Building Leadership Pathways for 5000 Young Africa

It is often said that when life gives you lemons, you make lemonades out of it. COVID-19 is obviously a part of life's lemon that brought a halt to activities across every facet of society including education. Our Fellows who work in underserved communities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria have had to adapt to the times and re-strategize to keep the learning going for students in Senior Secondary School (class) 3. The strategy was simple; take learning online using digital channels.

For a lot of the students, Facebook was the best option as other channels/Apps require much internet data and an android phone which most of them do not have. Facebook was generous enough to create a free feature that enables many of the students to participate with small phones without internet data. So the students were added to a group chat where they hold peer learnings on their core subjects including English, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Civic education and others with support from our fellows. With this digital opportunity, we were able to revisit other modules in the curriculum such as values, time management, pathways (post-secondary school); and we are supporting them to apply these learnings for their personal and community development. Considering the realities of the pandemic, online learning has indeed become pertinent for the students as it helps to keep learning on-going and also make connecting with friends easier.

Our students are excited to be learning online; Abasifreke said "virtual learning is a dream come true"; instead of chit-chatting with friends online. Fola said "we have been coming together to share knowledge"; Matilda said it has helped her revisit her old notes.

Although the pandemic is gradually revealing that education in Nigeria is becoming a privilege rather than a right as it ought to be, we are putting in efforts to make this work for the underserved youth.

You can join us to beat the virus by supporting us to build a world-class digital centre which will increase the number of students who have access to a digital platform, provide more digital tools thereby exposing students to more opportunities to learn.

At the LEAP Institute, students will have access to a high-tech environment with top-notch training programmes on topical themes such as leadership, ethics, entrepreneurship and social development to enhance the leadership and management capacities of young people, trainers, educators and other professionals. Our goal is to ensure that every youth is inspired, empowered and equipped with the skills and tools for personal, organization and community transformation. We call to you today to join us to make this dream a reality.