Interview with the Steve Sinnott Young Ambassadors in The Gambia

We interviewed two of our young ambassadors in The Gambia about their experience of working with The Steve Sinnott Foundation and Send My Friend To School as campaigners for Education For All.

 

Both Fatoumatta Jabbi and Therese P. Mendy have worked to promote Education For All with Send My Friend to School and The Steve Sinnott Foundation, campaigning to help women and children in their communities understand the importance of education and enrol at school.



SSF - What did you learn from your time as an SSF young ambassador?

 

Fatoumatta - As a young ambassador, I have learned that children especially girls faced big hurdles such as cultural intolerance, remote locations, violent conflict, and poverty which are factors that prevent girls from receiving the basic human rights of education. 

 

Therese - I have learned a lot during my time as SSF young ambassador. I have learned to appreciate people with different backgrounds and understand that due to certain circumstances surrounding them can affect their ways of living.



SSF – Did you enjoy being an SSF Ambassador, was it hard or easy?

 

Fatoumatta - I have really enjoyed speaking for the voiceless children which had always been my passion but the journey wasn't quite easy as it went through some rigorous processes. Campaigning is not an easy task and it comes with a big responsibility.

 

Therese – Yes I enjoyed. It was not so hard nor easy, for it required a great responsibility to carry out. It was indeed a privilege and honour to be a young ambassador of SSF.



SSF – What did you learn from EFA with Send My Friend to School?

 

Fatoumatta - First of all, it was a delight seeing you all and working together to ensure that our voices are heard. Your efforts and kind gestures towards these children we advocate for, have encouraged me to do more in my community.

 

I have learned that we can only achieve goals when we all come together in unity and motivate each other. Also with our diverse culture, we were able to send messages to the world. Meeting with campaigners in the UK was indeed a beautiful moment. The schools and places we went to visit, really opened my eyes to see the world differently from the perspective I had before our visit to the UK.

Also, I learned about the different ways of campaigning in the UK from our fellow campaigners. Their educational system and how children are guided in the UK. Attending the Conservative Party conference and getting to meet some MPs and an opportune moment to talk to them about our campaign.



SSF – What were the benefits of your trip to the UK?

 

Fatoumatta - It was indeed a great honour and privilege to be given the opportunity to travel to the UK, it has boosted my confidence and made me a better version of myself. It makes me realize that my voice can be heard and make a change not only in The Gambia but the world at large.


Secondly, it makes me know the outside world. I have learned so many things in the UK including their government system, cultures, and a lot more. It was like a dream come true getting to meet young ambassadors from different states in the UK sharing knowledge and ideas.

 

Therese – First of all, it was a privilege to travel to the UK in 2017 and associate with our Fellow Campaign Champions. As a History student, our visit to the UK especially to the Parliament has really enlightened my knowledge of the Monarchical system adopted in Britain. The images of King Henry with his eight wives, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth the First are all treasured memories to be shared with others. Also, the interaction and educational moments we had with Members of Parliament was beneficial to us all.



SSF – Best and worst moments

 

Fatoumatta - All the moments were indeed wonderful but one of the moments that I will always remember is going to Manchester to attend the conservative party conference.
Living in the same house with the ‘elders’ is always a memory that will forever remain in my heart! You have all shown us love to support, and kindness, and we were welcomed with open arms and I will be forever grateful.

 

Therese – All the moments we had were wonderful. The fact that I learnt about, and experienced a new environment in UK left a lasting mark in my heart. The schools we visited were one of the best moments, and the effort put together by Ann, Ellie, John, Ema and all the members of the SSF that came on board was priceless.



SSF – What might you do differently?

 

Fatoumatta - I would improve on training more of my fellow students in school and making it a never-ending campaign, through this all voices would be heard and all children would be sent to school.

 

Therese – To improve in my campaigning techniques. And be a passionate spokesperson. In order to bring difference in the Society.



SSF – How easy is it for young womens’ voices to be heard?

 

Fatoumatta - It might be hard to believe, but we still live in a world where girls everywhere are having to fight to have their voices heard, for their opinions to matter and for decision makers to make choices that consider the reality that girls face every day. And it doesn't stop when girls become women.

