My early steps: A classroom too far
I was four years old the first time I walked into a classroom. Too young to be admitted but too determined to stay away. My parents would lose sight of me, and I would run to the primary school near our home in Burkina Faso. At that age, I didn’t know the rules. I only knew I wanted to learn. The school director eventually allowed me to sit in as an “auditor,” just watching. But when exams came, I begged to take them. To everyone’s surprise, I passed. From that moment, education became the center of my life. Yet I quickly realized how rare my story was. Around me, countless children, bright, capable, and full of dreams, were forced to abandon school because of poverty, insecurity, or hunger. Education, the thing I cherished most, was a privilege they could not afford.
Facing hardships in Burkina Faso
As I grew older, things became even harder. Insecurity in my country has deepened. Schools were shut down, families displaced, teachers fled. Many of my peers were left with nothing, no classrooms, no teachers, no safe space to dream. I saw how quickly the promise of education could disappear, not because children lacked ambition, but because violence and instability stole their future. Once again, education was not equally shared. I told myself: this is not right.
The birth of EQUILEARN
That conviction gave birth to EQUILEARN. What started as a small dream carried by a young man with no money, but an unshakable belief grew into a nonprofit determined to bring learning to those the world forgets. I had nothing but conviction, so I knocked on doors asking for guidance and support. Step by step, with the encouragement of partners like the Virtual University of Burkina Faso and Ed4Free, the dream began to take shape. With offline platforms, community-based tools, and low-cost technology, we now bring education to children, women in refugee camps, remote villages, and underserved communities.
The heart of a founder
This is the heart of a founder’s work. Founders are not driven by prestige. They are driven by survival, dignity, and the right to dream. A founder is not just someone who starts an organization. A founder is someone whose pain, whose story, whose lived experience becomes a solution for others.
But being a founder is not easy. Behind every vision lies sacrifice. For me, it has meant late nights, limited resources, and the constant pressure to do more with less. It has also meant moving forward despite fragile health challenges that remind me my energy is not limitless. Yet my spirit refuses to stop. These trials have only deepened my sense of purpose: life is fragile, time is short, but what we build for others can last far beyond us.
The lasting impact of founders
The impact of nonprofit founders cannot always be measured in numbers. It is seen in the boy who dares to dream again, the woman who finds skills to feed her family, the refugee who discovers hope in a dark place. Founders plant seeds that will outlive them. As we celebrate Itiah Angels for Learning Founder’s Day this October, I remember that my story is not unique. Around the world, there are people who turn personal struggles into collective victories. They remind us that one person’s courage can light the path for thousands.
A step at a time
I may not have everything, but I work with what I have, step by step, with faith that the road ahead will become clearer. And my story is proof: sometimes, the biggest change begins with the smallest act of determination.
| Beautifully written by Abdoul Razack Nikiema |
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