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Henry ANUMUDU Our 2023 Being Edinburgh alumni award winner

All opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Edinburgh.

Henry Anumudu (2022 Africa and International Development) has been named winner of the 2023 Being Edinburgh alumni award. Henry is a former Mastercard Foundation scholar at the University. Since graduating, he has shown commitment to creating educational opportunities for children from low-income communities, and established the not-for-profit organisation Sharing Life Africa, supporting thousands of young people to get the most out of their education.

Henry also currently leads strategic communications at Teach for All, an organisation that also promotes equal access to education for children. We spoke to Henry about his work and how it feels to be a Being Edinburgh award winner.

Congratulations, Henry! Firstly, could you give us some background on what are you doing in your life and work?

Thank you! Well, currently, I work as the Head of Strategic Communication at Teach For All, a global network of 60 independent, locally led and governed partner organisations and a global organisation that works to accelerate the progress of the network. I am also the founder and director of Sharing Life Africa, a grassroots nonprofit in Abeokuta, Nigeria, supporting teaching and learning for children living in underserved communities and investing in the economic empowerment of women so their children can have access to schools and quality education.

I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to pursue a singular vision regarding life and work. Right after my undergraduate degree in 2014, I started working for a startup media company in Abuja, Nigeria, and I loved my job, which had storytelling at its core. But I wanted more; I wanted to give back. So, I volunteered a few hours weekly, facilitating leadership sessions for secondary school students in a public secondary school close to my office. It was in this classroom that I found my life's mission for the first time: to contribute to building a world where every young person has access to the education, skills, and opportunities to fulfill their potential. Since then, I've worked as a teacher, founded and led a grassroots nonprofit in Nigeria, and have worked across global organisations that are all rooted in this mission. I've also had the unique opportunity to blend my skills and passion for storytelling, social change, and quality education in my work.

The problems we face as the human race are complex, and as we inherit an unstable future of climate disasters and widening inequalities, I am convinced that we must, above all, continue to deepen our investment in people. This means investing in the education, leadership, and continuous development of children and young people across the world in every way that proves effective in equipping them with the skills to build a better future for themselves and for us all.

Which projects are motivating you right now?

In my new role, one of my projects focuses on amplifying the diverse voices of young people from around the world – from Nigeria to Austria, Pakistan to Zimbabwe, Mexico to the Philippines and many others. This project holds special significance for me, as it allows me to collaborate with inspiring students globally who are striving to learn and shape their futures within their unique contexts. Simultaneously, they feel compelled to confront the overwhelming obstacles they face by speaking out against deeply rooted social injustices.

It is crucial that we listen to these students and genuinely consider their perspectives. They deserve representation at decision-making tables where policies affecting their future are being devised. To create a transformed future, we must bring together young people, educators, families, policymakers, and government officials in a collaborative roundtable setting, where each voice plays a critical role in reimagining the present and future for everyone.

Henry and pupils in Nigeria

What personal attributes do you feel help with your work?

I can go on and on this subject. But I will keep it to three: integrity, excellence and purpose. I know these are probably cliched values that often show up when people speak. But I have no choice but to talk about them often.

For me, integrity is standing by my personal principles. It is doing what I say. But, even more importantly, it is taking responsibility for my actions when I stray from my principles and turning back to my roots, no matter how far I’ve gone off course. I think integrity forms the basis of our character as people and is essential in building trust and meaningful relationships in personal or professional life. At the end of the day, the opportunities we get for personal growth or professional advancement are often dependent on another person vouching for the reliability of our character or the consistency of our principles. And I like to think that although I may have my failings at work, what should not be questioned is my dedication to responsibility, the strength of my values and my alignment with my mission.

"I have experienced events in my personal life that have threatened my commitment to work but having a clear sense of purpose built my resilience and helped me to persevere in the face of adversity."

Excellence in my professional life has been the pursuit of the best possible results and an openness to feedback and improvement. I found through my journey that it is often easy to fall into the problem of perfectionism with this one, but they are both fundamentally different. I have found that although the demands of perfectionism are absolute and often unrealistic, excellence asks for your best effort while welcoming mistakes because it knows that they are the stuff of growth because they provide valuable learning opportunities. In short, I want to do things and leave them knowing I gave my all. So win or fail, I know it was my best and so the result is a true baseline for my skills and feedback is a starting point for growth. So, pursuing excellence gives me a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and motivation, as it acknowledges and creates opportunities for continuous improvement and learning.

Lastly, I don’t think I would be able to do what I do if it were not driven by a purpose or a mission. Volunteering as a young graduate introduced me to the scale of the problem in the Nigerian education system and the mission to contribute to solving the problem gave me a sense of meaning and direction that drives my motivation and fulfilment in my work. This helps me sustain a sense of direction as I navigate my professional life. It helps me choose what opportunity takes priority. So, what does not further my purpose does not come first. Also, through my journey, I have experienced events in my personal life that have threatened my commitment to work but having a clear sense of purpose built my resilience and helped me to persevere in the face of adversity.

What inspired you to set up Sharing Life Africa? And can you tell us more about its work?

In 2017, I started teaching at a public primary school in Abeokuta, Nigeria, as part of the inaugural cohort of the Teach For Nigeria fellowship. I had 82 kids in my classroom, and my primary objectives were to raise academic outcomes while also improving behavioral and leadership outcomes in the class. We began with a literacy rate of less than 10%, and in two years, we improved this by over 60%. However, the journey to improved outcomes involved much more than classroom activities. It required building relationships with key actors in the children's lives and developing a shared vision for their education and future. Let me explain why this is critical.

