We always say that our youth are our biggest testimonials. Felix and Esther’s story is yet another example that reassures us that we are on the right track to achieve our 2020 target of ‘Impacting 1 Million Lives’. When we witness the youth in our LEI Program constantly do their bit to ‘pay it forward’ & support their communities, we can’t help but feel proud.
Felix Nampaso and Esther Muntet from Senchura Secondary School, got an opportunity to attend our 2016 Leadership and Entrepreneurship Incubator (LEI) program. When they came back to school after their December holidays, they did two things: First, they approached the school about creating a Leadership Club and signed up to be the Co-President upon receiving approval. The second thing they did was rally their classmates about how they could help the community by starting with their current location as a ‘pay it forward’ project.
In January’16, they started a small school vegetable garden alongside their school. Initially, the school leadership did not take the project very seriously. However, they did help provide seeds and water for the youth to kick start the project. As the vegetables began to grow on a larger scale, the school principal decided to speak to them and understand their ideas.
(Felix & Esther in the vegetable garden)
When he interviewed Felix and Esther, he asked them what inspired them to do this project. They confidently explained the concept of “Paying it Forward” and what they had learned at Asante Africa Foundation’s LEI program about youth enterprises and project planning. They explained that as a Leadership Club, they wanted to provide the students options in their food menu, without putting the extra cost burden on the school. Also offsetting some of the costs, would allow the school to get slightly more expensive items like meat and rice included periodically into the menu. Their logic was that the garden would provide the vegetables that the school had to previously purchase in large quantities.
The school administration was so excited with the results over the first 3 months that in March the school purchased a greenhouse for the club, which would allow them to continue to expand the project. Large scale gardening has now been initiated as of April 2016. This project is now managed by a larger group of 15 students who have now joined Felix and Esther.
All of this was achieved because two young people had time to learn to be creative and were empowered to practice and enhance their skills, and enlist others in a vision they had developed together.
(Greenhouse for the school)
Believing in our vision to support many such youth, Social Capital Foundation decided to match the LEI donations 1:1, upto $20,000 till August’31’16. We still have to raise $3000 and have 6 days remaining. Your generosity can help us achieve our goals.
