iLEAD Fellowship

"This is my first time speaking and not stuttering." - Paul, an iLEAD Student.

Paul, a student in the LEAP Africa iLEAD programme, actively fights this condition amidst the various societal stigma he regularly faces, either from friends in school or at home. Stuttering affects people of all ages, but it occurs most often in children between the ages of 2 and 6 as they develop language skills. Boys are two to three times more likely to stutter than girls.

Paul is a male student who has lived with this condition for roughly 16 years. He struggles to keep up with regular conversations with friends in school and contribute to discussions in class; unfortunately, he is fast becoming a friend of himself.

"Speaking to people is my greatest fear. It's a fear that makes me tremble." - Paul.

Paul wants to be like every other student in school who answers questions during classes, start words quickly and smoothly, does not repeat sounds, contribute to discussions, and so on. However, due to his condition, he has developed anxiety about talking because many of his schoolmates would make jest of him, and others do not have the patience to allow him to utter a complete sentence; they would shut him up.

Paul only speaks with his trusted friend who he met in the iLEAD programme, John. For over one year, Paul and John have been friends through the "buddy" system in the programme. The "buddy" system encourages and supports iLEAD students to form smaller groups to get closer, have innovative interactions and solve problems. According to Paul, this was the reason he joined the programme. He wants to be able to connect with people and be seen as a "normal" person. When asked how the iLEAD programme has helped him in his quest to conquer stuttering, he says - "This is my first time speaking to many people like this, especially strangers, and I am not stuttering as much as I used to. I am so happy." - Paul

Paul has now developed the confidence to talk in class and among many people. He hopes to become a great speaker to inspire other stutterers like himself in the future. With your donations, you can give more students like Paul access to the iLEAD programme, ensuring that more young people are nurtured to thrive in life.