ROI Case File No.227 | 'The Maze of African Education NPO'

Chapter 1: The Wall of Educational Disparity — The Disconnect Between Good Intentions and Reality

The week following the resolution of Desert Property's Blue Ocean creation case, a serious consultation arrived from Africa concerning an organization tackling social issues. The seventh case of Volume XVII "The Challenge of Reproducibility" was about structural problems where good intentions go awry.

"Detective, we are working to resolve educational disparities in West Africa, but no matter how excellent educational materials or facilities we provide, children's learning doesn't continue. We don't understand what the problem is and are at a loss."

Africa Education Bridge representative Samuel Addoh visited 221B Baker Street with deep confusion. In his hands were comprehensive support achievement reports alongside contrasting data showing low retention rates.

"We are an NPO providing educational support in 5 West African countries. With international support, we provide the latest educational materials and learning environments, but we're not achieving expected results."

Africa Education Bridge Support Record: - Established: 2018 (7 years of activity) - Support target: Children in 85 villages across 5 countries - Provided materials: Latest digital materials, 20,000 books - Built facilities: 45 learning centers - Annual budget: ¥2.5 billion (donations from international organizations and companies)

The numbers certainly showed large-scale support. However, Samuel's expression was marked with deep frustration.

"The problem is that despite our educational resources being globally recognized, local children's learning retention rate is extremely low. Something is fundamentally misaligned."

Gap Between Support Results and Reality: - Initial participation rate: 92% (high interest) - 1-month retention rate: 45% (rapid decline) - 3-month retention rate: 18% (major dropout) - 6-month retention rate: 8% (almost none remain) - Learning outcomes: High results for those who continue, but extremely limited for overall target population

"We thought we were providing 'excellent education,' but there seem to be different problems for the children. We feel walls that good intentions alone cannot overcome."

Chapter 2: Unreachable Materials — The Perspective of Supporters vs. Reality of Beneficiaries

"Mr. Samuel, have you conducted any research into the specific reasons why children cannot continue learning?"

Holmes inquired quietly.

Samuel pulled out field reports with a confused expression.

"We've investigated from various angles, but only surface-level reasons emerge. We can't understand what the fundamental problems are."

Surface-level Dropout Reasons (Local Staff Survey): - "Busy helping at home": 35% - "Learning center is far": 28% - "Content is difficult": 22% - "Friends don't come": 15%

However, Contradictions Discovered in Detailed Investigation:

Case 1: 10-year-old girl Fatima (Ghana) - Surface reason: "Busy helping at home" - Actual observation: Many times not doing housework during learning hours - Real problem: Anxiety about going to learning center alone

Case 2: 12-year-old boy Kofi (Ghana) - Surface reason: "Content is difficult" - Actual ability: Sufficient comprehension, appropriate material level - Real problem: Embarrassment about inability to read letters

Case 3: 8-year-old girl Aisha (Senegal) - Surface reason: "Learning center is far" - Actual distance: 15-minute walk (other children attend) - Real problem: Lack of concentration and fatigue due to malnutrition

I focused on the discrepancy between surface reasons and real problems.

"Children's stated reasons and actual behavioral patterns have major contradictions. They cannot say the real reasons or don't understand them themselves."

Samuel sighed deeply.

"Exactly. We concentrated on improving 'education quality' but seemed to overlook fundamental challenges children face."

Gap Between Supporter Assumptions and Reality:

Africa Education Bridge Assumptions: - Children seek learning opportunities - Quality educational materials enable continued learning - Knowledge acquisition is the top priority challenge - Physical environmental improvement is the solution

Complex Local Reality: - Basic safety and security needs not met - Thirst for social belonging and recognition - Daily survival-related anxieties and fears - Concerns about compatibility with cultural identity

"We were providing 'education' as a solution, but didn't accurately understand the 'problems' children face."

Chapter 3: EMPATHY Depicts Students' Voices — Truth Hidden in Hearts

⬜️ ChatGPT | Catalyst of Concepts

"Drawing out emotions behind actions. That's true understanding"

🟧 Claude | Alchemist of Narratives

"Empathy moves stories. Providing safety opens the next chapter"

🟦 Gemini | Compass of Logic

"Not surface learning support, but environmental preparation is the greatest measure"

The three members began analysis. Gemini deployed the "EMPATHY Map" framework on the whiteboard.

