Smart Powerful You

Need To Develop; Dare To Read

This might sound like a cliché but it is true. Education is the most powerful tool to achieve sustainable development in the world's poorest countries. No country has ever achieved sustainable economic development without first having 50% of its population able to read and write. Going to school and getting an education is every child’s right. As Nelson Mandela once said, “A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.”

When I was young I loved reading because it created my fantasy world. No one can take away the euphoric experience I had with Heidi a girl from the Alps of Switzerland; I was about 9 years old with a basic or very minimal English acumen. As the rigid squares of paper unfold I was transported into her world. I sang with her, laughed with her and she had a remarkable way of bringing comfort or excitement into my life as she courageously faced her challenges despite being an orphan. That was when the reading bug bit me, and to this day I cannot stop but go on and on and on. Reading is my life, I read for enjoyment and what I enjoy the most is that it makes me smarter, less judgmental, more apt to understand other people’s insane or strange behaviour and how I pity those who think reading is for boring people.

The truth is being successful is hard, but it is much harder when you are in the dark. I know that the mainstream media has taught us to think that it is easy to be successful without any hard work. You can become a Reality TV Star, you can become a Soccer Star or you can become a Motivational Speaker after spending several years in prison. Chances are, you are not going to be any of the mentioned career paths, if you all want to sing who is going to run the continent? The reality is, not everybody has the capacity to master every subject at school, you won’t click with every teacher you have and homework doesn’t make sense.

In order to succeed in life, by the time you leave school you should be equipped with three Rs. Read, wRite and aRithmetic.  You should be able to Read in order to understand complex and technical concepts required in the real world. You need to write or get your work published in order to express your opinion or communicate instructions. Well I cannot stress much the importance mathematics; it will open a world of opportunities for you. Being able to manipulate numbers will equip you with unique powerful set of tools to understand and change the world. You will be apt in logical reasoning, problem-solving skills, and smart enough to think in and understand abstract concepts.

My dream is to see you, yes you getting off that coach, drop the remote control, drop the console controls or do anything possible to mute distractions and read carefully on what I would like you to do.

Take a pen and paper, and write the words I CAN DO THIS. Followed by where you see yourself five years from now. Feel free to share with us, but it is entirely for your own reflection.

This is my dream. To get you thinking, to help you focus and believe that you can be the change you want to see. To refuse to wait for someone to come and make a difference, to believe that you are the leader you have been waiting for.

Congratulations, if you have made it up to here, well done you have already taken your first step towards making a difference in the world. Keep in touch so as not to miss our work to sponsor educational tours, scholarship opportunities, entrepreneurial training and leadership development. Be counted among the few to create a culture where the youth in Africa ask for libraries to be opened 24 hours 7 days a week instead of resisting the notion.

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