Social Entrepreneurship, from Street to School - A Conversation with Tosin Olowoyeye-Taiwo

Welcome to the Future Learning Design Podcast.

I see social entrepreneurs as a group of people that are dynamic, people that they have stopped asking what the government can do for them, so they are stepping out to bring about the social change that we need in the world. It's not for the paparazzi, it's about making deliberate change. This is what we want to achieve.

Thanks again for tuning in. Today's guest is such an inspiration for the work that she's doing in supporting children back into learning and education in Nigeria. Tosin Olowoye Taiwo is an activist and social entrepreneur campaigning for equity and access to education for at-risk children in Nigeria. In 2009, she founded her organization Street to School Initiative to sponsor out-of-school children back into education. Through her programs and school support scheme, Tosin has been able to support more than 20,000 vulnerable pupils into schools. In 2015, she established a tuition-free school in Lagos State strictly for out-of-school children. In 5 years of establishment, 78 children have transitioned into high school, with 198 children currently enrolled in various classes. Tosin has received received numerous awards for her leadership and social entrepreneur activities, including 2013 United States Consul General Award and in 2017, the YEMEC Ransom Kuti Leadership Award. Tosin is a graduate of Computer Science from the University of Lagos and Social Sector Management from the Pan Atlantic University. You can find Street to School on Twitter and Facebook and follow Tosin on LinkedIn.

Hi! Yeah, good morning!

How are you?

I'm fine, thank you.

Very good, nice to meet you.

Yeah, thank you too. Thank you, Tim Logan.

So it's really exciting to be able to find out a bit more about Street to School, and so it would be great to start off— the listeners would be really interested to hear what was the inspiration behind you starting Street to School, and also how has it grown over the time that you've been working with the organization.

Thank you so much. Treat to School started in the year 2009, and I actually come from a home where my mom is actually the breadwinner, and I saw her struggle, and I saw her trying to ensure that ends meet, and she lacked, you know, basic education. Although she was able to do primary school, however, due to cultural practices and due to lack of funding, parents wouldn't allow her to further. So because because of that, I could see the other side of not having formal education, not proceeding in learning. And I just made up my mind that as much as possible, I'm going to support every child out there not to have regrets. Because there are times during discussion, you still hear my mom say, oh, she wished she really continued with education. By now she would have been a pharmacist because that is one core area that she's so passionate about. Yeah. And so when I listen to her and talk about regret, how she couldn't proceed, it sends across a message that you could try as much as possible to help every child out there. And this is something she has been doing. She actually does that. She sponsors young people to school. I got to know about some examination trap because of the people that she sponsors here and there. So she's part of what we do at Street to School, reaching out to children, meeting them on the street, ensuring that no child has regrets and why they couldn't proceed in their formal learning. And in 2013, there was a UNESCO report about Nigeria, that Nigeria has the highest record of out-of-school children in the world. And that was about 10.2 million children that are out of school. And it's actually true because where we stay, you see children running around during school hours. They cannot access government-run schools because of the distance. So I just couldn't hold on and wait. And so what we did then was we started picking these children off streets to school so that the learning of the kids would not be, you know, disrupted. And there are some families that tell you that no, education is not for the girl child. They would rather have the male child go to school. And we have some, because of the access to government-run schools, affordable schools, because it's pretty far for them. So they rather stay at home and go nowhere. Because they cannot afford the private schools around. So that is another thing. And another reason why children are out of school in Nigeria is because of poverty, lack of funding to, you know, get the necessary requirements and to also pay for the school fees. And we have disability, we have the religious, you know, practices, and they tell you, no, according to my religion, I'm not supposed to gather A lot of education. I'm supposed to be a wife at age 13. We had an issue with one of our students, primary 4, and she felt no, she had done enough and she wanted to get married and that the parents were in support. We tried all we could, but because of the religious and cultural belief, she pulled out of school eventually. She didn't continue with us and she had to go and get married. So, and also we have Heal Health. Because of our poor state of health. We have sickle cell anemia carriers that they don't go to school. And in 2015, we had to come up with our own free school because we had quite a number of children on our waiting list. We were not able to get enough sponsors for them because we get sponsors and we pair them with these children, and the sponsors are responsible for their education programs. So it got to a time in 2015, we had more children on our waiting list than the number the number of sponsors that we had. So we thought education could not wait, you know, how long are we going to wait for sponsors for all of these children? So we had to start, you know, a mushroom school. We had to bring all of these children together. We had volunteer teachers, we had full-time teachers. We just ensure that no child is left behind. There are over 200 that we've actually served. So this is something that I'm so passionate about because I don't want any child out there to have regrets like my mom, that if only she had someone to sponsor her, she wouldn't be where she is today. So that is what we're trying to like, you know, bridge that gap for the disadvantaged children to ensure that no child is left behind.

