Lagos, Nigeria, 22 October 2019
CEO of Avanti Communications, Kyle Whitehill addressed a group of representatives from Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs and UN agencies, during an event to launch World’s Largest Lesson Nigeria. The World’s Largest Lesson is an initiative to teach over 500,000 children in one week about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During the event children and young people, both in an out of school, showcased their ideas on how they can contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Avanti has been a partner in the effort to support the World’s Largest Lesson reach children all across the world.
Kyle Whitehill, comments:
For 15 years we have worked to launch satellites to deliver broadband into areas where it’s difficult to reach, with the aim of helping people to realise their ambitions by connecting them to a world of opportunity. Education is absolutely fundamental to enabling success and empowering individuals to be more, and, through projects like the World’s Largest Lesson, we can help children to build a better future for their families and communities.”
The lessons, taught by a team of 2,500 youth volunteers, aim to unlock in children a vision for the Nigeria that they wish to live in by 2030, and a Nigeria that has achieved the Sustainable Development Goals. 30,000 children will now take part in 300 afterschool clubs for the Sustainable Development Goals. Children in schools or in out of school community groups and Internally Displaced People camps will learn more about the Goals and develop ideas for community projects. The best of these will be awarded small cash grants to make these projects possible.
With a belief that everyone can be more, this is one of a number of projects that Avanti are backing to support people across Africa to realise their ambitions. That includes funding the education of more than 300,000 children across rural Africa and providing connectivity to refugee camps across East Africa and accredited university courses so the people there can continue developing skills and resources.
About the Sustainable Development Goals
In September 2015, 193 UN Member States adopted the Agenda 2030 including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Agenda 2030 seeks to guide countries to end extreme poverty and hunger, fight inequality and injustice and fix climate change. In most countries including Nigeria, the MDGs were only partially achieved and with a new agenda for 2030 came wider scope. There are 17 SDGs compared to 8 MDGs in order to create a universal and inclusive agenda that brings together interconnected issues affecting both people and planet. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/
About the World’s Largest Lesson
World’s Largest Lesson brings the Global Goals to children all over the world and unites them in taking action. Since launch in September 2015, we have reached over 130 countries and impact over 8 million children each year. We believe all children everywhere should have the opportunity to learn about the Global Goals and feel inspired to take action for them. We believe in the power of creativity and that all children can find their own individual way of taking action for the Global Goals.
World’s Largest Lesson is delivered in partnership with UNICEF, along with many other NGOs, private sector organisations and foundations. http://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org
