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Tag: AREAi

  • AREAi is one of six finalists at 2024 WISE prize for education

    AREAi is one of six finalists at 2024 WISE prize for education

    AID for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi) has been named as one of six finalists of 2024 WISE Prize for Education.

    The organisation joins other global outfits as the only Nigerian and African entity in the final shortlist. The prize is dedicated to recognise world class contribution to education.

     From over 427 applications, AREAi’s flagship programme – FastTrack, was selected as a solution to bridge learning gaps for literacy and numeracy skills, particularly for disadvantaged children in underserved and rural contexts.

     Leveraging offline, self-assisted technology, FastTrack utilises a digital pen, equipped with audio capabilities, and multilingual instructional materials to facilitate quality foundational learning instruction resulting in higher literacy and numeracy levels.

    Since 2019, the programme has been scaled widely as an indigenous solution with evidence of impact in improving reading and arithmetic proficiency for over 25,000 children in 10 refugee camps.

    Founder and Global Director, Prince Gideon Olanrewaju, said there were improvements in socio-emotional skills, wellbeing, school enrolment tendencies, participation levels, and transition rates for  beneficiaries as a result of FastTrack.

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    ‘‘This recognition is a testament to FastTrack’s potential in providing instructional support, meeting personalised learning needs and enabling educational access to millions of refugee learners and out-of-school children’’, he said.

    ‘‘We are resolute to have FastTrack adopted in camps and communities, via collaboration with government agencies as well as local refugee-led or community-based educational organisations.”

    In the next one year, with funding of over $125,000, capacity building and mentorship from WISE Team, AREAi will pilot FastTrack+ in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

     Gideon noted: “It is a delight to run with six finalists. This emboldens our vision of ensuring access to quality foundational learning at scale and put us on the path to sustainable long term impact.”

  • AREAi wins $5000 Mastercard Prize for Social Impact

    AREAi wins $5000 Mastercard Prize for Social Impact

    After a six-month incubation programme at the 2023 UNLEASH Rwanda Dragons’ Den Pitch for FastTrack, a non-governmental organisation, Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi) has emerged one of the winners.

    The AREAi team led by its Executive Director, Prince Gideon Olanrewaju, participated alongside 1000 young change-makers from 136 nationalities in Kigali, Rwanda, to pitch its FastTrack solution and emerged as one of the winners, receiving the Mastercard Foundation Prize of $5000.

    According to Olarenwaju, the pitch received special attention due to the innovativeness of their solution that leverages the combined strength of three different learning approaches to support beneficiaries in acquiring literacy and numeracy skills.

     “With this funds, we will be investing in the professional development of our community-based facilitators and enlist additional 200 beneficiaries to our program’s coverage,” he said.

    FastTrack is a technology-enabled and self-assisted accelerated foundational skills development programme designed to enable out-of-school refugee children to acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills, which are vital, indispensable and required for education to lead an empowered and self-determined life.

    As one of the winners of the UNLEASH Plus Innovation Lab, AREAi was awarded the grant of $5000 for its innovative solution.

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    “This global win further validates FastTrack as one of AREAi’s innovative solutions and the organisation’s commitment to championing foundational learning as we continue to address these gaps in the education development of children and youths across Africa.”

    Olanrewaju ⁠said their victorious sojourn through the UNLEASH Plus experience has shown them the transformative potential of their impact beyond borders.

     “Over the next 12 months, we plan to scale FastTrack into seven additional states in Nigeria and into three neighbouring countries.”

     UNLEASH Plus is a six-month incubation programme for early-stage social entrepreneurs who have great ideas and phenomenal teams.

    The programme supports teams who are uniquely qualified to solve their particular problems identified but need access to the skills, tools, mindset, networks, and resources that will push their solution from the minimum viability to the product market.