Airtel has today partnered with Chandaria Foundation and the Global Peace Foundation to support 41 schools in Kenya in the LEAP Hubs entrepreneurship program through the provision of free internet connection.
Launched in March 2014, LEAP Hubs are dedicated space within secondary schools where students are incubated and nurtured to be creative, innovative and be able to launch sustainable business ventures and social enterprises.
Airtel will offer free internet connection to students within the program to develop their business ideas. The move is in line with Airtel’s- Internet for Schools. Through our Internet for Schools program, Airtel has so far connected 167 schools across the country impacting over 250,000 students to-date, with a plan to connect at least 1 million students to the internet.
Students participating in the LEAP Hubs program continue to go through leadership and entrepreneurship training focusing on business plan development, financial literacy and critical 21st century skills that will empower them to be self-reliant job creators as opposed to job seekers. The program has so far reached out to 15 schools in Nairobi, Kiambu and Machakos County and is expected to expand to other parts of the country in the coming months with an expected growth of 40 schools in the first year.
“Globally, 75 million unemployed youth represent a sobering global crisis with consequences that include increased violence, political instability and income inequality. In Kenya, 75 percent of new post-secondary graduates fail to find jobs in the highly competitive labor market. Youth business and social entrepreneurship can be a tool for empowerment, allowing them to create jobs as well as solve real social problems in their communities,” said the Patron of Global Peace Foundation Dr. Manu Chandaria.
