How the DofE is improving school attendance rates in Kenya

Although the Kenyan government has been going to great lengths to ensure that all children are provided with free primary education, many young people are unable to attend on a regular Tunde Folawiyobasis. Approximately 83% are enrolled, but only a fraction of these go to school every day. Particularly in remote areas such as Bartabwa, the challenging conditions which many families find themselves in make it difficult to prioritise schooling.

However, a number of young DofE participants in Kenya have been doing their best to rectify this situation. Tunde Folawiyo, and others who are familiar with the DofE, may know of Rachel Wanjohi; for the Services section of her Gold Award, Rachel decided to encourage children in Wairuri to attend their local primary school. After visiting the school, she saw that a lack of basic facilities, such as a library, sports equipment, first aid kits and clean water had deterred many parents from sending their children there.

Rachel launched a number of fundraising projects to address these problems; her initial efforts helped to raise KES30,000, which was then used to purchase a water tank. Further fundraising work brought in even more money, and gradually, as the school facilities improved, attendance rates began to increase. Rachel’s work vastly improved the quality of life for many children in the local area and, of course, also helped her to achieve her Gold Award. Since then, she has gone on to work as Kenya’s Ambassador for Tunza Eco-Generation, and now aims to promote the eco-friendly initiatives being organised around Africa.

Judy Chesire is another former DofE participant whose work had an enormously positive impact on the education system in Kenya. For the Services section of her Award, she decided to set up a programme called Education and Life Empowerment in the afore-mentioned area of Bartabwa. She started off by arranging motivational talks, during which she and other guest speakers discussed the importance of education.

She then addressed the issue of staff shortages in the local school, by enlisting the help of her fellow university students, who were able to fill in as substitute teachers when necessary. In addition to this, she encouraged local children to see school in a different light, by making learning more enjoyable for them; she organised music and PE lessons, as well as games that helped children to view education as fun, rather than as a chore. As a result, both attendance rates and grade averages have risen dramatically in Bartabwa.

Chesire’s work led to her being recognised by the Peter Cruddas Social Innovation Initiative, and attending a showcase for the foundation in London. Anyone who is familiar with the Peter Cruddas Foundation, like Tunde Folawiyo, will understand what an honour it is to be asked to participate in this type of event.

How the DofE is helping to rehabilitate young offenders

Those who are familiar with the DofE, such as Tunde Folawiyo, may know that whilst many of its participants are school-going teens, in recent years, the programme has also been made available to young offenders. These people are offered the chance to complete each stage of the Award whilst they serve Tunde Folawiyotheir sentences. This supports the rehabilitation process, as it gives them a sense of achievement, builds their self-esteem, and provides them with practical skills which will allow them to make better choices after they are released.

Danielle is a young woman from the UK who was given a two-year sentence when she was 17. Prior to her this, she had been involved in the DofE; and although she didn’t initially want to continue with it, her Award Leader encouraged her to carry on with the programme whilst she was at the juvenile detention centre.

Danielle followed her leader’s advice, and over the next year, she finished her Physical, Service and Skills activities, eventually going on to receive her Gold Award. After her release, she completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Psychology, and she now has a career as a youth worker. In addition to this, she also serves as an Award leader at her local youth centre, and has been selected as the representative for the UK DofE Award at the Canadian IGE (International Gold Event.

Danielle’s inspiring story is just one example of many around the world. As Tunde Folawiyo is no doubt aware, young offenders in South Africa are also offered the chance to get involved in the DofE. Erol De Souza completed his Award in 1994, three years after he had been sent to St Albans correctional centre. Receiving the Award in the presence of Nelson Mandela was a great honour, and inspired Erol to continue serving as a fieldworker for the DofE after his release, as he wanted to make sure that other young offenders knew that there was hope, that they could still go on to achieve great things. In an interview, he noted that the Award dramatically reduced re-offending rates, and that true rehabilitation was only possible in prisons where this programme and others like it, were offered to inmates.

Paul Reynolds is another success story from the UK; he began to participate in the Award when he was midway through his sentence. As a result of the DofE, he was able to organise fundraising events, which generated a significant sum of money for several children’s charities. He explained that the Award changed his outlook entirely, giving him the confidence to believe that he can do something good with his life, both during his incarceration, and after his release.

