Abdou Rahim Lema

Today, Abdou is a PhD researcher at the University of Montreal and a holder of Canada’s prestigious Vanier Scholarship. But his journey to get there was a near-miracle. Originally from Benin, Abdou saw many children in his home country spend their entire childhood out of school; he was only the second child from his large family to graduate from high school and the only one to attend university. As a schoolboy, Abdou had to walk over 15 kilometres and work various part-time jobs to complete his education – hardships that showed him the importance of making learning accessible to all. This realisation in turn led him to start Educ4All, an initiative to provide educational opportunities and support to marginalised families and students. When Abdou launched this initiative in 2013, his goal was simple: he just wanted to help a few kids with their education. The 10 schoolchildren in his village that he originally mentored are all university students today, and four of them have received scholarships to study abroad. For Abdou, Educ4All represents an opportunity to give back to the community. 

Since launching Educ4All, Abdou has formed a small army of dedicated volunteers – and with their support, it has become a registered, well-known NGO operating in Benin. Since 2013, Abdou has been running and fully financing the initiative – including all Educ4All’s ad hoc activities and expenses – thanks to various scholarships and prizes he has received. His latest financial commitment is a minimum of US$7000/year for three years (2022-2024), made possible in part by the Vanier scholarship. Through Educ4All, Abdou helps provide educational opportunities and support to marginalized and poor families and communities across the four arrondissements of the Bassila commune, with 52 administrative villages and town districts of over 140,000 people benefiting. It engages these communities through direct financial support, documentation, advocacy, and monitoring – supporting an average of 50 schools and 150 schoolchildren each year. 

Abdou’s team at Educ4All are currently working on two related projects: the “Lifelong Learning Program” to train people in self-employment and startups and the “Learn Zeclik” initiative to help provide trainees with the basic, necessary computer skills they need. These will help address the high levels of youth unemployment facing Benin. While working hard on Educ4All’s projects, Abdou has sustained an excellent performance in his own academic studies across different countries and languages, with top grades and many prizes to his name. 

If he wins the Global Student Prize, Abdou will use at least half of the Prize money to help Educ4All expand. Currently, it is broadening and scaling up its programming and operations across Bassila, but Abdou’s long-term goal is to expand territorial and geographical coverage, first to the Donga and Atacora departments of Benin, and eventually to the whole country. Given the need for digital literacy, innovation, and adaptability, the Prize will provide the wherewithal to establish and run training centres where people can develop their digital skills.