Amazing. So as a provider of education, you have to be incredibly flexible about the way that you kind of adapt and change to their needs, right?

Yeah. Yeah. We have to, we have to be open-minded. Have to have a growth mindset. Yeah, we, we just have to let them understand that they are all welcomed, you know, there's no discrimination, doesn't matter the circumstance you're in. Like when we started and some parents were like, they were kicking against it, that no, leave my child. We said, don't worry, we're going to provide everything. They were worried about the charges of buying textbook notebooks. So don't worry, just release this child to us. We want them to be excited about coming to school every day. So we just have to provide everything that they need to feel like every other child out there. This is a journey we've been in for, you know, for some years now, and we are— it's a privilege to be able to serve this, you know, amazing young people.

Yeah, wow. What about in terms of the local Nigerian education system? Do you feel that there is openness and support from the other schools around or from the local government, or is it somehow you're just working completely separately outside the mainstream?

We get support from the government, although it's not as much as we, you know, we expect for a bigger partnership. But most of our support has actually been from individuals.

Okay, within Nigeria or from outside Nigeria?

Yeah, yeah, we have from outside Nigeria. The very first person who believed in WOWE doing was actually in the UK. Yes, I mean, when I think about him now, I was like, I don't know what he saw in all I was doing because I was like a crazy girl. I studied computer science, I had a good job, but my mind was not in the job because when I saw those children, I think about their future. Yeah, what is the future gonna be for This one, I mean, so I wasn't interested in my job anymore. So when I post on Facebook, talk people about my passion, tell them about what I'm inspired doing and the little bit what I was doing here and there, it's a man that was, you know, interested. He would send, you know, support from the UK even before Nigerians were buying into what we're doing. It's one of the reasons why we keep doing what we're doing. If someone not even within Nigeria could believe in you, then you have no excuse not to believe in yourself. We're consistent, we persevere in spite of the challenges because there are times we have the funding challenges and we have some children, you know, some sponsors don't show up, you know, out there not, you know, going to school anymore. And in spite of all of those disappointments, you know, we kept on because we believed that, come on, it's gonna get better.

Has there been a particular moment, like a real kind of high point where you knew you were living up to your, your dreams and ambitions for the organization?

Um, yes, like when we look at the target, the kind of children we work with, we understand that there are children that come with a lot of emotional trauma because these are victims of broken homes. These are children that don't have parents, they stay with their guardians. These are children that are househelps. Yeah, so when you, you know, looking at those children, you know, progress and they are no longer where they used to be is an inspiration. It tells us that we are doing something fantastic. Yeah, and there are times we get reports from their schools, from the different school. We don't run a high school, we run a primary school, so we get feedback from the secondary school and the owner of the schools are impressed by the caliber of student that we sent to them. So these actually also inspire us to do more. And we also have one of our students in 2009 that we also mentored and supported his education. He's a lecturer now. Wow. We spoke this morning and yes, he's another amazing testimony that yes, we are doing something fantastic. We had a girl last week, she finished our National Youth Corps service in Nigeria that every graduate participate in. So this was actually, one of our sponsored girls actually finished last week. She's a graduate, she finished with a 2:1. So she also tells us that we're doing something amazing.

Wow, you're having a massive impact, I'm sure, on many people's lives. It's amazing. Just going back to what you said there about the kind of social and emotional support, I mean, you know, providing food and resources, but also do you have to provide some kind of therapeutic support or social and emotional support for the students? Because I'm sure they've been through a lot of trauma and difficult times before they get to you. So, you know, is that something that you've had to address as well as the education side?

Yes, we actually do. We do that often because we understand the caliber of young people that we are working with. We have one-on-one counseling with them. We try as much as possible to ensure that they, that these kids enthusiastic and they don't carry the overweight of what they're going through at home. So we ensure that, you know, they have the emotional support, they have the moral support in classrooms, and every teacher understands this because we have to ensure that the trainers, the teachers, are aware of the caliber of young people they're working with so that they don't judge them, they don't misjudge them. You accept them for who they are and find a way of, you know, meeting their needs.

Yes.

For the recruitment of the teachers, do you train your own teachers or Yeah, we recruit like every other school, and when they come in, we have training for them. We have in-house training for them so that they understand the peculiarity of the children that we work with. Because these are street children that sometimes they, they are exposed to this kind of, you know, substance abuse lifestyle. So we make the teachers understand that these are unlike every other children out there in all the private schools. These are wonderful, amazing children that we want We want to help to rebuild, you know, their lives, and so they don't become non-entity in the society. Because we actually open this school to close prison doors. We understand what it is for a child not to go to school. They are community nuisance around. So we tell this one, yeah, we don't want you to end up the way all these other persons have ended up. We want the best for you, and that is why you come to school is very important to us as it is important to you. So we ensure that our facilitators, our volunteers, everyone understands that these are the children we work with and we are determined, intentional about getting the best out of them.

