a Fulbright scholar and holds an MS.Ed in Education, Culture, and Society from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Humanities from the Lahore University of Management Sciences. In 2020, she was selected as a WISE Emerging Leader, in recognition of her contributions to the field of education.
Senior Director of Impact
Matthew Jukes
Matthew Jukes is a Senior Director of Impact at the Luminos Fund, where he oversees data systems and strategy to support program impact measurement, implementation, and maintenance. He plays a key role in ensuring data quality and in sharing data across the organization to inform Luminos’ programming and decision-making.
Previously, he held various roles in academia and global development, including Fellow at RTI, Senior Director of Research at Room to Read, and Associate Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His research has focused on improving the effectiveness of literacy and numeracy programs, developing a culturally grounded understanding of social-emotional learning (SEL), and promoting joyful learning and engagement in the classroom.
Vice President of Finance & Operations
Matarr Sanneh
Matarr Sanneh is the Vice President of Finance & Operations at Luminos, where he leads the organization’s accounting, financial planning, tax and finance functions, as well as operational support. He oversees Luminos’ financial processes and policies to ensure regulatory compliance and accurate reporting.
Matarr previously led finance and operations functions for complex, highly regulated global initiatives, including programs supported by USAID, the World Bank, GAVI, and the United Nations. He has worked across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States, and brings expertise in IFRS and US GAAP, multi-country financial consolidation, enterprise risk management, and audit oversight. Matarr holds a MSc in Economics from the University College of London, and a BSc in Economics & French from York University.
Podcasts
Video Series
The Luminos Method
The Luminos Method is an evidence-based approach to transforming education for the world’s most vulnerable children. Explore all nine elements of the Luminos Method through the video overviews below, or click here to learn more.
Education Leadership through Crisis
Education Leadership through Crisis is a multi-week video series from 2020 featuring eleven diverse education leaders across government, the private sector, and civil society. Watch highlights from those conversations below and click here to learn more.
FAQs
1. What does Luminos do?
Tragically, millions of children are shut out from school through no fault of their own, including 1 in 5 children in sub-Saharan Africa who never get to start school. Luminos runs a free accelerated learning program that helps vulnerable and out-of-school children catch up to grade level, master foundational skills, and prepare for lifelong learning. We implement our program through community-based organizations and partner with governments to expand the Luminos Method in government classrooms. To date, we have provided 481,149 children with joyful foundational learning.
2. What is accelerated learning?
Accelerated learning supports children who have missed school or fallen behind in school, build foundational skills and catch up on missed learning in a fraction of the time. The Luminos program covers three years of learning in one school year, preparing students to transition into government schools.
3. Who does Luminos serve?
Luminos serves vulnerable and out-of-school children, typically ages 8-14 years old, who have missed the opportunity to develop foundational reading, writing, and math skills. Luminos also supports ministries of education to deliver joyful, effective foundational learning programs in government schools.
4. Where do you work?
Luminos currently runs accelerated learning programs in Ethiopia, Ghana, Lebanon, and Liberia. Through Bilingual Boost, a three-year research and development project funded by the Gates Foundation to strengthen how children learn to read in multilingual classrooms, Luminos works across Ghana, Mozambique, and South Africa.
5. What is the Luminos Method?
The Luminos Method is an evidence-based approach to helping children catch up on foundational learning and return to school. Grounded in a decade of experience, it outlines nine core elements that together create joyful, inclusive, and empowering learning experiences. Now available as a book and online PDFs, the Luminos Method has reached educators, policymakers, and changemakers in 73+ countries across five continents, offering a practical guide to help children learn—even in the most challenging circumstances.
6. What evidence supports the Luminos Method?
The Luminos Method is proven by over 30 independently administered evaluations and studies. In just one school year, students progress from not recognizing letters of the alphabet to reading short stories. Luminos students not only catch up on missed learning; they consistently outperform their peers in government schools.
7. How quickly do children learn in the Luminos program?
In one school year, Luminos enables vulnerable and out-of-school children learn to read, write, and do math—covering the first three grades of school. Independently administered evaluations show Luminos students read up to nine times faster than their peers.
8. What happens after children complete the Luminos program?
95% of Luminos students advance into government schools to continue their education after completing the program. A longitudinal study by the University of Sussex Centre for International Education found that students who completed the Luminos program continued to outperform their peers in government schools and were twice as likely to still be in school after six years.
9. How does Luminos work with governments?
Luminos supports ministries of education to deliver joyful, effective foundational learning programs. We partner with governments to integrate evidence-based best-practices on how students learn into their national education systems and policies, enabling them to scale and sustain impact. As capacity grows, responsibility increasingly shifts to government partners, ensuring long-term ownership and continuity.
Partnerships take many forms, from leading comprehensive teacher training sessions to developing and revising national curricula and more.
10. How can I interview someone from Luminos?
For media inquiries and interview requests, contact Michael Stulman, Senior Director of Communications at michael@luminosfund.org. For technical or research questions, we can connect you with the relevant program or evaluation expert.
11. Can journalists visit a Luminos classroom?
We welcome opportunities for journalists to see the Luminos program. Classroom visits, filming, and photography must be arranged in advance to secure the necessary permissions, and coordinate with our government and community partners. Contact Michael Stulman at michael@luminosfund.org to discuss a potential visit.
12. Do you have a media kit, and can I use your photos or videos?
A media kit containing Luminos logos, approved program photography, fact sheets, leadership biographies, and guidance on usage and attribution is available upon request. Contact Michael Stulman at michael@luminosfund.org.
13. How do I stay updated on Luminos news?
Sign up for our Spotlight newsletter or follow Luminos on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Major announcements, events, reports, and other updates are also posted on this page as they are released.
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The Luminos Fund is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt charitable organization registered in the United States (EIN 36-4817073).
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