It’s that time of year in most of the northern hemisphere - Back to School! Students of all manner from first time learners to adult continuing educationers are migrating to a learning institution near you--Kindergartens, middle and high schools, trade colleges, university campuses and some are taking to phones, tablets or computers for online courses. ’Tis the season for getting the mind ready for a new round of training, building and expansion. So this week, in preparation for the start of classes its a review session with some glocal citizens firmly planted in the business of education. Taiye Ayoola-Adedeji, author of the innovative, educational and interactive Yoruba-English bilingual book—The Yoruba Sound Book for Children, Ayobisi Osuntusa, Executive Director of Sesame Square Nigeria Foundation, a mirror image and partner organization of Sesame Workshop; Nisha Ligon, Co-founder and Senior Advisor of Tanzania-based, UBONGO, Africa's leading kids' edutainment company and Videographer, Composer, and Musician, Farai Malianga a tenure track Professor at Florida State University with a focus on Music for dance and choreography all join us with insights on learning education, arts and people. Class is in session, let’s LEAP right in!

Special Guests: Ayobisi Osuntusa, Farai Malianga, Nisha Ligon, and Taiye Ayoola-Adedeji.

The beautiful thing about life is that with care and attention time refines and gives rise to the amazement that is our daily experience. I met this week's guest nearly a decade ago, in the country she currently calls home, as we were both starting our work in the African edutainment industry and as she was making her way back home to Tanzania to do what she prepared for when getting her MBA and BS in International Business and Economics from Overton School of Business in the US--making a difference for African children. Tanzanian born and raised, Doreen Kessy is a Co-founder at STEM Girls Education (SGE), a social enterprise with a mission to help more girls in Africa become innovators. An education and women's champion at heart, Doreen holds the belief that empowering women and girls to drive change is essential in fostering a more sustainable and kinder world for all. Previously Chief Business Officer at Ubongo Learning, she was instrumental in growing the organisation as she led its expansion to 41 countries in Africa reaching over 30 million kids. She was named “Entrepreneur of the Year in Education” by Women In Africa Initiative (WIA), Winner of Next Billion EdTech Prize 2019, is also an Acumen Fellow, Future Elect Fellow, Global Shaper, an initiative of the World Economic Forum and Tedx speaker. Not only is the future bright, our present is brighter with social entreperneurs like Doreen making their mark in markets across Africa!

Where to find Doreen?
On Wikipedia
On LinkedIn
On Twitter

What’s Doreen listening to?
Brook Castillo’s The LIfe Coach School Podcast
How I Built This Podcast
Huberman Lab Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast
This American Life Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The Dairy Of A CEO Podcast

Other topics of interest:
About Njombe’s Iringa Region, Tanzania
Things to do in Rosebank, Gauteng
About Smile 4 Africa
Yo! Haibo!, Sawubona - Sikhona and other South African Expressions
The Life Coach School
What’s Doreen riding?
Microschools in action in Africa

Our paths intersect with her role as Co-founder and CEO of UBONGO, Africa's leading kids' edutainment company. Ubongo creates top quality, localized edutainment to help Africa's 500 million kids learn, and leverage their learning to change their lives. Their vision is to equip Africa's next generation with the educational foundation, critical skills and positive mindsets to change their own lives and communities for the better. Over 17 million families in Africa learn with our edu-cartoons and radio programs, and we're rapidly growing across the continent. At Ubongo, she’s lead visionary, series producer/ screenwriter, and does whatever it takes to get our products made, tested and released! Through a distribution relationship with Ubongo, LEAP Transmedia introduced Ghanaian children and families to the program beginning in 2015.

Where to find Nisha and Ubongo?
www.ubongo.org
On LinkedIn
On Twitter
On Facebook
On Instagram
On YouTube

What's Nisha listening to?
How to Save the Planet Podcast
The Cipher Podcast
Homecoming
Pinna for kids

Other topics of interest:
About Laura Poitras
Ubuntu
Tom Chi @ TEDx

Special Guest: Nisha Ligon.