Rafiki Thabo Foundation on BBC Radio 4
Helping Change Futures Through Education
We are incredibly proud to share that Rafiki Thabo Foundation will once again be featured with our very own BBC Radio 4 Charity Appeal in June!
This special appeal will help shine a light on the transformative power of education and the life-changing impact that it can have on children and young people across Kenya, Uganda and Lesotho – and on those around them.
As a small charity, moments like this are hugely important. Not only do they help raise vital awareness and support for our work, but they also allow stories that deserve to be heard to reach new audiences.
At the heart of Rafiki Thabo’s work is a simple belief:
Every child deserves the opportunity to access education, reach their full potential and build a brighter future — regardless of the circumstances they were born into.
This is why we strive to enable access to quality education for vulnerable children in Kenya, Lesotho and Uganda through our four programmes: our flagship scholarship programme, our Eat Well to Learn school meals programme, our school improvement programme and our disability programme. Find out more and read about the amazing impact we are having.
BBC Radio 4 Appeal Broadcast Information
Listen Live – Broadcast Dates & Times
- Sunday 21st June 2026 – 7.54am & 9.27pm BST
- Thursday 25th June 2026 – 3.27pm BST (repeat broadcast)
The appeal will also be available afterwards on BBC Sounds.
There will be more information about our appeal on the Radio 4 appeal page from Friday 12th June.
The donation page for our appeal goes live at 07.55 on Sunday 21st June together with the appeal audio presented by our patron Amar Latif and will remain live until midnight on Saturday 27th June. We will share a link to our appeal here when the time comes!
In the meantime you can listen to Amar talking about why he is such a passionate supporter of our work and why he is so inspired about Ayiesa’s story – the Rafiki Thabo graduate at the centre of our appeal. Thank you to the wonderful BBC Charity Appeals team who recorded this audioboom for us!
If you wish to make a donation before then you can do so by clicking on the link below:
DONATE NOW
The Ripple Effect of Education
For many of the children and young people supported by Rafiki Thabo, education is far more than a classroom.
Education can provide dignity, independence, confidence and hope — often becoming the turning point that changes the direction of an entire life.
Perhaps no story demonstrates this more powerfully than that of Rafiki Thabo graduate, Ayiesa from Kenya.
Ayiesa’s Story
At just six years old, after having been listening to the lessons through open windows, Ayiesa persuaded a teacher to let him quietly sit at the back of a classroom as he could not afford to attend as a paying student.
Without books, tuition or official access to education, he learned in the shadows — listening carefully, watching closely and refusing to let poverty extinguish his determination to learn.
Years later, unable to afford secondary school, Ayiesa moved to Nairobi where he scavenged rubbish and collected plastics to survive whilst continuing to study independently at home – raising just enough money to survive and to pay his the fees to sit the exams.
University felt impossible.
But despite every barrier placed in front of him, Ayiesa never stopped believing education could change his future.
And eventually, through a Rafiki Thabo scholarship, it did.
Ayiesa was awarded a Rafiki Thabo scholarship to study at KCA University in Kenya, graduating with a Finance degree thanks to which he later secured a senior role within the Kenyan Government.
Today, he supports his own — and two other — children through education, runs businesses employing others, mentors students and helps support children with disabilities and their families within his community.
His story is a powerful reminder that education does not simply transform one life.
It creates ripple effects that can change generations.
Why This Campaign Matters
We are so delighted that our patron Amar Latif is presenting our BBC Radio 4 appeal as his own journey reflects so much of what this campaign stands for.
Having lost his eyesight at the age of 18, Amar refused to let other people’s perceptions define what was possible for his future. Despite facing barriers and doubt, he went on to build a successful career, travel the world and become a powerful advocate for challenging limitations and redefining opportunity.
A few years ago, Amar climbed Mount Kilimanjaro alongside Ayiesa — a symbolic moment that beautifully reflected everything this campaign represents.
From learning secretly at the back of classrooms…
to climbing one of the world’s highest mountains.
From surviving day-to-day…
to helping transform the lives of others.
It is proof that potential exists everywhere.
Opportunity does not.
And that is why support matters so much.
How Your Support Could Help
Every donation helps create opportunities through education. For every £270 raised we can bring education to another vulnerable child in Kenya. £90 can pay for a term at secondary school, and £22.50 for a week.
Whether you choose to make a one-off donation or support Rafiki Thabo regularly, every contribution helps create brighter futures through education.
DONATE NOW
How You Can Show Your Support
There are many ways you can help support brighter futures through education:
- Donate now – or wait until the BBC Radio 4 Appeal campaign which is live from 21st to 27th June
- Share the appeal with friends, family and colleagues
- Follow Rafiki Thabo on social media (see links at the bottom of the page)
- Help spread awareness of the charity’s work
- Visit and support our charity shops if you are in South Oxfordshire!
- Explore partnership and fundraising opportunities with us [add contact us]
Every action helps us move closer to a world where more children can access the opportunities they deserve.
Because sometimes, one opportunity really can change generations.