Folawiyo has supported the work of the DofE for some time now. Those who wish to learn more about him should take a look at the bio on Tunde Folawiyo in Business Week.

Duke of Edinburgh Award Participants Partner with TEACH to Empower African Youth

Tunde FolawiyoAlmost 200 million people in Africa today are between the ages of 15 and 24, giving the country the youngest population in the world. This massive demographic segment of the population is largely overlooked as a potential source for positive change in African society and is often left without the education and training they need to improve their lives and those in their communities. TEACH (Time to Empower Africa’s Children), a nonprofit, charitable organisation, is endeavoring to alleviate poverty in Africa through the power of education and the engagement of new skills. One of the ways the organisation does this is by partnering with the youth of the UK, through the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) programme, offering volunteer opportunities for them to help empower African youth, while meeting the criteria for the DofE Award.

TEACH was founded by two sisters from the UK, Krupa and Shivani Patel, in 2008. Inspired by the experiences they shared while volunteering in Ghana, the sisters returned to the UK and began establishing an organisation that would incorporate their core values and increase the scope of their work in Africa. Today, TEACH is committed to educating, engaging and empowering youth in Africa and the UK. By partnering with schools and colleges across the UK, TEACH is able to spread awareness of the needs in Africa as well as create a sense of global citizenship that can develop into positive social change in future generations. They achieve their mission through three primary platforms – Community Participation; Business Enterprise Initiative and Global Citizenship.

One of the major contributors of youth volunteers is the participants in the DofE Award programme. The programme, which has many supporters such as Tunde Folawiyo, established in 1956 by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, is concerned with youth development in certain key areas. TEACH offers many opportunities for UK youth to fulfill their objectives in these areas, which include volunteering, physical improvement, skills development and expedition completion, whether it is working in Moshi as part of their “Be the Change” programme in youth leadership or organising fundraisers for an expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro with part of the funds going to TEACH initiatives. Through their active participation in fundraising events or hands-on building and educational projects, DofE Award participants help raise the awareness of the poverty that reigns in areas such as Tanzania, while building a firm foundation of future global responsibility and sustainability.

Businessman Tunde Folawiyo is one of the dedicated World Fellows of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, who supports the endeavours of the programme in its continuing efforts to mobilise the youth of Africa and the UK.

The extraordinary accomplishments of DofE participants

Being familiar with the DofE, Tunde Folawiyo is probably aware that it has been in operation for several decades now; without a doubt, its enduring popularity is due in no small part to the flexibility which it offers, in terms of activity selection. Participants are given the opportunity to follow their passions, and delve deeper into the subjects that truly interest them.

Tunde FolawiyoFor Christian Owen, a young deaf student, the lack of understanding regarding BSL (British Sign Language) was his biggest source of frustration. He decided to use his involvement in the DofE to do something about this; he wanted to make this language more accessible to the general public, and so chose to produce the world’s first ever manual for BSL.

Prior to this, the only options for those who wanted to learn BSL were to take formal lessons, or to use the standard BSL dictionary; whilst the latter is a very valuable resource, it is widely acknowledged as being a very complicated book for beginners to use. Christian hoped to provide a less daunting, self-help style manual, which would encourage people to learn the basics of BSL, and thus help to break down the barriers of communication between the non-hearing and hearing communities. His manual has been very well-received, so much so that Christian has continued on in his efforts to improve access to this language, by organising BSL lessons during after-school hours.

Kate McDevitt is another participant whose involvement in the DofE allowed her to discover where her interests lay. Despite suffering from severe health issues – she was born with hydrocephalus, a hole in her heart and three kidneys – Kate persevered with her Award activities.

Due to her own health problems, she was particularly passionate about the volunteering section. She chose to raise money for HAFAD and Children in Need – two charitable organisations which most people, including Tunde Folawiyo, will have heard of. She also ran campaigns relating to disability rights. A progression and training employee at HAFAD, named Esme Young, praised Kate for her determination and hard work. HAFAD (now known as Action on Disability), aims to create a fairer society, in which people with disabilities are afforded the same opportunities and rights as others. Based in West and Central London, this organisation not only campaigns for disabled people’s rights, but also provides such people with access to activities which enable them to live independently..

