PACAF Programs
FOSTERS EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION
According to the Brookings Institution, “it will take the average student in sub-Saharan Africa almost 100 years to catch up to the average student in high-income countries in terms of how many years of school she will attend and how much she will learn.” PACAF offers after-school supplemental academic lessons on all subjects for middle and high school students to create a future-ready generation in Africa. The lessons help students excel in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, the General Certificate in Education, and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination. The lessons also strengthen UNESCO’s four pillars of education in Africa: “learning to know, learning to do, learning to be, and learning to live together.” PACAF offers scholarships to students who excel in these examinations to reward efforts. PACAF has a library with books and magazines. Given the rising violence in the southeastern part of Nigeria, PACAF believes that when the youth pick a book, they drop the gun.
EDUCATES THE EDUCATORS
UNESCO’s core message, “Invest in the future, invest in teachers,” emphasizes teachers’ fundamental role in education and society. PACAF believes in this message and thus organizes bi-annual workshops to equip teachers with emerging instructional ideas, skills, and methods to improve students’ learning outcomes. PACAF believes regularly educating educators by exposing them to dynamic teaching methods will facilitate learning and promote sustainable development in Africa. The PACAF workshops help teachers master their subjects, explore new pedagogy, learn new classroom management techniques, employ new assessment and evaluation methods, increase their self-care knowledge, and learn how to integrate technology.
PROMOTES COMPUTER LITERACY
As Paul Kagame correctly states, “Africa’s future depends on digital literacy.” The African Development Bank agrees, insisting that “digital literacy is the foundation for Africa’s economic growth.” To help bridge the gaps between education and employment, PACAF offers computer training to help African youth in job creation, entrepreneurship, career opportunities, skill development, and global connectivity. Computers are a crucial educational technology component and touch every aspect of life in the 21st century. Helping African youth master them offers a solid foundation to thrive in a knowledge-driven world. Mastery of educational technology can facilitate African development by boosting educational access and quality, providing skills training, reaching those excluded from education systems, improving the quality of knowledge and skills taught, and addressing socio-economic and gender inequalities.
FACILITATES INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE
Agriculture is the most significant contributor to the economy, employing two-thirds of the workforce and contributing 20-60% of GDP. PACAF offers modern agricultural techniques, engages enhanced seedlings, and involves students in active farming to promote food security by improving productivity. PACAF offers lessons on practical modern techniques for farming plantain, papaya, corn, vegetables, cassava, etc., to promote food security and help the youth encounter the challenges facing agriculture. By understanding and finding ways to address the problems facing agriculture in Africa, such as low productivity, water scarcity, soil fertility loss, pests, diseases, post-harvest losses, and threats from climate change shocks, the youth are better placed to engage with solutions proactively.
INSTILLS FASHION AND DESIGN SKILLS
According to the Sewing Hope Foundation, “Every stitch represents a step towards financial freedom.” “Sewing is not just a skill; it’s a tool for empowerment,” according to the African Fashion and Design Association. PACAF offers self-employment skills in fashion and design to enable youth to generate income. PACAF teachers mentor the students on how to sew different designs of clothes so that when they graduate from high school or college and cannot find a job, they can earn a living with the skills learned. Teaching students how to sew encourages creativity and confidence, gives African youth a sense of pride and accomplishment, and contributes to social transformation.
CONSOLIDATES SOCIAL SOLIDARITY THROUGH SPORTS
The African proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together” underscores the importance of working together. According to the “Boys & Girls Clubs of America, “Sports help youth develop essential life skills: teamwork, discipline, and resilience.” PACAF offers middle and high school students an opportunity to play competitive soccer. The soccer competitions provide a healthy space to express their talents, which could create a path to earn a living by playing professional sports in Nigeria or abroad. PACAF provides entertainment, medical, and logistical support during the tournament, pays the personnel officiating the matches, and the winners and the runners-up receive financial prizes shared among the players. Participating in this tournament unites various villages, fosters civic engagement and community pride, and builds stronger, healthier communities.
SUPPORTS RURAL WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
PACAF offers business classes to young women in the community and provides micro-loans to support the start-up of small-scale businesses. It believes that women’s empowerment is the cure for poverty. The education and the loans empower rural women in their business and agricultural ventures. By offering business classes to rural women and microloans, PACAF helps break the cycle of poverty in rural Africa, gives African women a voice and choice, and fosters their financial inclusion.
IMPROVES COMMUNITY HEALTH
UNICEF correctly states that “Every African deserves quality healthcare, regardless of income,” and the World Economic Forum agrees, “Wellbeing is essential for Africa’s human capital.” PACAF offers lessons in CPR and nursing assistance skills to address preventative diseases contributing to high mortality in Africa. It provides community members with monthly health checks and screenings to identify early signs of diseases such as high sugar and blood levels, including malaria. A medical practitioner visits the foundation monthly to offer training for the youth, administer tests to community members, and then prescribe medications. PACAF also provides over-the-counter medications such as pain relievers and multivitamins to strengthen the community’s health and increase life expectancy.