WHY PACAW?

The education crisis in Africa reflects chronic leadership failure. A colossal endemic deficit which requires new thinking, a totally different mindset and homegrown solutions. This calamity, i.e. Profound Leadership Failure is a major pillar of the wobbly legs preventing the ascent of post-colonial African nations from the bottom of the human ladder of development. The education crisis especially from Kindergarten to Senior High School resulting in alarming knowledge deficit is one of the most heart-wrenching features of the populations in Africa, especially in many nations of Sub-Saharan Africa.

In June 2007, Pan Africa Children Advocacy Watch (PACAW), Inc., a non-profit organization headquartered in Maryland, USA was founded by Dr. Sylvanus Adetokunboh Ayeni, a Neurosurgeon in the USA who was born and raised in Nigeria. The goal of PACAW, Inc. is to help, in its own humble way, with predominantly homegrown solutions for this monumental problem facing the failing nations of Africa especially Sub-Saharan Africa.

The main purpose of PACAW, Inc. is to add a voice to the search for solutions for the huge problems facing Nigeria and the nations of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is an attempt to address these very complex problems at their root. Our focus is on the education of children from Kindergarten to High School in the poorest communities and leadership training. We do this by being active on the ground and also serving in advisory capacity on boards of organizations involved in African development especially in the education and healthcare sectors.

Clearly, in many of these nations, the problems cannot be blamed on two things.

1. Lack of natural resources or human resources.
2. Lack of available money in the treasuries of these nations from both domestic and foreign sources.

Indeed, Africa is over-blessed with more than sufficient human resources and enormous natural resources. It is also the 'youngest' continent on the planet -- in average or median age of the populations.

So, what is the problem? Or maybe one should ask: what are the problems?

We believe there are five fundamental issues at play in these poor performing African nations.

1. Identity Crisis. The fact that most postcolonial African leaders who have run their nations to the ground don't even know who they are; their true self and the reality of the Essence and Being of their citizens.
2. Failure of Mindset especially at the leadership level. The "Cannot Do" Mindset and dependency on other segments of the human family must be replaced with a "Can Do" Mindset.
3. The mammoth Corruption and Self-Centeredness particularly at the leadership  level and the ethnic conflicts must abate.
4. In many African nations, there is profound  leadership's disdain for prioritization of knowledge and public safety. This must abate.
5. Profound deficits in infrastructure which require very urgent attention by the leaders.

 We have made leadership training through our Leadership Academy (depending on funding and level of public security and safety), a component of our programs. PACAW, Inc. believes strongly in public education. So, we do not set up private schools. We go to the poor and most neglected village/community and resuscitate the dilapidated public schools. We do this by providing infrastructure, staff, books, library, equipments like computers, photocopy machines and other support systems.

Hopefully, from these children would emerge a new generation of leaders who will solve Africa's development crisis using their own minds and brains rather than looking across the oceans and seas. Without quality education at all levels, i.e. basic, secondary and tertiary, the leadership crisis and consequently the underdevelopment of these nations would remain.

Our long term goal is to establish a kind of Lyceum. This would be an institution where dozens, scores and later hundreds of young Africans would come and spend at least one academic year to learn, ruminate and be mentored by selected individuals who care deeply about the fate of Africa. 

Thanks for visiting. Your interest and support are greatly appreciated. 
 

PACAW, Inc. teachers and community leaders during the PACAW, Inc. Leadership Academy in Koro-Ekiti, Kwara State, Nigeria in September, 2014. PACAW, Inc. President, Dr. Ayeni, is in the middle row, fifth from left.

PACAW Inc. Teachers and Staff, Koro-Ekiti, Kwara State, Nigeria Primary and Secondary Schools in the 2024/2025 Academic Year