According to research conducted by McKinsey Global Institute, by 2040, 50 percent of the world’s youth will be African. This number reflects the urgent need for educational institutions in countries such as Nigeria to get their children into schools to learn basic academic credentials.

With this aim in mind, the Esther Eshiet’s program Afterschool Centre For Career Development (ACCD) was established. Founded in 2011, the organization is committed to inspiring, investing, engaging and facilitating growth opportunities for young people in the transitional stage of their lives. By learning creative problem-solving techniques, the children obtain innovative skills to expand on the work of educational institutions in Nigeria.

So far, the program has partnered with 30 different secondary schools and developed an online program to reach as many young people as possible. There are currently 42,000 subscribers, according to Changemakers.

Eshiet runs her organization with the idea that “children need the navigation skills to help them determine what skills and direction they need, not to learn for, but to create their own jobs and careers.” It is crucial that children understand their strengths and apply them to specific fields that will foster their full potential in future career services.

The problem ACCD seeks to address is the fact that 62 percent of people in Nigeria live in poverty. Of all those people, 60 percent are young people who find it extremely difficult to find work outside of school. Notably, most of the youths receive little to no career counseling and the transition from school to the real world comes as quite a shock.

Educational institutions in Nigeria often require a ‘transition period’ in which students spend two to four years at home between school and university due to finances and corrupt admission processes. ACCD works with kids during this critical time to actively engage them in society and the economy. That way, the kids do not have to waste time waiting for university acceptance.

Once they are accepted to university, ACCD continues to guide the youths by exposing them to apprenticeships, voluntary placements and other prospects, which continue to build their entrepreneurial experiences and skills needed to develop their individual career paths. By providing kids with the proper tools and resources, Eshiet hopes to spark passion and creativity in the lives of young Nigerians.

Eshiet obtains funds for her organization through friends, family, individuals, foundations and clients. Her goal for ACCD is to become a self-funded organization by offering direct service that is paid for and also through a pay-it-forward model.

The foundation’s growing success in supplementing educational institutions in Nigeria predicts a brighter future for Nigerian youth in years to come.

– Megan Hadley

Sources: Business Fights Poverty, McKinsey, After School Centre, Change Makers
Photo: Flickr