Every school has them — the student who weaves bracelets during break, the one who fills notebooks with short stories, the one who photographs everything with their phone. These young creators are not just talented; they are entrepreneurial. What they lack is not skill or drive. What they lack is a market.
Mara is an e-commerce platform built specifically for students. It gives young creators a safe, moderated space to list their work, reach real buyers, and earn real income — while schools gain a powerful, visible way to demonstrate what Competency Based Education (CBE) truly looks like in practice.
Where the Old Model Fell Short
For a long time, education in Kenya was built around one thing: the exam. Students were ranked, sorted, and ultimately filtered — with the majority left with limited pathways forward. The system measured what a student could recall, not what they could do. Creativity, making, and building had almost no place in that model, except perhaps in the earliest years of school.
The CBE Promise: Competency Based Education shifts the measure of success from what a student memorizes to what a student can actually do. It creates room for every kind of learner — the maker, the builder, the writer, the designer — and recognizes their ability through demonstration and performance.
But a curriculum shift alone is not enough. For CBE to mean something, students need real opportunities to apply what they can do — not just in the classroom, but in the world. That is where Mara comes in.
What Mara Offers
For students, Mara is more than a shop. It is a practical lesson in entrepreneurship — one that no classroom exercise can fully replicate. When a student lists a product, they learn to describe it clearly. When they set a price, they think about value. When a buyer leaves feedback, they understand the customer. These are skills that stay long after school ends. And at the end of each month, they receive a payout for their work — real money, earned by their own hands and imagination.
For schools, Mara is proof. It turns CBE from a policy statement into something parents, administrators, and communities can actually see and point to. Schools can also list their own products on the platform — uniforms, event tickets, fundraiser items — and earn a commission on every sale made through their account, including those made by their students. The platform gives schools a new revenue stream while giving students registered entrepreneur status.
Every product is reviewed before it goes live. Mara checks that all listings are appropriate and safe for a school community — nothing vulgar, offensive, or unsuitable for young audiences. Mara is a safe space for students, schools, and buyers alike.
What Students Can Sell
Mara supports a wide range of student-created products across several categories. If a student made it and it is appropriate for a school audience, it belongs on Mara.
Shipping — Handled For You
Schools and students do not need to worry about logistics. Mara's team handles shipping on your behalf. A small platform commission covers this cost, so neither students nor schools carry the burden of fulfillment. In rare cases where we may need your assistance with a delivery, we will reach out directly — but that should be the exception, not the rule.
Payouts — Simple and Transparent
Earnings are paid out monthly, directly to the payment method configured in the student or school profile's payout settings. Supported methods include M-Pesa, Airtel Money, Till Number, Paybill, and Bank Account. For student accounts, parents are encouraged to set up and manage payout details to keep everything accountable and transparent. A commission on each student sale is also sent back to the school automatically.
How Schools Get Started
1. Register your school on Mara
2. Invite students and accept their request to join your school through the Mara dashboard.
3. Watch students experience real commerce — pricing, descriptions, customer feedback, and sales
4. Add products by the school — and manage student profiles.
CBE promises competence through performance. Mara delivers a real audience, real transactions, and real returns.
Your students create amazing things. Help them find a market.
Ready to launch young entrepreneurs at your school?
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