In addition to raising money for charities, Kate also undertook many other activities, including serving as an assistant in a nursery, hiking, swimming and sailing. Discussing her experience, Kate said that the programme had given her confidence, and shown her that she can achieve anything that she puts her mind to.

Folawiyo has been a supporter of the DofE for quite some time. More information about the Goodwill Ambassador Tunde Folawiyo is available online.

History of the Duke of Edinburg’s Award

As a global leader in youth development, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award continues to inspire millions of outstanding young people throughout the world. Since its establishment in 1956, the charity has sought to encourage millions of youth to explore their true potential. Through promoting a variety of life skills such as physical fitness and volunteerism, the DofE ensures its thousands of yearly participants are equipped to go forth and initiate positive change within their respective communities. Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others throughout the UK and abroad may continue to regard the DofE as a great source of encouragement for exceptional youth worldwide.

Tunde FolawiyoThe organisation was first spearheaded by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh as a programme for boys. Consisting of four segments – rescue, expeditions, public service and fitness – the programme sought to provide a stable environment for young boys to acquire vital life skills to aid in their progression toward adulthood. By 1957, over 7,000 boys had begun DofE programmes, with one thousand Awards achieved since its establishment. One year later, the DofE for Girls is established, focusing on the areas of living, interests, adventures and services. The programme’s first Gold Award was presented at the famed Buckingham Palace. During this same year, pilot projects were initiated in eleven other Commonwealth nations.

The turn of the 1960s saw over 40,000 young people participating in the DofE programme, demonstrating the phenomenal growth achieved in just a few short years. By the middle of the decade, three area and regional offices were established throughout the UK, with the programme operating in more than twenty countries around the world. By 1975, one million participants were enrolled in the DofE.

The programme grew exponentially over the next decades, with HRH Prince Edward achieving the Gold during 1986. The following year saw the DofE reach a great milestone with its 100,000th Gold achieved. By the end of the 80s, the number of participants surpassed two million with over one million DofE awards achieved by 1992. In the coming years, the numbers continue to soar, with the charity celebrating its 50th anniversary during 2006. By 2009, a variety of initiatives had been implemented to provide participants the utmost rewarding experience. Tunde Folawiyo and others involved with the DofE may continue to forge a great impact upon the future success of millions of young people around the globe. Follow Tunde Folawiyo projects to learn more of the worthy causes he supports.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award in Africa

The International Award Foundation work tirelessly in Africa to bring the programme to young people across the continent, an endeavour close to the heart of Fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh’s World Fellowship, Tunde Folawiyo.

Founded in 1956, the ethos of the Duke of Edinburgh Award is to help young people, whatever their adversities, to reach their full potential.  Through practical activities and teamwork, the aim is to develop mind, body and soul, building confidence and self-esteem.  By 1975 over 1,000,000 young people had participated in the scheme. In 1986 the Duke of Edinburgh’s third son, HRH Prince Edward, achieved his Gold Award. In 1988, the International Award Association was established to promote the award globally.  Prince Edward continues to play an active role in the charity both as a UK and International Trustee.  He is Chairman of the International Council, which governs the programme in 140 countries.

Tunde FolawiyoThe Duke of Edinburgh Award has changed the lives of millions of young people for the better, and none more than Kenyan, Julius Irungu Krush, who grew up in the slums of Mathare.  The makeshift shelters have no electricity; no running water; no sanitation.  Julius and his family were under constant threat – both from opportunist crime and their exposure to the elements.  Julius is the youngest son of a single mother who had three other children to care for.  Schooling fees and learning materials slid from Julius’s grasp as his mother struggled to put food on the table.

Julius recounts the despondency of the slums – the bleak acceptance of those around him that there was no escape from the poverty trap. Julius dropped out of school twice. Surrounded by negative peer pressure and with no dreams, confidence, aspirations or ambition, Julius attempted suicide.

This young boy’s life was turned around when he was introduced to the Duke of Edinburgh’s International programme. Within six months he had achieved his Bronze Award, quickly rising through the ranks to Silver and Gold. Along the way, Julius said he reaped so many rewards: confidence; inspiration. The experience changed his life forever. Through the Service section, he learnt the importance of community, so much so that after achieving the Gold Award he went on to start a mentorship programme himself called Raising Hope, to inspire the children of the slums of Mathare.

