Transparency Index

1.Our Commitment to Transparency

Soma Foundation Rwanda (SFR) is committed to promoting equitable access to education, digital learning, and skills development for underserved communities. We recognize that public trust is essential to our mission. Our beneficiaries, donors, funding partners, schools, government institutions, employees, volunteers, and other stakeholders deserve clear information about who we are, how we operate, how resources are managed, and what our programs seek to achieve.

This Transparency Index provides a central point of reference for information about the Foundation’s governance, finances, programs, partnerships, impact, and accountability mechanisms. Through this index, we aim to:

• Promote openness and responsible organizational governance.
• Demonstrate accountability for funds and resources entrusted to us.
• Communicate our programs, objectives, activities, and results.
• Provide stakeholders with access to relevant organizational documents.
• Strengthen trust among beneficiaries, donors, partners, and the public.
• Support informed engagement with our educational initiatives.
• Protect the privacy, safety, and legitimate interests of the individuals and communities we serve.

We believe transparency is an ongoing responsibility. We will therefore seek to review and update this index as our organization, programs, and reporting practices evolve.

2.About Soma Foundation Rwanda

Soma Foundation Rwanda is an education technology nonprofit organization working to improve access to educational opportunities through technology, digital learning resources, partnerships, and capacity development. Our work focuses on reducing barriers that prevent learners, teachers, and educational institutions from accessing useful educational resources, particularly in underserved communities and areas with limited internet connectivity.

Our initiatives include SOMABOX, an educational technology solution designed to make digital learning content accessible without requiring continuous internet access. We work with educational institutions, technology partners, donors, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders to support our mission.

This Transparency Index reflects our commitment to ensuring that our organizational information is accessible, understandable, and appropriately documented.

3.What We Make Public

We seek to make the following categories of information available to stakeholders, subject to applicable law, confidentiality requirements, safeguarding obligations, and the availability of verified records.

Organizational identity and legal information. Our official organizational name; mission, vision, and objectives; registration information and relevant supporting documentation; official contact information and office location; organizational profile and background; strategic priorities and areas of operation; and publicly shareable institutional policies. Where documents contain sensitive personal information or other protected details, we may publish appropriately redacted versions.

Governance and leadership. Our governance structure; leadership and management responsibilities; organizational departments and reporting arrangements; relevant governance policies; conflict-of-interest management arrangements; codes of conduct and ethical standards; and risk management and internal accountability procedures. Personal information about individual staff members, board members, or other representatives will be disclosed only where appropriate and lawful.

Financial accountability. Subject to applicable obligations and the availability of approved records, we aim to provide relevant information about annual budgets and financial summaries; sources of organizational funding; grant-funded initiatives and their intended purposes; expenditure categories and resource allocation; financial reporting and accountability procedures; audited financial statements, where available; and financial accountability reports required by relevant funders.

We will distinguish between approved budgets, funds received, expenditure incurred, and projected funding so that readers can understand the status of reported figures.

Programs and activities. Program descriptions and objectives; educational technology initiatives; training and capacity-building activities; school and community engagement; teacher development and learner support; implementation updates; publicly shareable project reports; and program challenges and lessons learned.

SOMABOX and educational technology. The purpose and intended use of SOMABOX; how the solution supports access to educational resources without an internet connection; implementation approaches and participating institutions, where disclosure is authorized; teacher orientation and capacity-building activities; educational content and learning opportunities; publicly reportable implementation progress; and lessons learned. Technical documentation, proprietary software, security configurations, confidential partner information, and other protected materials may be excluded from public disclosure.

Monitoring, evaluation, and impact. Where reliable data is available, we aim to publish the number of learners and teachers reached; participating schools and educational institutions; training participation and completion; access to educational resources; gender inclusion and other relevant inclusion indicators; rural and underserved community participation; user feedback and satisfaction; implementation challenges and corrective actions; and lessons learned.

We will distinguish between targets, outputs, outcomes, and longer-term impact. We will not present planned activities or projected results as completed achievements.