Yeah, amazing. Obviously what you're doing is an amazing thing for not just for education but for the Sustainable Development Goals within Nigeria in terms of alleviating poverty or bringing girls into education. Is that kind of conscious part of what you're doing, or is it— is there any connection there for you?

Yes, a lot of connection. And yeah, SDG has been the guide. We have the SDG 3 and 4, are the two particular ones that we are passionate about. It's about healthy lifestyle, and a sick child will not come to school.

Sure.

We have cases of children that are sick in their home, and we have to interfere and tell their parents we're going to be they wear the bronze, so we pay the beach, take them to, you know, health centers, ensure that they are healthy before they continue schooling so that they won't have excuses. So we've been doing that for a long time. Then because we see the importance of health to education, we have to partner with some embassies recently in ensuring that the abandoned— there used to be an abandoned primary care center in the community where we serve. And so what we did was that we ensured that this health center was reopened and functional. And every medical equipment was supplied by the embassy that we partnered with. Because in 2018, we lost a child, one of our pupils, a 7-year-old girl. Yes, she died. And I saw her that morning, I didn't know she had few days to go. And when they come to school and they tell you they are sick, the first question we ask, have you eaten? That is when you know, oh, is it the food? You know, is it hunger sickness or it's the real sickness? So we oftentimes, like 70% of them don't eat kids to school. They don't have breakfast. So that's why we have to show up to ensure that, come on, they have something before learning. So this girl, and she— we started with her, we ensured that she was taken to the health center, but with time the parents took her away and they felt they could take care of her better. But because the parents could not access, you know, quality healthcare in the community, so that inspired us to partner with embassies and they were able to come and ensure the necessary support was given to the community.

Because what you're doing is really entrepreneurial in terms of, you know, you've created this idea out of your own inspiration and your own drive to build an organization that has some major impact. Do you see other people doing similar things? Around Nigeria in terms of social entrepreneurship and innovation within education or within other areas?

Yes, yes, yes, we have a lot of selfless young people in Nigeria that's doing everything possible to ensure that the system works. I as an individual come to, you know, stop asking what can the government do for me, what can the government do for the community. You just have to get up and show up. Do all what you can. Yeah, I mean, it's just because there are times you talk about this forever and nothing is happening. Before the establishment of our school, we did a lot of those advocacy, but when we saw that the desired result wasn't forthcoming, we were not going to wait any longer because these kids are getting older, and once they get older, it comes to a time they're not interested in education anymore. So instead of waiting until you get responses I see social entrepreneurs as a group of people that are dynamic, people that they have a growth mindset, people that they have stopped asking what the government can do for them. So they are stepping up everything necessary to bring about the social change that we need in the world.

Amazing. And do you have a network of other like-minded people like you within other organizations who you can bounce ideas and and support each other?

Yes, yes, we do. We collaborate with other non-governmental organizations. We collaborate with private organizations. We collaborate with the governments, international governments, and yes, the embassy, to ensure— because it takes a village to raise a child, how much more a community of young people that we bring together every day. So it's gonna take a lot of people. So we have— we are part of the Nigerian Network of NGOs, and we also collaborate with other fantastic and wonderful NGOs that we share similar passions. And running a school, a tuition-free school, comes with its capital, comes with its funding. And a lot of time we cannot meet the needs of all the students. So we rely on partnership, we rely on collaboration with amazing people and organizations out there. And we are so thankful for those that have been part of us, a success story for those that got our back.

That's great. And I mean, you personally have been recognized in terms of leadership success in Nigeria, right? It's a really positive thing that people like you are being recognized by organizations and demonstrated to others that this is an amazing way to have an impact in the world. Do you— is part of your feeling that you want to inspire others to take on that kind of leadership, particularly the girls within that cultural space, in terms of promoting more leadership amongst girls and women in Nigeria?

Yes. Yes, like last year we were recognized by the United States Embassy here in Nigeria as a Nigerian star, and they recognized the work, our impact. Actually, that inspired me personally that, yes, you're doing something amazing. You're doing something— I mean, you're helping a lot of young people to be who they're destined to be. So, and I'm so sure that a lot of people that saw that they were inspired. Some of my friends that saw that, women leaders, they were inspired. Yes, if you could do this and you have this recognition, then they could. So I have some that because of that exposure, because of the recognition, I have people coming up, showing up, that I should mentor them as a woman leader. That fantastic thing you do this, that if you could do this, they also could do that. So I see myself stepping in the mentor fit. I see myself leading young people, this school here, and even as a organizations, and it's, it's amazing feeling actually to be recognized. And I tell young people, you know, you don't need to have all of the resources of this half before you can make impacts. Yeah, you should have a willing mind. Why are you doing what you're doing? Ask yourself the questions, then get started. And before you know it, you're gonna see people that believe in you, and they're gonna give you every necessary support. I talked about when we started, we had very few people that believed in what we're doing. It was as if I I was acting, you know, unreasonable.