One of the main obstacles to children's access to quality education and essential skills for a decent future is poverty. This manifests in a child's inability to afford tuition. But it also appears in children attending school in the mornings without breakfast or any chance of lunch. It also emerges when children have to work after school to supplement family income. This multifaceted problem is immediately visible to teachers. As a teacher, I built trust and deep relationships with parents and local leaders. In collaboration with others, I implemented programs ranging from economic empowerment to after-school literacy activities. Thus, I developed an understanding of the importance of the broader system surrounding the school and how it largely determines the success of teachers within the classroom.

So in 2019, I founded Sharing Life Africa, a grassroots non-profit that empowers communities with access to the right skills and opportunities to help children receive quality education and fulfill their potential. Over the years, we have executed economic empowerment projects for women, menstrual hygiene management programs for girls in rural communities, mentorship programs for schools, built libraries within local communities for easier access to books for children, created computer labs in public schools in Nigeria, sponsored hundreds of kids on scholarships to primary and secondary schools within the country, and implemented digital literacy classes for students and teachers. However, in our evaluation, we have found that the most impactful programs are those that enable access to training and finances for women, so we have focused more resources on those.

The focus is on children and their mothers – why is this so important both to you and Sharing Life Africa?

As a teacher in the classroom, I quickly realised the central role mothers play in the lives of children. Every time a child came to school without food, without books or a pen, with a torn uniform or worn sandals, the reason was always, "My mother did not have the money." If the mother had the means, she would have provided, but most of the time, the mothers, despite all their hard work, simply did not have enough. Our work and impact measurement at Sharing Life Africa further confirmed that the most impactful projects revolved around enabling mothers' access to economic opportunities. Because if mothers had money, more than half of the programs we were implementing would be unnecessary. So, that's what we did; we invested more in providing economic opportunities for mothers because that had an even greater impact on children and transformed entire communities.

Are there any particular moments that stand out for you?

I think of Toyin's story. A widow and a mother of three, she had no education and no skills. Since her husband's passing, she relied on the benevolence of her local church for resources to live by and fund her children's education. Toyin joined our economic empowerment program, and after attending business and financial literacy classes for two days, we provided her with funding to start a business. A few days later, she called and said, "I can't do this. Come and take back your money." She was scared to take the leap. But a member of our team - we are blessed to have the most passionate and kind people working at Sharing Life Africa - replied, "We won't take it back. Look for what your neighbours need." Well, she did. Today, Toyin sells rice and is very successful at it. Starting with one bag in the first week and three bags in the third week, she now has even more and is known in the neighborhood as the woman who sells rice. Twelve years after her husband's death, the family can stand on their own two feet again. The children are back in school with books purchased and tuition paid, all fully covered by their mother.

Toyin's story reflects the many stories of countless mothers in the communities we work with, who strive every day to create a different path for their children. And we work, with support from our donors, to provide them with the tools they need to achieve this.

"Even though I've been doing this for years, I still get a tingle down my spine whenever I hear stories of impact from mothers like Toyin."

What gives you hope for the future, both personally and professionally?

The presence of optimism fills me with hope. There is so much going wrong at every level of our society. Yet, maintaining optimism despite it all is an act of courage, a choice to believe in the good and to consciously cultivate our own happiness. I believe that life is not a beach we simply coast into; it is a hill we all must climb. It takes effort, but it is an adventure. I see people around me and elsewhere who choose to acknowledge this collective journey, to recognise the goodness in others, and to express gratitude for what they have, despite the obstacles. It is the optimists who change the world; their positive outlook, resilience, and belief in the potential for progress give me hope for a brighter future.

Henry at McEwan Hall on graduation day in 2022

How did you feel when you were told you had won the 2023 Being Edinburgh award?

I was overjoyed when I heard I had won the award, and I felt deeply honoured to be recognised in this way. Even now, I feel that my words can't fully convey the extent of my gratitude. I am thankful to Roy Biddle, the University staff member who put forward my nomination for the award. I had seen the call for nominations earlier in the year but never imagined myself in such a position. But a few days later, Roy reached out with a message insisting that my story and work deserved a chance here.

However, I must say that I stand on the shoulders of communities without which I would not be here. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University funded my studies in Edinburgh and provided me with the opportunity to immerse myself in my research unencumbered by financial constraints. I am also grateful for the reflective and leadership spaces the programme offered, which allowed me to develop the leadership skills necessary to lead a life and work of impact.

And my team at Sharing Life Africa deserves my deepest gratitude for their dedication and commitment to our shared mission of building better communities. I am blessed to have them as both colleagues and friends.

"I have incredibly fond memories of my time as a student at the University of Edinburgh. But one that stands out is the tremendous support I received from fellow students and faculty while navigating my academic life."

A prime example of this support occurred when I was trying to articulate my research interests during my dissertation writing process. I had access to professors from the School of Social and Political Science and the Moray House School of Education and Sport. These professors generously offered their time, listening to me as I struggled to shape my research focus, and provided invaluable advice that ultimately led to a stellar work. This particular memory is representative of the loving community and support I found in Edinburgh.

All opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Edinburgh.

All photos courtesy of Henry Anumudu.

Related links:

Sharing Life Africa

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

School of Social and Political Science

Created By
Brian Campbell
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