Rafiki Thabo Foundation

Rafiki Thabo Foundation Creating opportunities through education for young people in Kenya, Lesotho and Uganda, including those living with disabilities.

Supporting scholars, strengthening communities and changing futures. We are indebted to Jane Baker for the cover photo for our page and many of the photos we use in our posts. Visit www.jane-baker.com to see more of her work.

Sunday morning is definitely a good time to listen to the radio! Our wonderful patron Amar Latif and Founding Trustee Jo...
19/06/2026

Sunday morning is definitely a good time to listen to the radio! Our wonderful patron Amar Latif and Founding Trustee Jon Uglow are interviewed by Phil Mercer at 8.15am – broadcast on BBC Oxfordshire, BBC Berkshire and BBC Solent!

Tune in to hear Amar speak about his experience of going blind, the friendship he made through Rafiki Thabo and Jon talking about the inspiration behind setting up Rafiki Thabo and his hopes for its next 20 years!

And of course, you will already be up – as we hope you are planning to catch Amar presenting our Appeal on BBC Radio 4 at 7.54am ✨

Very excited little team at Rafiki Thabo HQ 🤩

Find out more about our BBC Radio 4 Appeal and how you can support on our website - we go live on Sunday! See link in comment below 👇

BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight BBC Dorset

18/06/2026

We are incredibly grateful to Amar Latif for supporting our BBC Radio 4 Appeal.

As a long-standing patron of Rafiki Thabo Foundation, Amar has continued to champion the power of education, inclusion and opportunity — helping share stories that deserve to be heard 🤍

His own journey reflects so much of what this campaign stands for: resilience, determination and refusing to let barriers define the future.

Here Amar shares more about Ayiesa’s remarkable story, the friendship they built whilst climbing Mount Kilimanjaro together, how Ayiesa’s story inspired him, why access to education can change the direction of a life and his love for our work.

Because when people are given opportunity, support and belief, incredible things can happen. ✨

Tune in to the BBC Radio 4 Appeal on 21st & 25th June to hear more 📻

Find out more about the campaign and how you can support the appeal 👇Link in comment below!

Every opportunity starts with someone choosing to believe in a child's future 💙And in 4 days, there is a special opportu...
17/06/2026

Every opportunity starts with someone choosing to believe in a child's future 💙

And in 4 days, there is a special opportunity to make your support go even further.

Donations made as part of our upcoming BBC Radio 4 appeal will be eligible for matched funding (up to the value of £6k), helping create an even greater impact for children and young people across Kenya, Uganda & Lesotho.

If you're a UK taxpayer, adding Gift Aid can increase the value of your donation even further — at no additional cost to you ✨

Together, matched funding and Gift Aid can help create more opportunities through education, opening doors for young people whose potential deserves the chance to flourish.

Because education doesn't just change one life. It creates ripple effects that can impact families, communities and future generations.

Find out more about the campaign and how you can support Rafiki Thabo - https://rafiki-foundation.org.uk/rafiki-thabo-foundation-on-bbc-radio-4/

At the heart of this year’s BBC Radio 4 Appeal is a story of resilience, courage and the life-changing power and ripple ...
16/06/2026

At the heart of this year’s BBC Radio 4 Appeal is a story of resilience, courage and the life-changing power and ripple effect of education.

A story that proves one scholarship really can change generations. 🤍

But Ayiesa’s journey is just one of many.

Behind every scholarship supported through Rafiki Thabo Foundation is a young person with dreams, determination and the hope of creating a different future for themselves and their families.

Across Kenya, Uganda and Lesotho, students are building careers, gaining independence, supporting their communities and proving what becomes possible when opportunity is accessible.

These stories matter because they remind us that education is never just about school.

It is about confidence.

Possibility.
Dignity.
Hope.

And futures that once felt out of reach becoming reality ✨

Swipe through to hear just a few of the incredible stories from scholars whose lives have been impacted through education support 📖💙

Find out more about the campaign and how you can support the work of Rafiki Thabo https://rafiki-foundation.org.uk/rafiki-thabo-foundation-on-bbc-radio-4/ (link in bio & stories)

In 2023, our patron Amar Latif, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro alongside Ayiesa Ohese to raise awareness of, and funds for, o...
15/06/2026

In 2023, our patron Amar Latif, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro alongside Ayiesa Ohese to raise awareness of, and funds for, our work.

Although from very different backgrounds, both have stories of resilience, determination and the belief that barriers should never define what someone is capable of achieving 🤍

Amar lost his sight at 18 but he has not allowed this to limit him. He continues to challenge misconceptions around what is, and isn't, possible when living with disability.

Ayiesa refused to let poverty limit him. His story is a powerful reminder of what can happen when education, opportunity and support come together.

As a child unable to pay his school fees, Ayiesa convinced a teacher to let him sit at the back of the classroom and just listen - desperate to learn despite unimaginable barriers.