I was abnormal, a disruptor, right?

Yes. They were like, how could you be doing this? Are you out of your senses? You're picking children, you're fixing them in school, you don't even know, uh, why they are out there. I don't even want to know why the kids are out there in the first place. What I want to know is how to make their life better. What can I do? And I realized, I mean, it's a lesson to young people out there, don't give up on your dream.

Yeah.

And don't wait until you have all of the money to make impact.

You don't need to get started. Yeah, incredible.

Yeah, believe in you. Be consistent. Don't give up. Yeah, there were a lot of factors that came up that actually wanted me to give up because there are times people misjudge your intentions. They misinterpret why you're doing what you're doing. I let them know Come on, it's not for the paparazzi. It's about making deliberate change. This is what we want to achieve. We don't want every child to remain in one position. We want the child to move from one place to the other academically, just keep going so that at the end of it all, they're going to add value to the nation. They're going to support social development, I mean economic development. Then for us to like leave them and nobody's doing anything about it, no, we can't all keep complaining.

We should step up and bring about the change that we so much wish They're amazing, but it takes a lot of guts and it takes, like you say, serious constant commitment, and particularly when the times are really hard, and just to keep going. It's not an easy thing to do, but it's such an inspiration to people when they can see other people who are doing it. It makes a sense of possibility that amazing things are still happening in terms of impact, and like you say, deliberate change. That's great. So where do you see Street to School, you know, in 5 years or 10 years? What would be your dream for the organisation and also for for you, for Tosin? Where do you see yourself going in the next 5 years?

We're hoping to replicate our school in different communities. We are looking at having the same school in 10 communities.

Wow.

Because we understand that access is a big issue in Nigeria. A lot of young people don't have access to affordable schools. So when we have necessary support, we can think about establishing the school in other rural communities. Places where access is very poor. So in 5 years' time, for myself, looking at stepping down— and yes, because we have wonderful staff that understand that they're part of this vision, they're part of the dream— because this is something I've been doing for 11 years now. So I want to stay behind and see other people run with this vision.

Yeah.

And we, you know, even interestingly, we have those beneficiaries— we have beneficiaries that come back to pay it forward. So we have them coming around to volunteers. We have those that we've supported years back coming around asking, what can we do? So in 10 years, I look at more of these people showing up and taking ownership, seeing it as a movement that, come on, anytime they see a child out of school, they see it as their responsibility, that, come on, I'm gonna get this child because somebody sometimes helped me to get back to school. So this is what I'm giving to the community. So this is the aspiration of Street goal in 5, 10 years' time, that all of the beneficiaries we have are going to come back. We have some already, we need more of them to come around, take ownership of this and move on with their dreams.

Amazing. And what about you? Where will you be, you know, if you step back, what are your passions that will drive you on to the next thing?

I wouldn't mind to offer my professional experience. I wouldn't mind to work work for the government if need be. So these— I look for opportunities where I could serve in ensuring that every child is served beyond the statistics and the media, beyond people talking about and complaining about the use of the land. We want people that would be on ground, participatory. I mean, ensuring that things are handled the way they're supposed to be handled.

And sometimes a bit of a disconnect between the people making the policy compared to what's going on on the ground.

Yes, a lot of disconnection, a lot of disconnection. I don't want to be a policymaker, I'm so sorry. I want to, I want to be on the ground, an action maker. Yeah, I love grassroots work because that is where the needs are. That is where you meet with the people that are living, you know, below a dollar in a day, and that is where you see the children that need help. So I love to work in the grassroots. I love to bring these children together. I love to talk about their emotions, how they can work on their emotions. I see them as friends. They are just victims of circumstances. I don't want to be in an office and just, you know, feeling cool there when there are a lot of children that need support. So I just love to be a doer. Amazing.

It really genuinely is such an inspiration to many people, and I'm so happy to be able to talk to you and we can share this to inspire other people, you know, when they see a need in their community, whether it's in Nigeria or Tanzania or in Europe, doesn't matter. There are needs everywhere, right? In terms of grassroots needs and victims of circumstance and things that you can deliberately change intentionally if that's something that drives you and you're passionate about. And it's just, it's amazing to inspire people to do that. So thank you so much for your time.

Thank you, Tim.

Have a wonderful day.

Thank you. Bye-bye.

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