Two years after allegations of child sexual abuse at Bridge International Academies schools in Kenya exposed serious gaps in the International Finance Corporation’s oversight of a company it helped fund, the institution is still working to deliver on promised reforms and support for survivors.
But civil society groups say two questions remain: Why haven’t survivors been directly compensated? And why does IFC — the private sector arm of the World Bank Group — refuse to release the full findings of an independent review into its handling of the case?
Since the scandal came to light in 2023 — and saw more than 20 students allegedly abused at Bridge schools backed by IFC’s $13.5 million investment — IFC has launched new programs and policy reforms to strengthen child-protection and gender-based-violence safeguards across its investment portfolio.
About the author
Sophie Edwards
Sophie Edwards is a Devex Contributing Reporter covering global education, water and sanitation, and innovative financing, along with other topics. She has previously worked for NGOs, and the World Bank, and spent a number of years as a journalist for a regional newspaper in the U.K. She has a master's degree from the Institute of Development Studies and a bachelor's from Cambridge University.
