January 2026
9 January 2026
Dear Pharo Family and Friends,
As we start the new year, I want to share a sense of what lies ahead. If last year was about setting the platform, this year is about delivery. In Somaliland, we focus on the international school, evolving our water investments, expanding RMC with precast building modules, and moving TVET to the Pharo standard. In Ethiopia, on first commercial sales at the edible oil plant, recruiting the Health leadership, and completing the rural water projects in Benishangul-Gumuz.
In Kenya, we will commercialise Ken Tuna, launch the Nairobi Art School, and explore a secondary pathway for our primary students. In Rwanda, following a strong turnaround, we will expand the school and launch the Rwanda Venture Studio. Across every country we keep embedding systems, tightening execution and raising the bar through operational excellence. It is a big year, but the right kind of big.
Onwards, Tom Mason CEO, Pharo Foundation
What Pharo Foundation does
A short film showcasing a selection of our projects across Somaliland and Ethiopia.
Why schools should invest in active alumni engagement
Joy Kimani on why the greatest testament to our work is what our alumni go on to achieve, and what walking alongside learners after they leave does for current students.
A scholar’s journey: Abdifatah
From Pharo Primary in Hargeisa to Pharo Secondary in Sheikh, and on through the Pharo Scholarship Programme to university in Turkey and an exchange in Germany, a manifesto on the power of investing in education.