High marks
TV screen shot, girl smiling with hands on table, beside blackboard with triangular cartoon face
courtesy of akili kids!
“There are 20 million children in Kenya, but there was nothing free for kids,” says Jeff Schon ’73, who grew up overseas without a TV. The above photo advertises the new channel Akili Kids!, which is meeting the moment in East Africa.

Finding the Right Channel

Pioneering children’s television in Kenya
by Heather Rigney Shumaker ’91
O

ne, two, three! Moja, mbili, tatu!

Though his own Kiswahili language skills may be on the beginner level, Jeff Schon ’73’s new children’s television channel is hitting high marks with Kenyan families. Schon and co-founder Jesse Soleil started Akili Kids!, a free, 24/7 children’s TV network in Kenya.

“There are 20 million children in Kenya, but there was nothing free for kids,” says Schon. Before Akili Kids! came along, children’s TV was largely for affluent viewers with satellite service.

“Akili” means “smart” in Kiswahili, one of two official languages in Kenya. Ten percent of the shows are in Kiswahili, the rest in English. That’s purposeful. Kenyan families want their children to learn both languages, and after grade four, schools teach exclusively in English.

While traveling in Kenya, Jeff talked with Uber drivers about their lives, families, and access to television. When he explained he was developing a children’s channel, he asked what language they preferred for it to be in. The response, uniformly, was English.

Akili Kids! builds on the PBS educational programming model, but with a Kenyan twist. Public-service announcements include “Ask Dr. Pamoja,” teaching kids COVID-19 hygiene. Shows like Ubongo Kids and Akili and Me are produced in Tanzania.

“My passion is for developing economies,” Schon says. “We’re creating jobs, creating fun.”

The channel also includes global favorites like Dora the Explorer and Bob the Builder.

“Initially, I thought: Bob the Builder? Really?” says Schon. “But it was successful.” Each program must be educational and entertaining, and a Kenyan team evaluates and decides whether it’s a good fit for Kenyan audiences.

Colorful logo for Akili Kids!
Preparing to launch Akili Kids! took “eight long years,” Schon says. Finally, in late 2019, the program received $1.8 million, with the nonprofit Kays Foundation as the lead investor. The team prepared for launch day. Then COVID-19 hit.

“On March 23, they started a 7 p.m. curfew, closed airports, and sent kids home from school. Akili Kids! went on air March 31,” says Schon. With all the children at home, viewership shot past their expectations, soaring to 9.5 million viewers weekly.

“In terms of viewership,” says Schon, “we’re double where we thought we’d be four-and-a-half years from now.”

Akili Kids! aims to fill 40% of its content with programs created in East Africa. That’s important, especially for ages 10–14.

“As you go up in age, it’s harder to find things that will travel well,” says Schon. He’s hiring Kenyan animators, voice talent, actors, and more to realize this vision. He’s now getting calls to expand Akili Kids! into Uganda and Tanzania, with possible interest in a pan-African channel.

Schon’s passion for children’s media began at Swarthmore, where he was an economics major. A cinema theory course taught by Professor T. Kaori Kitao sparked his lifelong interest. “This is what I want to do,” he says he realized.

During his career, Schon developed Peep and the Big Wide World, which introduces preschool science concepts, and produced the first edition of Pee-wee’s Playhouse. And now — moja, mbili, tatu! — his work for children’s educational television in Kenya is off to a great start.