Building the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
Building the next generation of entrepreneurs, thought leaders and game changers requires every child to have access to a well- rounded education. A well-rounded education does not only mean acquiring good grades and having an excellent certificate. It also means building on ideas and broadening the beaming knowledge of children in the classroom.
Teach For Kenya Fellow, Roselyne Gombe is an exemplary teaching Fellow currently serving at Mukuru kwa Njenga Slum in Nairobi Kenya. Roselyne initiated an Entrepreneurship Project involving agriculture (Agripreneurship) and soap detergent making activity with her grade 4 learners.
Roselyne says, ‘‘As a Fellow, I realized that most of my learners had torn uniforms that had contributed to them having low self-esteem. In the pursuit of restoring the dignity of my learners and improving their self-confidence, I came up with the two projects as a fundraising strategy to mobilize resources towards buying school uniforms for needy children.’’
Roselyne Gombe designed lessons and innovative activities to help teach her learners how to make soap detergent and used recycles plastic bottles for packaging. Additionally, she has taught her learners the importance of agribusiness and how to venture in agricultural activities in order to make an earning. ‘‘We have made hanging gardens in the school compound and planted coriander. We hope that they will grow and we will sell them to get income.’’ Roselyne explains.
Wild ideas bring out the best results. Teaching children to redirect their challenges into having an optimistic eye for great solutions is one of the ways we can help create job creators rather than job seekers. “I shared a skill that they can use later on to help them acquire financial resources. My vision is to nurture learners who have self-efficacy and who will contribute towards improving the economic status of their households.”
Roselyne believes that every child can become the next “Kidpreneur”. Educators, stakeholders, caregivers and parents need to support and come up with ideas of how to teach children to become entrepreneurs. As Margret Mead said, “We need to teach children how to think and not what to think.”
Fellow Spotlight Story of:
Roselyne Gombe, a Bachelors of Education Graduate, Innovative and promising leader. She is passionate about social change and improving the lives of children living in high need communities.
