August 2025
What does operational excellence really mean? At its core: the continuous pursuit of improvement.
What does operational excellence really mean? At its core, it is the continuous pursuit of improving performance across every part of an organisation, delivering value while minimising waste, in a culture where every colleague is empowered and expected to improve the way work gets done.
Yet operational excellence only works if everyone buys into what the organisation is trying to achieve. For most development workers, that buy-in requires evidence that their work is truly benefiting the communities we serve, through rigorous impact evaluation and, just as importantly, through an ongoing, open dialogue with those communities about what they need.
Beliefs are the catalyst of developmental change; systems of operational excellence optimise its delivery. That belief is the pre-condition of operational excellence at Pharo Foundation and beyond.
Thomas Mason, CEO, Pharo Foundation
Striding for Excellence
Our COO, Tim Kasperidus, ran the distance from Berbera on the coast to our school in Sheikh, Somaliland. A reminder that excellence is an attitude: practice, preparation and dedication in pursuit of a common goal.
Watch on YouTube →Sports and education: a winning combination
By Sam Schmidt and Joy Kimani. From football fields in Nairobi to basketball camps in Hargeisa, our structured sports programmes build strong bodies and sharp minds, boosting the executive function children need to thrive.
Read on LinkedIn →A record graduation in Hargeisa
Pharo Primary School Hargeisa celebrated a record 66 graduates, 40 girls and 26 boys, the first time girls outnumbered boys, with no dropouts or suspensions and 21 students passing the competitive Sheikh entry exam.
See on Instagram →