Years later, supported through a scholarship, he not only transformed his own future but now supports others within his community too.

From learning in the shadows...to climbing mountains (both personal and actual)

That’s the power of opportunity.

That’s the ripple effect of education in action ✨

Hear more about Ayiesa’s remarkable story during our BBC Radio 4 Appeal on 21st & 25th June 📻

Find out more about the campaign and how you can support the work of the Rafiki Thabo Foundation - https://rafiki-foundation.org.uk/rafiki-thabo-foundation-on-bbc-radio-4/

A university degree in Kenya costs on average £1,000 for one year.For many families, that figure is simply out of reach....
14/06/2026

A university degree in Kenya costs on average £1,000 for one year.

For many families, that figure is simply out of reach.

But for a young person with ambition, determination and the desire to build a better future, access to higher education can be life-changing 🤍

A degree is about so much more than qualifications.

It can create opportunities for employment.
Greater independence.
Financial stability.
And the chance to support family, community and future generations.

At the heart of the work of the Rafiki Thabo Foundation is the belief that a young person's future should never be limited by their financial circumstances.

Because when potential is matched with opportunity, incredible things can happen ✨

Find out more about how Rafiki Thabo is helping young people access education and build brighter futures - https://rafiki-foundation.org.uk/about/

On Monday, we told you about Ayiesa, his struggle to get an education and how a Rafiki Thabo Foundation scholarship enab...
11/06/2026

On Monday, we told you about Ayiesa, his struggle to get an education and how a Rafiki Thabo Foundation scholarship enabled him to secure a senior role in an agency of the Kenyan Treasury.

But his story doesn't end there - breaking himself out of poverty has meant he can send his own 4 children, as well as two other children, to school.

He has also set up businesses to provide employment opportunities and mentors others through education, including 25 Rafiki Thabo scholars, and volunteers for our partner organisation, Dadashi Special Children Centre - an incredible organisation providing holistic services to children living with developmental disabilities and their families on the edge of a Nairobi slum area.

Thanks to Ayiesa, 18 of the centre's graduates have now joined Rafiki Thabo's scholarship programme.

His story is a powerful reminder that education does not stop with one person. It creates ripple effects that reach families, communities and future generations.

This is why the work of Rafiki Thabo matters so deeply because behind every scholarship is the potential to impact the lives of others.

✨ 85% of our scholars and graduates are now actively helping others in their communities as a result of being supported by Rafiki Thabo by paying it forwards.

Hear more of Ayiesa’s remarkable story during our BBC Radio 4 Appeal on 21st & 25th June 📻

Find out more about the campaign and how you can support us - https://rafiki-foundation.org.uk/rafiki-thabo-foundation-on-bbc-radio-4/

Every donation in support of our work represents someone choosing to believe in a child’s future 🤍And at Rafiki Thabo Fo...
09/06/2026

Every donation in support of our work represents someone choosing to believe in a child’s future 🤍
And at Rafiki Thabo Foundation, we never take that trust lightly.

Because behind every act of support is the opportunity to help change a life through education, encouragement and long-term opportunity.

Our supporters helps fund:
• school fees
• meals
• uniforms
• therapy and additional support needs
• vocational training
• university education

And the impact reaches far beyond the classroom.

Education can create confidence, independence, stability and opportunities that impacts not just one child, but their families and future generations too.

This is what the ripple effect of education looks like in action.

Find out more about the work of Rafiki Thabo and how you can support us - https://rafiki-foundation.org.uk/donate/

At just six years old, unable to afford school fees, Ayiesa convinced a teacher to let him quietly sit at the back of th...
08/06/2026

At just six years old, unable to afford school fees, Ayiesa convinced a teacher to let him quietly sit at the back of the classroom and just listen.

Without books, tuition or official access to education, he learned in the shadows — determined to escape poverty and build a different future for himself.

With extraordinary resilience and determination, Ayiesa studied independently, while fixing shoes and scavenging on rubbish heaps to survive raising enough money to pay to sit his primary and secondary school exams.

University felt impossible, the fees just too high.

Until Rafiki Thabo stepped in.

Joining our scholarship programme changed the direction of his future — opening doors that once felt completely out of reach.

Today, Ayiesa holds a senior role within an agency under the Kenyan Treasury, is an entrepreneur establishing several small businesses, helping support others within his community 💙

His story is a powerful reminder that behind every scholarship is a child with potential, ambition and dreams that deserve the opportunity to grow.

And sometimes, one opportunity really can change everything.

Hear more of Ayiesa’s remarkable story during our BBC Radio 4 Appeal on 21st & 25th June 📻 Presented by our wonderful patron Amar Latif.

Find out more about the campaign and how you can support the work of Rafiki Thabo Foundation - https://rafiki-foundation.org.uk/rafiki-thabo-foundation-on-bbc-radio-4/

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