 

As a young person, I understand the need to exercise my civic rights because I have seen and felt what it feels like to be deprived of quality and inclusive education. I have also seen the power of education breaking the cycle of poverty, transforming lives, and building resilient societies.

 

When we invest strongly in education, everyone benefits. Providing girls with education and equal opportunities will make them empowered women who will contribute to the construction of a just, equitable, and progressive society.

 

Therese – To start with, history has shown that the young woman's voice in Africa was not valued. Women were less involved in decision making or issues towards the growth of the society. Her voice was regarded unimportant.


With time, and the advancement of education in our society, the educated young woman's voice is heard. Unlike, the woman who is not educated. As the saying goes "when you educate a girl child, you educate the whole wide world". I stand to believe this statement.


These young women are going out to raise awareness in our societies. To help their fellow women to know their rights and the importance of being educated. It is not the work of a woman but women in general. Coming together and knowing their position in the society, that every voice matters in every discussion or issues in the world at large.


The young woman must not be given a blind-eye. Her voice is equally important, in connection with the question her voice is not easily heard, but this can be changed. How? Education is the answer. Knowledge is indeed power. If the young woman knows her position, ready to embrace change and the importance of her voice. Definitely, things would change for the better.



SSF – What impact had this opportunity had on you?

 

Fatoumatta - This opportunity made me be a better version of myself. It makes me be able to fight for children's rights and speak for them at our community level, country, and the world at large.

 

Therese – The fear to speak up in every situation I faced as a young woman has been a great challenge to me. Education has indeed enlightened me to be heard. And thus, I have overcome the fear of being silent. This opportunity had positively impacted on me, that is, the spirit to reach out to people and raise awareness in their communities.



SSF – What have you achieved since then personally and in your community?

 

Fatoumatta - So far, I have been able to sensitize many local women and children in my community about the importance of education and the need for them to send their children to school, and fortunately, the majority of the children are now been enrolled in schools and performing well.

 

Therese – As I grew each day as a young woman and accepting to learn, has really changed my perception of the world around me. I stand to speak to avoid being abused or harassed at anytime. To give my contribution in any discussion or situation concerning my wellbeing and that of all others. And knowing my rights as a young woman. In my community, I was able to talk with young women who were out of school and children who were not sent to school due to lack of financial support.



SSF – What is your next goal in life?

 

Fatoumatta - I want to further my education and continue fighting for girls’ education, their empowerment, and their rights. In that I will continue my journey. I want to empower more young girls like me so that it’s not just about one girl speaking out but we have hundreds and thousands of girls speaking out. We give them a voice. We give them a platform. Once you encourage them, once you tell them that your voice can change the world, then they can do it, they can come forward and speak out for themselves.

 

Therese – My next goal in life is to motivate young men and women to be educated. To seek knowledge, for it is key! And Ensure that children have quality education for a brighter future.



