Rafiki Thabo Foundation
Radio 4 Appeal 26 June 2026
Photo: Rafiki Thabo scholar Amani “Out of school no more – Amani is off to university!”
I am so proud to support Rafiki Thabo Foundation. Speaking to Ayiesa and learning his inspiring story is a reminder of how different my life could have been if I had been born in Pakistan where my parents are originally from and where views towards disability are very different. My blindness could have meant I ended up begging on the streets. Having access to education has given me opportunities to have a successful business and travel the world, and I want to pay that forward by raising awareness of the work Rafiki Thabo does and encourage everyone to donate to help more children have the best chance in life.”
Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone who donated to our BBC Radio 4 Appeal, raising £24,831 to help fund our work enabling access to education for vulnerable children and young people in Kenya.
Our appeal, presented by our patron Amar Latif, told the story of Ayiesa. Once a young boy living in poverty with no money for school fees, but who with determination, resilience and a dream of a better future self-studied and took casual jobs to pay to sit the end of school exams. With our support Ayiesa went to university. Today as a result, he has a great career. And the ripple effects of his education are felt by his family, his mentees and his local community.
Thanks to our BBC R4 Appeal, 23 children in Kenya can complete their entire 4-year secondary school education and follow in Ayiesa’s footsteps as they too transform their futures and that of the people around them. They are no longer among the 1.4 million (UNESCO) children in Kenya who remain out of secondary school due to poverty.
Instead, they join Rafiki Thabo scholars such as Amani. Amani had to drop out of school in form four as she could not afford the fees. Instead, she started working as a house help to sustain herself. Until she heard about Rafiki Thabo through her church and joined our scholarship programme in 2024. With our support she returned to school and sat her KCSE examination in late 2025, achieving the grades to secure a place at university to study for a Bachelor of Education in Arts, staring in September 2026. A significant milestone for Amani who without our support would remain in poverty working as a house help.
To learn more and help us transform lives, please visit our website here. Thank you!
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Rafiki Thabo Foundation Patron Amar Latif makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the Rafiki Thabo Foundation