About YK Kids Academy
YK Kids Academy started with one observation in Walaga, Oromia:
"Children were going to school, studying English every day, and still graduating unable to read, speak, or understand a basic English sentence.
Not because they weren't smart. Not because they weren't trying.
But because every digital learning tool in the world was built for someone else — in someone else's language, for someone else's context."
We decided to change that. One grade at a time.
The English Gap Is Documented
These aren't estimates. This is what the research says about English learning in Ethiopia and sub-Saharan Africa:
80%
of Grade 4 students
cannot read a simple English sentence independently
Source: USAID EGRA Ethiopia Early Grade Reading Assessment
1
in 10 children
in rural Ethiopia has access to educational digital tools in their own language
Source: UNESCO Mother-Tongue Based Education Research
0
English-language tools
specifically designed for Afaan Oromoo-speaking children learning English
Until YK Kids Academy.
📚 Ethiopia's English Curriculum Gap: The official Grade 0–7 English textbook exists, but most children in rural Oromia have no digital practice tool aligned to it — leaving the gap between classroom instruction and real English proficiency enormous.
How We Teach English Differently
Phonics-First Methodology
Children learn what each English letter sounds like before they learn to read whole words. This is especially important for Afaan Oromoo speakers, whose Qubee script has very different phonetic rules from English.
Afaan Oromoo as the Bridge, Not the Barrier
App instructions and explanations are available in Afaan Oromoo. Children never have to figure out what the app is asking them to do — they can focus entirely on learning English.
Offline-First for Rural Oromia
Every single lesson, game, audio file, and story works 100% offline. We designed the app assuming no internet — because in Walaga, Borena, and much of rural Oromia, that's the reality.
Curriculum-Aligned, Grade-by-Grade
Every lesson, word, and skill is mapped to the Ethiopia Ministry of Education's official Grade 0–7 English textbook. Children practice exactly what their teachers are teaching.
The Road Ahead
We're just getting started. Here's what we're building next:
🤖
AI Pronunciation Feedback
Phase 2: Children speak into the mic and the app tells them how close they are to correct English pronunciation.
Phase 2🌍
Full Afaan Oromoo + English Bilingual Mode
Side-by-side learning where children see both the Afaan Oromoo meaning and the English word simultaneously.
Phase 2📚
Grades 4–7 Full Content
Upper-primary English: vocabulary expansion, grammar foundations, reading comprehension, and exam preparation.
In Progress🏫
Teacher Classroom Dashboard
A class-level view for teachers: see all students' progress at once, identify who needs help, and assign specific lessons.
Phase 3Get Involved
Whether you're a teacher, a parent, an NGO, or a donor — we want to hear from you.
👨🏫
Are you a teacher in Oromia?
We want to hear how your students are learning. Your feedback shapes every new lesson we build.
👨👩👧
Are you a parent?
Tell us what's working and what's not. Every download story matters to us.
🏢
Are you an NGO or donor?
Let's talk about how we can reach more children together. We're mission-driven, not profit-driven.
"Beekumsi humna dha." — Knowledge is power. 🇪🇹