EMPATHY Map's 6 Elements: - THINK (What they're thinking): Thoughts in their head - FEEL (What they're feeling): Emotions in their heart - SEE (What they're seeing): Surrounding environment and situations - SAY/DO (Words and actions): Externally visible words and behavior - HEAR (What they're hearing): Voices and sounds from around them - PAIN (Pain points/troubles): Problems they're facing - GAIN (What they want): What they desire

"Mr. Samuel, let's analyze in detail the inner world of children who cannot continue learning using the EMPATHY Map."

EMPATHY Map of Typical Dropout Children:

Subject: 10-year-old girl Amina (Mali) case

THINK (What they're thinking): - "Maybe mom is worried" - "What if I'm the only one who doesn't understand the lessons" - "I want to help my family" - "Is the teacher watching me?" - "Will there be food tomorrow?"

FEEL (What they're feeling): - Anxiety: Fear of going to unknown places alone - Embarrassment: Shame about being inferior to other children - Loneliness: Feeling no one understands them - Fatigue: Physical tiredness from malnutrition - Responsibility: Sense of mission to support family

SEE (What they're seeing): - Learning center: Clean but feels cold building - Other students: Same-age children who appear confident - Educational materials: Beautiful but distant books and tablets - Teacher: Kind but busy adults who seem unapproachable - Family: Tired-looking parents, young siblings

SAY/DO (Words and actions): - Words: "Busy helping at home," "Stomach hurts" - Actions: Avoiding learning center, keeping distance from friends - Expressions: Looking down, few smiles - Posture: Shrinking, lacking confidence

HEAR (What they're hearing): - Family: "Education is important but today's food..." - Friends: "That child is not smart," "She's different from us" - Teacher: "Try harder," "Why don't you come?" - Community: "Work is more important than education" - Inner voice: "I can't do it," "I'm just in the way"

PAIN (Pain points/troubles): - Lack of basic safety: Anxiety about food, housing, health - Social isolation: Feeling excluded, not understood - Capability anxiety: Fear of not keeping up with learning - Family burden: Educational costs, opportunity cost of time - Identity confusion: Conflict between traditional values and modern education

GAIN (What they want): - Sense of security: Physical and mental safety assurance - Recognition: Confirmation of self-worth - Belonging: Feeling like a member of the community - Growth experience: Accumulation of small successes - Hope: Bright future prospects

Claude reported a shocking discovery.

"This is an important discovery. Children's top priority issue is not 'learning' but 'safe environment.' Before educational support, ensuring basic safety and security is necessary."

Gap Analysis with Traditional Support:

Africa Education Bridge Support Content: - High-quality educational material provision - Modern learning facility construction - Excellent instructor dispatch - Learning outcome measurement and evaluation

Children's True Needs: - Safe and secure environment - Warm human relationships - Self-esteem improvement - Basic life stability - Cultural identity respect

Most Serious Discovery: Divergence from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Children face challenges at Maslow's "Safety and Security" level, but support was providing "Self-actualization" level education. Providing high-level support on an unstable foundation has limited effectiveness.

Chapter 4: The Power of Security — Overlooked Foundational Needs

Detailed EMPATHY analysis and field research revealed fundamental design flaws in educational support.

Structure Where "Lack of Security" Becomes Learning Hindrance:

Impact of Unmet Basic Safety Needs:

1. Impact on Cognitive Function - Malnutrition: Decreased concentration, reduced memory - Sleep deprivation: Scattered attention, decreased information processing ability - Stress: Poor retention of learning content - Anxiety state: Reduced capacity to accept new information

2. Impact on Social Function - Isolation: Difficulty participating in group learning - Inferiority complex: Decreased learning motivation due to confidence loss - Fear: Excessive fear of failure - Dependence: Hindrance to independent learning

3. Impact on Motivation - Short-term orientation: Consciousness concentrated on immediate survival - Difficulty feeling learning value: Lack of hope for future - Distrust of effort-result relationship - Dependence on external motivation

Regional EMPATHY Analysis Results:

