Elimu Community Light (ECOLI) began in 1999 as a response to rising rates of crime in the Daraja II ward of the Arusha Municipality in Tanzania and the current and anticipated problems of young children who are exposed to such a dangerous environment where crime is high and education is given a low priority.  The first early childhood development (ECD) center was established giving families and children a better opportunity to succeed in education and beyond rather than turning to a life of crime.

 Since this humble beginning, the organization has expanded greatly.  The founder and present coordinator of the organization received special college-level ECD training ending in 2005 and turned his sights and the sights of the organization towards broader issues facing ECD and the young children of Tanzania.  ECOLI officially registered as a nongovernmental organization in Tanzania in 2006 with registration No. OONGO/1699 and continued to grow from there. ECOLI now undergoes various other activities as well such as providing a nine-month-long training course for individuals to become ECD professionals, hosting public dialogues to discuss and raise awareness on child protection and other issues concerning vulnerable children, and actively lobbying the local government to try and make ECD a priority in Arusha.