Our Story

The Two Rabbits program began in the forests of Cameroon with the Baka, a group of semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, who expressed the need to preserve their cultural traditions as their children attended schools that had traditionally marginalized their language and culture. As one father explained, Baka children must “chase two rabbits at once,” learning to engage with the outside world while at the same time preserving their ties to the forest.

Our model was co-created by US-based nonprofit Two Rabbits and Cameroonian nonprofit ASTRADHE.

Two Rabbits founder Sarah Strader has lived and worked with the Baka since 2011 when she spent a year immersed in Baka villages as a Fulbright researcher. Through conversations and participation in daily life with parents, children, and local leaders, communities laid out a model for a culturally-adapted early education approach that would help children build literacy, numeracy, and life skills while affirming their indigenous heritage and ancestral education.

In 2014, after years of discussion and iteration, Two Rabbits and ASTRADHE launched a pilot of the initiative. Together, they created an interactive audio program based on the Cameroonian official curriculum and featuring songs, stories, and games performed in the Baka style and language. When an initial two-year pilot showed remarkable results, we worked to strengthen the model based on lessons learned, and expand it to 20 villages over two years.

Today, the Two Rabbits program is a thriving early childhood program with deep roots in the Baka community. Our evaluation results demonstrate strong impact on key development outcomes for pennies per child per day. We are so proud of our graduates, and cannot wait to see what the future holds for them.