Partnerships and collaboration. Publicly announced institutional partnerships; the general purpose of collaborative initiatives; publicly shareable memoranda of understanding or partnership agreements; roles and contributions of participating organizations, where disclosure is authorized; and joint activities and publicly reportable results. We will not publish confidential agreements or imply that an organization is a formal partner without appropriate confirmation.

Policies and accountability documents, including this index, our Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Cookie Disclosure and Policy, safeguarding and child protection policy, code of conduct, complaints and feedback procedure, and relevant financial, procurement, ethical and accountability policies. The availability of each document will depend on its approval status and publication readiness.

Procurement and resource management. Where appropriate and permitted: procurement and purchasing procedures; supplier selection principles; conflict-of-interest safeguards; accountability and approval procedures; and publicly disclosable procurement information required by funders or law. We will protect confidential commercial information, sensitive quotations, personal data, and security-related information where disclosure would be inappropriate.

Employment and organizational opportunities. Where relevant, we may publish available employment opportunities; volunteer and internship opportunities; public calls for consultants or service providers; general recruitment procedures; and organizational contact channels for applications. We will not publish confidential applicant information or personnel records through this index.

4.Public Transparency Register

The following register provides a structured overview of the information SFR intends to make available. The status of each document is updated only after the relevant record has been verified and, where necessary, approved for publication.

Status definitions:

• Published: the approved document is available through the website or another identified public channel.
• Available on request: the information can be requested through the Foundation’s official contact channel, subject to applicable restrictions.
• In preparation: the document is being developed, reviewed, or prepared for approval.
• To be confirmed: the publication status of the document has not yet been verified.
• Not publicly available: the document is not published because of confidentiality, privacy, safeguarding, legal, security, or other legitimate restrictions, or because no approved public version is available.

Entries marked “To be confirmed” have not yet been verified and should not be read as a statement that the document exists, or that it is available.

5.Accessing Information

We encourage stakeholders to consult the information published on our website before submitting a request. Where information is not publicly available but may appropriately be shared, individuals may contact Soma Foundation Rwanda through our official communication channels.

When submitting a request, please identify the document or information you are seeking; explain the purpose of the request, where relevant; provide contact details if you would like a response; and specify whether you prefer an electronic copy or another reasonable format.

We will review requests fairly and respond within a reasonable period, subject to applicable law and operational considerations. We may ask for clarification if a request is unclear or covers a large volume of material.

We reserve the right to withhold or redact information where disclosure would breach privacy rights, safeguarding obligations, legal requirements, contractual confidentiality, intellectual property rights, or legitimate security interests. Where possible, we will provide a non-confidential summary or redacted version rather than withholding an entire document.

6.Financial Transparency and Donor Accountability

Soma Foundation Rwanda recognizes its responsibility to manage funds and resources carefully and in accordance with applicable legal requirements, approved budgets, grant agreements, and internal financial procedures. Our approach to financial accountability aims to support:

• Appropriate authorization and documentation of expenditure.
• Accurate financial recordkeeping.
• Responsible allocation of resources to approved activities.
• Compliance with relevant grant conditions.
• Monitoring of project budgets and expenditure.
• Reporting to donors and funding partners.
• Appropriate review and oversight of financial activities.

Where funding is restricted to a particular project, we aim to account for the use of those funds in accordance with the relevant agreement. Public financial reports will reflect verified information and clearly identify the reporting period and scope.

The publication of a grant announcement or funding commitment should not be interpreted as confirmation that all funds have been received or spent.

We will not disclose confidential banking details, payment credentials, personal financial records, or other information that could expose the Foundation or individuals to fraud or harm.

7.Beneficiary Privacy and Safeguarding

Transparency must not come at the expense of the safety, dignity, or privacy of the people we serve. Our programs may involve children, young people, teachers, rural communities, and other individuals whose circumstances require appropriate protection. Accordingly, we aim to:

• Publish aggregate program data where individual identification is unnecessary.
• Obtain appropriate authorization before publishing identifiable photographs, testimonials, or personal stories where required.
• Protect children’s personal information and apply appropriate parental or guardian consent requirements.
• Avoid publishing sensitive information about individual beneficiaries.
• Restrict access to confidential participant records.
• Respect applicable data protection and safeguarding requirements.

