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"For as long as I can remember, I have been itching to tell this story." - Samuel Okoth

Stepping into their 4th year, these camps have quickly become a highly anticipated event in Nyarongi, where students eagerly seize the chance to strengthen their math skills while building international friendships with volunteers.

More than a decade ago, Bahir Dar University began running maths camps with support from SAMI. The idea was simple. Give students space to think. Remove exam pressure. Let mathematics breathe. Over time, that culture spread.

Twelve years ago, a simple idea took root at Bahir Dar University. It came with a clear motto: Learning Mathematics Through Fun. The idea was not to fix grades. It was to change attitudes. Year after year, that idea grew into a culture. By 2024, it had reached a turning point.

Eleven years of bringing secondary school students together to enjoy thinking, play games, exchange ideas, and slowly realise that mathematics is not something to fear, but something to explore.

From early-morning reviews to evening problem-solving games, the campus buzzed with energy. Mathematics was not confined to lecture halls: it spilled into maker spaces, sports fields, and late-night discussions in dorm corridors.

“Mathematics is often seen as a daunting subject, but what if it could be a source of curiosity and excitement?”

Motivated by the theme: “Seeing the invisible, solving the impossible”, this was the second edition of the Benin Maths Camp, supported by Supporting African Maths Initiatives (SAMI) in collaboration with IMAC-Bénin and IMTogo.

Imagine eight hundred and forty girls exploring mathematics together in one place, at one time, in Kajiado County. This is where the story of the Rombo Girls Maths Camp begins.

Barasa gives an inspiring account of the Maralal Maths Camps

Barasa gives a vivid account of his experience facilitating a Sratch event.

Esther's path in maths from struggling herself as a student, to receiving help from one particular teacher and then to the joy of discovery in Maths Camps.

Esther's journey as a Scratch educator helping at workshops funded by the Scratch Foundation.

2024’s theme was "Mathematics and the digitalization of teaching" . SAMI believes in the focus of preparing students for an evolving digital world.

Organized by Initiative in Mathematics and Computing (IMAC) with support from SAMI, this event brought together students from across secondary education (from 4ème to Terminale) to demonstrate that maths can be for everyone.

This is the first blog from Barasa Kelvin from Bungoma County in Kenya, a Mathematics and Physics teacher and an intern at the African Mathematics Initiative (AMI). His internship has been a fantastic journey so far, filled with opportunities to engage with Mathematics in diverse and impactful ways. From preparing maths activities, to running coding workshops and maths camps, there's never been a dull moment!

The story of Geoffrey Deperle, a mathematics teacher and research fellow based in Paris.

Recollections of Esther Mmbai Diera, an intern at African Maths Initiative from the 8th STEM Youth Boot Camp in Arusha, Tanzania.

The camp brought together students, teachers and facilitators in a shared learning space that focused on participation, curiosity, and practical problem solving.

My name is Esther Diera, and I am a trained Mathematics and Chemistry teacher from Kisii University, Kenya. I had the privilege of teaching for almost three years before embarking on this internship.

Esther's experience facilitating a workshop as part of the Scratch Education Collaborative (SEC) grant.

For years, the Association of Women Mathematicians Uganda (AWoM) has been championing mathematics education in the country. But despite their efforts, the IDM had never been officially launched in Uganda. That all changed in 2024.

This is a reflection of the half-day and full day mini maths camp that took place at Grace of Mariata Primary and Junior School in Kisumu in the months of February and March 2024, engaging different sets of students from ages 7 to 14. This initiative drew inspiration from the African Maths Initiative Maths Camp programs on Happy Classroom, Maths Game Envoys, Maths Camps and Maths Clubs as well as the Nrich's program on Becoming a Better Mathematician. The objective was to engage young learners in stimulating mathematical activities, present the happy classroom model lessons and foster a love for the subject and promote problem-solving skills.