Steve Sinnott • November 22, 2021

Educate Girls

By Safeena Husain • April 20, 2026
Every last girl may want to go to school, but we know that a desire and an aspiration are not always enough. Deep in rural India, society doesn’t always support a girl’s education. Household chores, child marriage, restricted movement outside the house and patriarchy all stand in the way. The system also lets girls down -- secondary schools can be far away and re-enrolling after leaving education can be very difficult. Educate Girls UK was founded in 2016 with a mission to work with local organisations in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities, to find and support girls back into education. We identified Educate Girls (FEGG), an ambitious Indian NGO in Rajasthan and decided to start by backing their vision of every girl in school. Since commencing work in 2007, FEGG has supported over 2 million girls to enrol into government schools and improve their learning by creating a movement of over 23,000 gender champions who have reached the girls the system might have left behind. The Indian government too has introduced enabling policies (Right to Education Act was passed in 2009) and made huge progress in improving delivery and systems. India has near universal enrolment in the primary years with many more girls in school than before the Right to Education Act came into being. Our funding and advocacy support here in the UK and Europe has made a difference. But there still remains a persistent problem in the most marginalised villages in India, and beyond. Millions of women and adolescent girls forced to drop out of school have never returned. Without having passed even Grade 10 (similar to GCSEs in the UK), their life chances are now severely hampered. Further education is a distant dream; skilling programmes inaccessible; even loans to start a small business are all out of reach. As the world aspires to improve the quality of education we cheer on from the side lines. At Educate Girls UK, we want to be supporting the enrolment of girls into systems that deliver the very best foundational literacy and numeracy and equip young people for the 21st century with all its challenges. But, an additional priority for us, right now, is to give the support that girls who have fallen out of the system need, to pass their 10th and 12th grades. We want to see girls given a second chance at securing this aspiration and indeed this basic human right. In the next ten years we will work to support partners like Educate Girls (FEGG) in India who have set themselves a goal to ensure 10 million learners get that second chance. Even if they are already married and have children, cannot access physical schools, live in the most remote villages, or have demands on their time so they can’t attend school full-time, we will ensure that girls get to study, are supported to access learning and complete their secondary education. India is incredibly well placed to demonstrate solutions to some of the world’s most intractable problems given its size and ability to innovate at scale, indeed it has the largest public education system in the world. In supporting Educate Girls (FEGG) in India to scale their work in partnership with the government, we are convinced that we can learn and then share what works for girls and, in turn as a grant maker and advocate in the UK, work for girls everywhere. At decision making tables across the world we want to ensure the importance and potential of educating girls is seen and heard. This is a problem we only have to solve once as an educated girl will likely become a mother who will educate her children. Educate Girls in India is demonstrating solutions that work at scale which could have resonance beyond India’s borders – there are nearly half a million girls who are not in employment or education even here in the UK. Our work at Educate Girls UK is to change the life of girls so they can go on to change the world for girls everywhere. Educate Girls (FEGG), was recently recognized as the first organisation in India to receive the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award (often hailed as Asia’s Nobel Peace Prize) and the remarkable story of the organisation’s evolution is told in Safeena’s new book Every Last Girl: A Journey to Educate India’s Forgotten Daughters. BY SAFEENA HUSAIN A social impact leader, Safeena Husain is the Founder of Educate Girls, an Indian non-profit that partners with communities to mobilise volunteers and government resources for girls’ education in some of India’s most underserved and remote regions. In 2023, she became the first Indian woman to be honoured with the WISE Prize for Education for her transformative work in advancing gender equity through education. In 2024, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In 2025, she led Educate Girls to a historic milestone, becoming the first Indian non-profit to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, widely regarded as Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, thereby cementing her place as one of the world’s most impactful social entrepreneurs. Under Safeena’s leadership, Educate Girls has pioneered innovative models that harness the power of community volunteering, most notably through its Team Balika network of over 23,000 community champions who have helped enrol over 2 million out-of-school girls and improve learning outcomes for more than 2.4 million children since its inception. She also spearheaded the world’s first Development Impact Bond in education and led the organisation to become Asia’s first TED Audacious Project. Drawing on her lived experience, Safeena brings a deep understanding of the challenges faced by marginalised communities. Her vision for the next decade is to empower 10 million learners through scalable, community-driven solutions grounded in volunteerism, participation, and equity. “I have never met a girl who said to me I want to stay at home. I want to graze the cattle. I want to look after my siblings. I want to be a child bride. Every single girl I meet wants to go to school.” Safeena Husain, Founder, Educate Girls

Our Students Stories Matter

By Stefani Tieri Georges • April 17, 2026
In the words of Sydney J. Harris, “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” Few stories illustrate this truth more clearly than that of Ricardinio, a resilient young boy whose life was reshaped by learning, creativity, and compassionate support. Ricardinio is a displaced child living with HIV who once called the streets of Port au Prince home. When armed gangs overtook his neighbourhood, he was forced to flee, leaving behind everything familiar. The trauma of displacement, coupled with the daily realities of managing a chronic illness, left him navigating fear, uncertainty, and isolation. Everything changed when he gained access to the Resource Learning Centre at Cima Community School of Hope based in Limonade, Haïti. Within its safe walls, Ricardinio found stability, encouragement, and a sense of belonging that had been missing for far too long. The centre became more than a place of academic support; it became a catalyst for his healing. There, he discovered a surprising and transformative passion: drawing. What began as a quiet pastime soon unfolded into a powerful means of expression. Art offered him peace where chaos once lived, and possibility where hope had been fading. With guidance from mentors and access to materials he had never had before, Ricardinio started to see a future shaped not by loss, but by talent and imagination. Ricardinio learned to sew, paint and a new language, English. He made the outfit he is wearing in the photo below for a recent fashion show. His journey reminds us that for many young people, particularly those facing profound health or social challenges, that education is far more than curriculum. It is a lifeline to identity, purpose, and renewed hope. When a learning space nurtures the whole child, it turns windows toward new horizons, ensuring that even in the most difficult circumstances, every learner can envision a brighter future. BY STEFANI TIERI GEORGES Programme and Strategy Manager Sonje Ayiti, Limonade Haiti.