We will not publish individual educational records, private contact information, sensitive personal details, or identifiable beneficiary stories merely to demonstrate program impact. Our Privacy Policy provides further information about how we handle personal information.

8.Complaints, Feedback, and Whistleblowing

We welcome feedback from beneficiaries, employees, volunteers, partners, donors, and members of the public. Individuals may raise concerns relating to:

• The use of organizational funds or resources.
• Suspected fraud, corruption, or financial misconduct.
• Unethical conduct or conflicts of interest.
• Safeguarding concerns or inappropriate behavior.
• Misrepresentation of programs or reported results.
• Improper handling of personal information.
• Other concerns about the conduct of the Foundation or its representatives.

Concerns should be submitted through our official organizational contact channel, using a subject line that clearly identifies the matter. We aim to review concerns fairly, protect confidentiality as appropriate, and take reasonable steps to prevent retaliation against individuals who raise concerns in good faith.

Anonymous reports may be considered where sufficient information is provided to assess the concern. We will handle reports in accordance with applicable law and relevant internal procedures. This index does not replace any separate complaints, safeguarding, or whistleblowing policy.

9.Accuracy and Verification of Information

We aim to ensure that information published through this index is accurate, relevant, and appropriately approved. Where appropriate, documents will identify the reporting period, publication date, and responsible organizational function.

We will seek to correct material errors when they are identified and update information when circumstances change. Financial information, program statistics, partnership announcements, and impact claims should be supported by appropriate organizational records before publication.

Historical reports may reflect information accurate for the period in which they were prepared. They should not automatically be interpreted as statements of current organizational performance.

10.Limitations on Disclosure

Although we are committed to transparency, not all organizational information can be made publicly available. Information may be withheld or redacted where disclosure could:

• Violate applicable data protection or privacy requirements.
• Endanger a child, beneficiary, employee, or other individual.
• Compromise information security or the safety of educational systems.
• Breach a lawful confidentiality obligation.
• Disclose proprietary intellectual property or protected educational content.
• Expose confidential commercial information.
• Interfere with a legitimate investigation or legal proceeding.
• Disclose sensitive financial, banking, or security information.

Where appropriate, we will explain the general reason for withholding information without disclosing the protected information itself.

11.Review and Publication Schedule

Soma Foundation Rwanda intends to review this Transparency Index periodically to ensure that it remains useful and reflects the Foundation’s current practices. The review may include:

• Confirming that linked documents remain accessible.
• Updating publication statuses.
• Reviewing the accuracy of organizational information.
• Adding approved reports and policies.
• Updating relevant financial and program reporting periods.
• Removing superseded documents or clearly marking them as historical.
• Reviewing the adequacy of privacy and safeguarding protections.

The frequency of publication for specific reports may depend on the relevant reporting cycle, funding agreement, legal requirement, and internal approval process.

12.Contact Information

For questions about our Transparency Index, requests for organizational information, or concerns about accountability, please contact:

• Soma Foundation Rwanda (SFR)
• Office address: 87 KG 601 Street, Kigali, Rwanda
• Email: info@sfrw.org
• Website: www.sfrw.org
• Subject line: Transparency and Accountability Inquiry

Please identify the information you are seeking or describe your concern as clearly as possible. We will review your inquiry and respond as reasonably practicable, subject to applicable law and the availability of the requested information.

13.Our Commitment

Soma Foundation Rwanda believes that responsible governance, financial accountability, accurate reporting, and respect for individual rights are essential to building trust and delivering meaningful educational outcomes. We will continue to strengthen our transparency practices as our organization and programs develop.

Our commitment is to communicate honestly about our objectives, resources, activities, progress, and challenges while protecting the people, information, and partnerships entrusted to our care. Transparency is an ongoing responsibility, and we welcome constructive engagement from everyone who shares our commitment to expanding access to education and digital learning opportunities.