Reflections from Happy Classrooms Initiative Project in Kenya

The purpose of this three-day maths camp was clear: to ignite a passion for mathematics in the hearts of young girls. It aimed to turn these young minds into math game ambassadors, learning through play, problem-solving, and exploration.

The Ghana camp began in 2014, inspired by the Maseno Maths Camp in Kenya. It was started by AIMS Ghana with one simple goal: help students see math as something they can enjoy and understand, not fear.

Activities were drawn from local puzzles, shared stories, traditional games, and everyday problems. This helped students connect maths to things they already understood. When the work reflected their world, students joined in with more energy.

What made the camp different was who it served. The participants were mainly children of teachers. These students grow up in homes where learning matters, and their parents play a big role in shaping schools across Rwanda. By supporting their children, the camp also supported the teachers and the work they do every day.

"For what feels like ages, I've been itching to share the incredible tale of my journey to becoming a math and science educator. From my earliest days in primary school, I had the privilege of being guided by the most amazing teachers and mentors who not only opened my eyes to the wonders of Mathematics but also nurtured a deep love for the subject, leading me to my ultimate dream of becoming a math teacher." - Samuel Okoth

Ethiopia’s young people are growing up in a time shaped by digital systems, artificial intelligence, and global networks. The camp tried to meet this reality by teaching maths that students can use in programming, science, and data work. It focused less on exam preparation and more on skills that support future work and study.

Many institutions already enroll more than a thousand students in one course. Lecturers often do not have enough time or support to give detailed comments on student work. The conference set out to explore practical ways to manage this, rather than talk about it in theory.

The team in Kenya hosted a maths camp at Akili STEMarts Academy, Kisumu County, Kenya. Read more about the themes, activities and

Feleria reflects on her experience as a SAMI intern

Report from the Math Camp hosted at Kongoni Community Library, Likuyani Constituency, Kenya.

The team in Togo hosted a maths camp For more information please see the full Camp Report

30 new problems now available in French

Welcome to the 2020 Supporting African Maths Initiatives Newsletter!

We are now joining efforts across Africa and internationally to create a virtual maths camp experience, a collection of events and resources across different countries, platforms and delivery mechanisms with the potential to have long lasting impact.

According to data by UNESCO, COVID19 school closures have affected over 200 million learners in Pre-Primary, Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.

We are living in unprecedented times. As I write this, the world is experiencing major societal shifts in work and education. Universities and other schools and industries are re-evaluating their roles now and what they can be in the future

These teams of trainers have been working hard to create Geogebra teacher training resources. GeoGebra is mathematics software for all levels of education that brings together geometry, algebra, spreadsheets, graphing, statistics and calculus in one easy-to-use package.

Due to the evolving situation caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19), SAMI has put on hold its planning and recruitment for maths camps this summer.

After an incredibly busy summer with camps in 6 countries, we’re amazed to see local teams keeping the momentum going and hosting two more camps to start 2020.

With over 250 pupils in attendance across 6 African countries, this was our biggest and most exciting year of camps to date.

“Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in the world for ugly mathematics.” - G. H. Hardy

Maths is the language of the universe and can offer elegant solutions to very complex problems which is why we believe improving mathematical literacy should be at the forefront of development efforts in Africa

When we started the project back in August 2016 there was lots of discussion about what would be the best apps to use if we really wanted to impact student’s learning in schools

Teachers at the Lycee Francais ran a maths marathon at their school this weekend.

Together with the charity Justice au Coeur, SAMI members ran a Pi Day treasure hunt at the Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle.

Asmodee have continued to support SAMI with with another donation of 5 sets of the brilliant game Dobble.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at St. Peter’s College, Oxford. Find below a few links to the materials and resources used

A quick recap of SAMI's presentations at the BCME conference in Warwick

PhD students and postdocs at IST Austria volunteer at mathematics camps in Africa

SAMI is excited to announce the launch of its new Digital Communities Initiative, a year long programme to use technology to improve livelihoods of all people within rural communities.