Parents across Africa are welcoming AI in the classroom, says Shabnam Aggarwal, chief technology officer of Sierra Leone-based Rising Academies. Many see it as a way to "give their kids a leg up," she said, unlike American parents, who often resist it in elementary grades. Rising Academies built Rori, an AI tool that generates math and other lessons for students on WhatsApp. It adapts difficulty to student responses and works in areas with low connectivity. It aims to supplement classroom learning, which suffers from Africa's severe teacher shortage. In an eight-month study of 500 students in 2023 by Oxford and J-PAL researchers, those who used Rori for two 30-minute sessions a week outscored a control group by roughly an extra year of study. Rori is now expanding to government schools in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Rwanda, and Ghana.

PASCAL launches IMPACT Program with Rising Academies and KOSSA in Sierra Leone. 19/08/2026 The partnership supports locally led education, sport and youth development programs that help young people realize their potential. LOS ANGELES, Aug. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - PASCAL, the Los Angeles-born colored lab-grown diamond brand, today announced the launch of the PASCAL IMPACT Program, a partnership with Rising Academies and KOSSA supporting education, sport and youth development in Sierra Leone. PASCAL IMPACT unites PASCAL, Rising Academies, and KOSSA to support locally led education, sports, and youth development programs in Sierra Leone. PASCAL believes brilliance is not found only in diamonds. It also lives in people through their resilience, creativity, talent and potential. Lab-grown technology opens new possibilities for how diamonds can be imagined, bringing color, creativity, identity and self-expression to the forefront. Sierra Leone has a complex history with diamonds, but its people and future are not defined by that history alone. For PASCAL, this partnership is an opportunity to help support a different diamond story, one shaped by education, sport and human potential. Through their locally grounded work, Rising Academies and KOSSA are helping young people build the skills, confidence and opportunities to shape their own futures. "Colored diamonds have always been a way to express individuality," said Adam Hua, CEO of PASCAL. "With PASCAL IMPACT, we want to extend that idea of brilliance beyond the stone and recognize the potential already present in Sierra Leone. Our role is to support local organizations doing meaningful work and give our community a transparent way to take part." The program brings together two partners with complementary areas of expertise. Rising Academies works with schools and public education systems to strengthen teaching and learning, while KOSSA uses sport and youth development to help build confidence, skills and stronger communities. "Every child deserves the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Through this partnership with KOSSA and PASCAL, we can help more young people in Sierra Leone build the foundational skills, confidence and opportunities they need to shape their own futures. We're grateful to everyone helping make that possible." - Job Matseshe, Regional Director, Rising Academies "Sport brings joy as well as developing healthier minds and bodies. KOSSA is grateful to work with PASCAL to bring much needed training equipment for after-school activity to the coaches, and boys and girls, we work with." - Antoine Likound, Partner, KOSSA Customers can make an optional contribution through the dedicated PASCAL IMPACT page or during checkout when purchasing from PASCAL. At either touchpoint, customers can choose to support education or sport initiatives. As collective contributions reach agreed milestones, PASCAL will work with Rising Academies and KOSSA to publish partner-approved PASCAL IMPACT Stories documenting how the support is being put into action. About PASCAL PASCAL is a Los Angeles-born fine jewelry and watch brand specializing in colored lab-grown diamonds. Combining diamond-growing technology with contemporary design and meticulous craftsmanship, PASCAL explores the creative possibilities of color and transforms diamonds into modern expressions of individuality, identity, and self-expression. Through its watch and jewelry collections, PASCAL crafts colored diamonds for life's shiniest moments. Learn more at pascaldesign.com. About Rising Academies Rising Academies is an education organisation that partners with governments to improve teaching and learning at scale. Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, Rising now supports more than 1,400 schools and 400,000 students across six countries, using proven teaching approaches alongside technology and AI to help children learn more. With 98% of its team based in Africa, Rising combines deep local expertise with evidence, innovation and strong government partnerships to build education systems where every child has the opportunity to thrive. Learn more at https://www.risingacademies.com/ About KOSSA KOSSA is committed to unlocking the full potential of West Africa's next generation of football talent through ethical management, child safeguarding, and benchmarking world-class sports development. Ohsem.me nurture talent with care and character, building sustainable training infrastructures as they aspire toward professional athletic careers. KOSSA Nxt Gen is community impact focused - enabling sports at schools so that at a young age, both boys and girls have the opportunity to participate. Learn more at www.kossa.com 02/07/2026 18/08/2014 13/05/2026 27/04/2026 30/04/2026 Discover more Video Games Blogging platform Tech gadget reviews