Ghana Northern Villages (85 people surveyed): - Main PAIN: "Food instability," "Loneliness due to parents' migrant work" - Learning hindrance factors: Malnutrition 60%, emotional instability 70% - Retention rate: 6% (lowest level)

Senegal Urban Periphery (120 people surveyed): - Main PAIN: "Security anxiety," "Language barriers" - Learning hindrance factors: Safety fears 45%, cultural confusion 55% - Retention rate: 12% (low level)

Mali Rural Areas (95 people surveyed): - Main PAIN: "Pressure to participate in seasonal labor," "Conflict with traditional culture" - Learning hindrance factors: Time constraints 70%, value conflicts 80% - Retention rate: 15% (slightly low level)

Comparison Analysis with Success Cases:

High Retention Region Characteristics (Ghana South, 65% retention rate): - Basic life stability: Food, housing, medical care secured - Community support: Village-wide educational support system - Cultural consideration: Harmony between regional traditions and education - Graduated approach: Security → Basic learning → Advanced learning

Critical Difference from Low Retention Regions: Presence or absence of security is the most important determining factor for learning continuation

Analysis by International Educational Support Expert: "Organizations successful in African educational support prioritize 'basic human dignity' before 'education.' No matter how excellent the materials, they cannot be effective in environments where children feel unsafe."

Chapter 5: Detective's EMPATHY Analysis — The Answer Guided by Empathy

Holmes summarized the comprehensive analysis.

"Mr. Samuel, EMPATHY Map's essence is 'standing completely in beneficiaries' position.' Support design starting from beneficiaries' emotions and experiences, not supporters' good intentions or logic, is necessary. Especially for children, providing a safe environment before learning is essential."

EMPATHY-Driven Educational Support Strategy: From "Learning Support" to "Comprehensive Growth Support"

Basic Policy: Safety-First Education Model

Phase 1: Building Foundational Security (6 months)

Safety and Security Environment Preparation:

1. Physical Safety Assurance - Nutrition support: Light meal provision at learning centers (malnutrition resolution) - Health management: Basic medical care, health checks - Transportation safety: Safe school routes to learning centers - Facility safety: Space design where children feel secure

2. Psychological Safety Creation - Individual support: Counselor placement to address each person's anxieties - Graduated participation: Learning participation at comfortable pace - Failure tolerance: Learning environment without fear of mistakes - Cultural consideration: Respect for regional traditions and values

Phase 2: Social Belonging Cultivation (3 months)

Community Formation Support:

1. Peer Relationship Building - Small groups: Activities in secure-feeling small groups - Cooperative learning: Culture of helping each other rather than competition - Diversity respect: Interaction among children from different backgrounds - Leadership development: Older children supporting younger ones

2. Family and Community Collaboration - Family briefings: Sharing significance and methods of educational support - Community involvement: Child support by entire community - Cultural activities: Fusion of traditional culture and modern education - Economic consideration: Measures to reduce household burden

Phase 3: Natural Transition to Learning (Ongoing)

Interest and Curiosity-Based Learning:

1. Child-Led Learning - Interest discovery: Exploration of individual areas of interest - Practical learning: Learning content related to daily life - Success experiences: Accumulation of small achievements - Choice respect: Providing options for learning content and methods

2. Sustainable Mechanisms - Local leader development: Capacity improvement of local staff - Independent operation: Community-led educational support system - Continuous support: Long-term relationship building - Result sharing: Intra-regional expansion of success experiences

Investment Allocation Transformation: - Materials and facilities: ¥2.5 billion → ¥800 million (efficiency) - Security environment preparation: Newly established → ¥1 billion - Community support: ¥200 million → ¥800 million (4x increase) - Comprehensive care: Newly established → ¥500 million

Expected Effects: - Retention rate: 8% → 60%+ (7x improvement) - Learning outcomes: Improved results for those who continue + comprehensive human growth - Regional change: Cultivation of community culture that values education - Independence: Sustainable mechanisms not dependent on external support

"The key is listening to children's voices from the heart. EMPATHY Map is a map for understanding true desires hidden behind surface actions."

Chapter 6: The Bridge of Empathy — Learning Buds Nurtured by Security

Fifteen months later, a report arrived from Africa Education Bridge.

