Why We Do What We DO
At Live Your Dreams Africa
We curate a range of events, workshops, and programs specifically designed to ignite and empower the pursuit of dreams. Our initiatives are focused on providing practical guidance, mentorship, and invaluable networking opportunities. We connect aspiring individuals with industry leaders and professionals who can guide them on their journey to success. Our goal is to foster a vibrant, supportive community that nurtures both personal and professional growth, ensuring that every dreamer has the tools and connections needed to thrive.
Why We Do What We DO
For Bankole Williams, the founder of LYDA Foundation, this quest to tackle the unemployment and underemployment problems of Africa by creating decent work is beyond philanthropy but a burning desire to create transformational and sustainable change in the quality of life of his fellow Africans.
Growing up in a poor, unsanitary neighborhood where the average family of 8 was sustained monthly with a little less than the equivalent of $100, hunger, child labor and lack of quality education were a constant bane. They still are. The average African child has little opportunity or access to quality education and a less than 1% probability to attain a higher education that could improve his chances of gainful employment. Live Your Dreams Africa was set up as an initiative, in 2013, to solve the gross unemployment problem in Africa that has subjected millions of Africans to abject poverty.
In 2018 alone, the unemployment rate in Nigeria rose sharply by 5% within a year! Thus I was propelled to take LYDA a step higher. Over the previous five years, we had focused on creating and raising social consciousness in order to inspire hope and challenge the African youth to rise up to the possibilities that lie within their control; to live their dreams of a better life despite the ugliness of poverty. However, it was time to take more direct action.
The Dream Development Centre was birthed with a mission to create a 100, 000 jobs across Africa in 5 years, yielding an increase in the GDP per capita income and bridging the poverty gap. This we do by providing not just inspiration but vocational education (Technical, Business and Life Skills) to under-served communities through trainings with the most renowned entrepreneurs in Nigeria, as well as opportunities for internships/apprenticeships.
In 2 years we have equipped 541 individuals with relevant viable skills across 3 out of 6 geo-political zones in Nigeria and this year 2020 we are set to create an additional 1000 jobs in Nigeria despite the limitations of the pandemic. Thus far, 227 jobs have been created at our Dreams Development Center.