Stories like Julius’s are an inspiration to us all, and none more than Tunde Folawiyo, a long-time supporter of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. As director of the African Leadership Academy, entrepreneur Tunde Folawiyo is committed to helping young people to achieve their full potential.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award: Opportunity, Art and Charity

Tunde Folawiyo With a history spanning over fifty years, the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme has affected the lives of countless youths in the UK and around the world. The programme, commonly called DofE, was started by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. To counteract the modern social forces, described by German educator Kurt Hahn, that were making young adults less imaginative, adventurous, and socially minded, the DofE encourages participants to achieve goals in five categories: volunteer work, physical activity, practical skills, adventurous journey, and a residential category that requires participants to live away from home.

One opportunity for service and adventure approved for the Duke of Edinburgh Award criteria is the Village by Village project, which works to improve lives in rural Ghana. Volunteers can travel to villages untouched by tourism and spend two to four weeks engaged in meaningful service within these communities. Opportunities include working to teach English to children, construction jobs, or serving as a coach for a youth football team. Roles as photographers, videographers, business advisors and healthcare workers are also available. The charity was founded by Neil Kerfoot in 2006, with the goal of reaching one hundred villages by 2016.

The non-profit organisation ‘Films Without Borders’ is another group working within Africa that is independently affiliated with the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation. ‘Films Without Borders’ works in Rwanda, Israel, Palestine and elsewhere with the goal of giving teachers the training required to teach schoolchildren the basics of film, so that students are then able to produce their own short films. ‘Films Without Borders’ then brings this work to a global audience, as one film is selected from each country to go on to an international film festival, along with the student team that produced it. The goal of the organisation is to unite young people from all over the world, and to help them overcome their differences through the medium of storytelling.

The DofE is supported by a global network that gathers at events globally to promote the programme, including at an exclusive World Fellowship Anniversary Dinner, usually held in a London palace. The Duke of Edinburgh’s World Fellowship represents just a few of the award’s many supporters, including Tunde Folawiyo, who admire the efforts of the Foundation to encourage the enrichment of youth worldwide. Readers interested in Tunde Folawiyo’s work can interests can find YouTube videos from Tunde Folawiyo online.

Duke of Edinburgh Award Continues Inspiring Youth

Tunde FolawiyoAt an exclusive gala at Windsor Castle sponsored by the Halcyon Gallery, the Duke of Edinburgh World Fellowship recently celebrated twenty-seven years of inspiring world youth. From its founding in the UK, it since has spread in various versions to 140 additional countries. Young people worldwide are participating in the program, and community leaders, in business, politics and education, are doing their part to support the programme globally. Supporters of the Duke of Edinburgh Award are dedicated to the enrichment of young people, including Tunde Folawiyo. Those interested can view this Tunde Folawiyo profile.

Award holders include 22-year-old Vionaver Booysen, of South Africa, who has earned all three awards available in the programme: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Booysen was raised in a situation of adversity, but felt a strong desire to work to make a better life for the people in her community. She became involved in a community-action organisation, of which she is now the Assistant Youth Coordinator. She remains active in The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment, the form the Duke of Edinburgh award has taken in South Africa.

Patricia Yeboah, a young woman from Ghana, used her work with the Duke of Edinburgh award to focus on issues faced by women in her local community. In Ghana, women have higher rates of illiteracy and fewer employment opportunities than men. Yeboah addresses the roles of women in her community by organising a photography club for young women. The group meets weekly to share their photography and their experiences, with half the costs of film printing covered by the Head of State Award, which is Ghana’s iteration of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. The local school, which provides a space for the group to meet, says that the program is having a visible impact on the students’ well-being. Yeboah’s work has also increased local participation in the Head of State Award program.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award programme continues to grow. The World Fellowship promotes the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which was founded in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to award young people for living lives of service, acquiring skills, and learning about the world through travel and adventure. The programme has attracted over eight million participants worldwide.

The accomplishments of South African DofE participants

In South Africa, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is known as the President’s Award for Youth Empowerment. Over the past three decades, approximately 110,000 youths have gotten involved in this programme, and in doing so, have not only discovered new talents, developed new skills and become more well-rounded individuals, but have also had an incredibly positive impact on their communities. In this article, we’ll be discussing some of the extraordinary accomplishments of the young South Africans who have completed the Award.