How do we Ensure Education is Inclusive and Reaches Marginalised Groups?

By Professor Nira Chamberlain • April 15, 2026
Growing up in 1970s and 80s Britain, son of Jamaican immigrants, all I cared about was mathematics, mathematics and mathematics. I didn’t see the need for black role models; all I cared about was numbers. Then I reached teenage years, the opportunity to enter the educational community was not the same for people of my colour. I was being directed to become a boxer not a mathematician. A generation later my son was being pushed in the direction of singing, not a career in STEM. My story is not unique and there are many other marginalised groups. Creating an education system that genuinely includes marginalised groups isn’t just a moral imperative — it’s a practical one. When people are excluded, societies lose talent, creativity, and economic potential. So what can be done? Here are seven starters for ten: 1. Remove Barriers to Access Many marginalised learners are excluded long before they reach a classroom. Key Strategies: Eliminate financial barriers: scholarships, free school meals, subsidised transport, no-fee schooling. Provide flexible learning options: evening classes, community-based learning, mobile schools for nomadic groups. Invest in infrastructure: safe buildings, accessible facilities for disabled learners, and reliable internet in rural areas. 2. Make Learning Culturally Relevant Education becomes inclusive when learners see themselves reflected in it. What this looks like: Curriculum that includes diverse histories, languages, and perspectives. Teaching materials that avoid stereotypes and represent all groups. Community involvement in designing educational programs. Don’t just consider the marginalised groups at certain special events, but all year round. 3. Train and Support Teachers Teachers are the frontline of inclusion. Effective Approaches: Training in inclusive pedagogy and unconscious bias. Recruiting teachers from marginalised communities. Providing classroom assistants or specialists (e.g., sign language interpreters). Get teachers to be seconded in diverse areas, so they can grow to learn and appreciate different cultures. 4. Use Technology Thoughtfully, technology can widen access — or deepen inequality if used poorly. Inclusive Uses of Technology: Low-bandwidth digital learning tools for remote areas. Assistive technologies for learners with disabilities. Online platforms that allow flexible pacing and personalised learning. Keep Libraries open so that marginalised communities can access the digital world. 5. Strengthen Policies and Accountability Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident; it needs structure. I have written a paper called treating EDI as a Science Problem. It introduces Chamberlain’s Law that states this “If all things are equal what numbers do we expect to see?” On this basis, we should be able to consider things such as Anti-discrimination laws in education. Data collection on who is being left out and why. Funding formulas that allocate more resources to disadvantaged schools. 6. Engage Families and Communities There are examples where marginalised groups distrust institutions for good historical reasons. These are some of the ways to build trust: Community-led outreach programs. Parent education initiatives. Schools are partnering with local leaders, NGOs, and cultural organisations. 7. Support Learners Beyond Academics Barriers to education are often social, emotional, or economic. Holistic support: Mental health services. School meals and health checks. Safe transport and anti-bullying programs. In conclusion, these points are not comprehensive or exhaustive. However, it is a benefit to us all when education is for all. BY PROFESSOR NIRA CHAMBERLAIN OBE FIMA FORS CSci PhD HonDSc DUniv 1st AtkinsRéalis Technical Fellow for Mathematical Modelling AtkinsRéalis, Six Mathematical Doctorates. Mathematics Professor. Founder of the Black Heroes of Mathematics Conference. Science Communicator