A major issue in education for sustainable development is how low income rural communities in low income countries can transition from aid dependence to self-reliance in the education sector and to do so in ways that reduce inequalities and value indigenous knowledge. Such research is valuable in the Horn of Africa, where rural communities have been reliant on aid since the collapse of the central government in 1991. This research project is a case study of a local foundation, which funds a school and Community Education Committee (CEC), where rural communities have been highly reliant on aid. This is the first such research in the Horn and will contribute new knowledge on the methods for and barriers to carrying out such a transition, as there is no academic or non-academic literature that observes, analyses and contributes to a transition from aid dependence to financial self-reliance in the region.