Results of Comprehensive Improvement through EMPATHY-Driven Support:

Dramatic Learning Retention Rate Improvement: - Overall retention rate: 8% → 64% (8x improvement) - Regional improvement: All 5 regions achieved 50%+ retention rates - Age-specific: Particularly low age group (6-9 years) achieved 85% retention rate - Gender gap: Girls' retention rate exceeded boys' (68% vs 60%)

Changes in Children:

EMPATHY Map Improvement Results:

FEEL (What they're feeling) Changes: - Anxiety → Security: "Learning center is a safe place" - Loneliness → Belonging: "A place where I have friends" - Embarrassment → Confidence: "I'm also a valuable person" - Fatigue → Vitality: "Energetic with nutrition and care"

THINK (What they're thinking) Changes: - "I can't do it" → "Let me try" - "Maybe I'm a bother" → "I want to contribute" - "Anxiety" → "Looking forward" - "Give up" → "Hope"

SAY/DO (Words and actions) Changes: - Passive → Active: Increased spontaneous questions and comments - Isolation → Cooperation: Natural participation in group activities - Avoidance → Challenge: Enthusiastic approach to new learning

Concrete Results of Security Building:

Nutrition and Health: - Nutritional status improvement: 85% of children showed improved nutritional indicators - Early health problem detection: Prevention of serious conditions through basic medical care - Attendance rate improvement: 95% attendance rate due to health improvements - Concentration improvement: +60% extension of learning time due to nutritional improvement

Psychological and Social: - Self-esteem: 90% of children feel "I am an important person" - Friendships: Friendship relationships continuing outside learning centers - Family relationships: Increased family support due to understanding of education - Community relationships: Improved community unity through children

Children's Voices:

Amina (10 years old, Mali): "I used to be scared of the learning center, but now I look forward to it. I made friends, the teacher remembers my name, and lunch is delicious. Even when I don't understand studies, everyone teaches me so it's okay."

Kofi (12 years old, Ghana): "I used to think 'I'm not smart,' but the teacher said 'everyone is different and everyone is good.' Now I teach arithmetic to little children. I realized there are things I can do too."

Fatima (8 years old, Senegal): "My mother now says 'studying is important.' When I sing songs I learned at the learning center at home, my whole family smiles. Everyone seems happy when I study."

Regional and Family Changes: - Parent participation rate: 15% → 78% (increased understanding and cooperation in education) - Regional volunteers: Average 8 people per village participate in spontaneous support - Educational values: "Study is for special people" → "Everyone's right" - Sustainability: Mechanisms that continue under community leadership even after external support decreases

Business Effects: - Cost-effectiveness: 30% reduction in per-person cost through comprehensive support - Support sustainability: Long-term effects expected through community leadership - Ripple effects: Success models naturally spreading to other regions - International evaluation: "Security-focused educational support" gaining attention as new standard

Samuel's letter contained deep emotion and learning:

"Through EMPATHY Map, we transformed from 'giving support' to 'walking together support.' Most important was standing completely in children's position and listening to their real voices. Security before education, human dignity before learning. Only when these are secured does real learning begin. Now children's smiles tell the story of support results, which is our greatest joy. EMPATHY is the bridge connecting supporters and those being supported."

Detective's Perspective — Empathy as the Ultimate Weapon

That night, I pondered deeply about the essence of human understanding.

Africa Education Bridge's case vividly demonstrated the danger of well-intentioned support sometimes missing the mark. Starting from beneficiaries' emotions and experiences rather than supporters' logic or common sense enables truly effective support for the first time.

EMPATHY Map's true value lies in its ability to structurally understand true emotions and desires hidden behind surface actions and words. Especially for support to children and vulnerable people, this deep empathetic understanding becomes an absolute condition for success.

In the context of Volume XVII "The Challenge of Reproducibility," Africa Education Bridge's transformation provided important insights. To generate sustainable and reproducible social impact, support design based on beneficiaries' true needs is essential. Surface solutions only yield temporary effects.

"True support begins with empathizing with the other's heart"

Through the EMPATHY Map method, we can understand others' inner worlds and build more effective relationships. The next case will also likely find the key to resolution in deepening human understanding.

"Empathy is not mere emotion. It is a scientific method for understanding others' worlds and providing truly valuable support. EMPATHY Map shows us a reliable path to that understanding." — From the Detective's Notes