Our story
From a quiet promise made twenty-six years ago to close to 800 colleagues across four countries. The story of the Pharo Foundation, in the words of its founder and the record of 2025.
Guillaume Fonkenell with students during a school visit, Somaliland.
A promise, kept steadily.
Pharo Foundation was founded in 2011 with a single conviction: that good fortune carries an obligation to do something meaningful. In 2025 we marked our 15th anniversary.
We began as a small team of five in London, operating as a traditional grant-maker. Over time we recognised the limits of that approach. If we wanted to shift outcomes durably, we had to take responsibility for delivery ourselves. So we became operators: building local teams and owning execution, from school construction and teacher training to dam engineering and rural infrastructure.
Today we are headquartered in Nairobi, with close to 800 colleagues working across Kenya, Ethiopia, Somaliland and Rwanda. The vision has never changed: an economically vibrant, self-reliant and inclusive Africa.
Twenty-six years ago, when Pharo Management was still in its infancy, I made a quiet promise to myself: that if we were ever fortunate enough to succeed, we would use that success to contribute to something larger, to support economic development across Africa.
What began as a distant ambition became a reality in 2011 with the founding of Pharo Foundation. This year, as we mark our 15th anniversary, I find myself reflecting not only on how far we have come, but on the people, communities and partnerships that have shaped our journey.
Life is, in many ways, shaped by chance: where you are born, the community you grow up in, the education you are able to access, and the opportunities that come your way early enough for talent to take root. When you recognise this, you are faced with a choice: to become cynical, or to act with a sense of responsibility. I have never believed that cynicism is a strategy.
We started as a small team of five, working out of London. Today we are a vibrant organisation headquartered in Nairobi, with close to 800 colleagues across Kenya, Ethiopia, Somaliland and Rwanda. Our growth has been significant, but what matters most is that our core vision has remained unchanged.
The context in which we work has become harder. Climate change is intensifying droughts and floods; geopolitical instability continues to displace millions; and foreign aid is becoming less certain. The abrupt dismantling of USAID programmes in 2025 was a stark illustration of how quickly vital support can disappear. This has brought one of our defining strengths into sharp focus: our independence. Our work is fully funded by a single, deeply committed donor, Pharo Management, which allows us to plan for the long term and remain focused on impact rather than funding cycles.
For us, 2025 was a year of meaningful progress. Perhaps most inspiring of all, our girls’ boarding school in Homosha, Ethiopia, achieved a 99% pass rate in the national high school examinations, far exceeding the roughly 8% national average. These achievements remind us that even in a difficult environment, sustained effort and long-term commitment can create real change.
If the past 15 years have taught us anything, it is that lasting change is built steadily, through trust, through partnership, and through an unwavering belief in what is possible.
Guillaume Fonkenell
Chairman and Founder
The world we work in has become more fragile, not less.
Across the developing world, vulnerable communities face mounting pressures. In East Africa, droughts that once occurred once a decade are now alarmingly frequent. At the same time, the contraction of international aid has forced many local organisations to close, removing essential services and leaving communities more exposed.
Where we work, a failed rainy season is no longer a rare shock. A crisis severe enough to leave hundreds of villages dependent on emergency water can now recur within three years. This is the volatile ground on which schooling, health and livelihoods must somehow be built.
Our evolution
Pharo has moved from grant-maker to direct operator to a focused, mission-led institution. The purpose is constant; the discipline has deepened.
Grant-giving (2011–17)
We supported development partners, largely in education and health, and learned the limits of funding others at arm’s length.
Five-pillar operator (2017–24)
We moved onto the ground, building local teams and execution capability, and testing which interventions could scale.
Mission-led (2025–35)
A concentrated, high-impact model behind three missions: education, water and productivity.
A milestone year
Highlights from 2025, our 15th anniversary.
What endures
Independence is a strength.
Funding from a single committed donor lets us plan for the long term, act with consistency, and focus on impact rather than funding cycles.
Direct delivery teaches you the truth.
When you own outcomes directly, you must get close to the work, and you learn as much from what has not worked as from what has.
Lasting change is built steadily.
Through trust, through partnership, and through an unwavering belief in what is possible.
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