Those who visit South Africa regularly, such as Tunde Folawiyo, may know that it is a nation of economic extremes; although there are some extremely wealthy areas, the country also has very high rates of unemployment and poverty. Schalk Burger, a young student who was studying at a prestigious secondary school, was acutely aware of this problem, and after joining the President’s Award, he decided to do something about it. In 2010, he launched Clothing-4-Children, a garment recycling initiative.

He asked all of his fellow students to gather up any high quality, unwanted clothing they had lying around their homes. Tunde FolawiyoThe generous donations of his peers encouraged him to continue with this project, resulting in him teaming up with the Blue Bulls Rugby Union. This collaboration enabled Schalk and his brother to get 41 other schools around the country involved in Clothing-4-Children. To date, he has managed to collect more than 588 tonnes of clothes, which have an estimated value of $32.1 million.

Emily Mabasa is another participant with an inspiring story. As a physically disabled young person, completing the Award was very challenging at times; however, Emily’s involvement in this programme did wonders for her, helping her to uncover a love for activities such as creative writing, dancing and design.

The Service section had a particularly profound effect, and led to her working on setting up a skill centre, which will be aimed specifically at those living in poorer homes, where children are often expected to take on the role of head of the household. She hopes that this centre will be able to teach young people some practical skills, so that as they grow up, they won’t be reliant on government handouts to survive.

Tunde Folawiyo, and anyone else who is familiar with the Award, will probably understand just how many opportunities it provides participants with. Her involvement in the President’s Award has opened up a great many doors for Emily; for instance, during Youth Month Commemoration, she and three other participants were invited to an event called ‘Youth of South Africa – Legends of the Future and History Makers’. This year, Emily will also be travelling to South Korea, to serve as a representative of the Award at the International Gold Event.

Anyone who, like Folawiyo, is interested youth development initiatives like the President’s Award, and would like to learn more about this subject, should follow Tunde Folawiyo projects online.

How one DofE participant changed the lives of hundreds of young Kenyans

Like many other young people, Molly Macaire chose to participate in the DofE programme in order to challenge herself. She was eager to find a goal which she could work towards with her peers, and wanted to prove to herself that she could accomplish anything she set her mind to.

For the Bronze stage of the award, Molly chose to create a project which would provide children living in a disadvantaged area of Kenya with the opportunity to self-educate. Entitled ‘EDCLUB’, this project was inspired by a speech given by Sugata Tunde FolawiyoMitra, a professor that most people, including Tunde Folawiyo, will probably have heard of (The Business Week bio on Tunde Folawiyo provides more information about this entrepreneur).

Mitra had created a series of educational centres specifically for children residing in the poorest parts of India. These centres gave the children access to both high tech computers and the internet. The mentors then encouraged those in attendance to teach themselves about any subjects which interested them, by searching for the answers online. Mitra’s theory was children are, by their very nature, inherently inquisitive, and that given the right tools, they would be quite capable of educating themselves, even if they were not in a formal school environment.

Anyone with an interest in youth development, like Tunde Folawiyo, will most likely be familiar with Mitra’s method. Now referred to as MIE (Minimally Invasive Education), it has successfully shown that children, regardless of their social status or background, can learn how to use computers and teach themselves everything they need to know – even if they don’t speak English.

Molly decided to set up a similar project in the Kenyan village of Huruma. A company called Stonehouse Ltd donated the first computer, and after several more fundraising events, Molly managed to purchase three additional computers. EDCLUB has been a resounding success, and over time, many other children living in the village have chosen to get involved. As a result of their enthusiasm, Molly built an internet lab on a piece of land donated by the Kenya Forest Service, and hired 90 volunteer mentors.

The project is continuing to expand, with 22 more mentors joining the team this coming September. Ultimately, Molly hopes to get every child from Huruma involved. In addition to having a profoundly positive impact on the lives of young people living in this part  of Kenya, EDCLUB has also helped Molly; in an interview, she explained that completing this part of the award had enabled her to develop many important life skills, including the ability to compromise, and to work as part of a team. It also allowed her to overcome her fear of public speaking.