Orondaam Otto

Orondaam Otto
Born (1987-08-08) August 8, 1987 (age 37)
NationalityNigerian
EducationHarvard Kennedy School, University of Port Harcourt
Occupation(s)Social entrepreneur, philanthropist

Orondaam Otto (born 8 August, 1987) is a Nigerian social entrepreneur, education advocate and philanthropist.[1][2] He is the founder of Slum2School Africa, a nonprofit organization and the first to build a Virtual Learning Classroom in Sub-Saharan Africa.[3][4][5] He is also one of the founding members of The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund.[6]Otto is a two-time winner of The Future Awards Africa and a member of the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Board.[7]

Early life and education

Orondaam Otto born on 8 August, 1987 in northern Nigeria, originally hails from Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Anatomy from the University of Port Harcourt.[8]In 2022, he finished from the Harvard Kennedy School with a Master’s degree in Public Administration.[9] At Harvard, Otto won the Erik Yankah Award and Lucius N. Littauer Fellowship Award for leadership.[10]

Career

Orondaam Otto started his career in the social sector at the age of 16 by participating in volunteer organizations focused on improving the living conditions of children in poor communities.[11][12]

In 2011, while undergoing his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program, Otto discovered the Makoko Community and the substandard living condition of the children who had little or no access to quality education.[13][14] While Otto was in the NYSC camp, he began to think on how to address the issues of education among underprivileged children. [15] Later in his youth service program, he officially started Slum2School Africa,[16][17]a charity organization focused on addressing the increasing number of out-of-school children in Africa, particularly those in slums and underserved communities.[18][19]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Otto built the first Virtual Learning Classroom in Africa to facilitate remote education for children.[20] He was also featured as an African Change-maker on the CNN African voices documentary.[12]

The classes are designed to mimic classroom interactions found in a traditional school setting and are billed as the first of its kind in the country and within the Sub-Saharan region, according to Slum2School.

— CNN on Slum2School Africa Virtual Learning Classroom [21]

In 2016, Otto was a Mandela Washington Fellow, and served as the chairman of the West and Central African Regional Advisory Board of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) launched by President Barack Obama.[22][23] In 2022, he was appointed to the HKS Black Alumni Board, and in 2024, he was appointed to the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Board.[24][25]

Recognition

Otto won The Future Awards Africa in 2012 and 2013 for his innovation in education.[26][27]Otto was named among the Global 100 Most Influential People of African Descent  by the United Nations General Assembly.[28] He was also listed in the YNaija 2020 Powerlist of Nigerians in Advocacy .[29]

In 2022, he was nominated for the Business Insider Africa Awards in the social entrepreneur of the year category.[30]

References

  1. ^ Williams, Tommy. "Meet Slum2School Africa: Social Enterprise Using Technology To Bring Education To Africa's Slums". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  2. ^ "Otto Orondaam – African Philanthropy Forum". Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  3. ^ Oluwole, Victor (2020-07-17). "Nigeran social entrepreneur, Otto Orondaam builds virtual classrooms to teach 900+ kids in Africa". Business Insider Africa. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  4. ^ Campos, Guy. "A Slum2School charity's first Virtual Learning Studio". AV Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  5. ^ Angela, Ukomadu. "Nigerian charity tries to salvage a slum's schooling amid pandemic". Reuters.
  6. ^ "Ambode appoints ex-FIRS boss, Omoigui-Okauru, others For N25bn ETF board". Vanguard Newspaper.
  7. ^ "The unfamiliar winners of The Future Awards Africa 2013, By Chude Jideonwo". www.premiumtimesng.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  8. ^ Onyeakagbu, Adaobi (2018-09-10). "Meet our Man Crush, Orondaam Otto, founder of Slum 2 School Africa". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  9. ^ "Orondaam Otto - keynote speaker". Global Speakers Bureau. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  10. ^ "Leadership". Harvard Kennedy School Black Alumni Association. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  11. ^ "Orondaam Otto is Giving Less-Privileged African Kids Hope for the Future". Business Elites Africa. 2021-08-25. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  12. ^ a b Meet two changemakers who have dedicated their lives to their students | CNN. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2024-08-15 – via www.cnn.com.
  13. ^ "OTTO ORONDAAM, Shares with KEMI AJUMOBI on his ardor for change in the lives of young children through his project Slum2School Africa". Businessday NG. 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  14. ^ "Slum2School Founder Laments High Rate Of Uneducated Teachers". Channels Television.
  15. ^ "Orondaam Otto: Impacting Africa Through Education". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2020-08-02. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  16. ^ "'I Chose To Serve Instead Of Making Money'". www.forbesafrica.com. 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  17. ^ "Group helps Makoko children go to school". www.premiumtimesng.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  18. ^ "How Otto Orondaam helps students make the grade". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  19. ^ Omotayo, Joseph (2020-08-03). "Nigerian man Otto builds big virtual classroom to teach 948 kids amid Covid-19". Legit.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  20. ^ "Nigerian charity tries to salvage a slum's schooling amid pandemic". Yahoo News. 2020-09-09. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  21. ^ Slum2School Africa wants to ensure every child has access to education | CNN. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2024-08-15 – via edition.cnn.com.
  22. ^ Nigeria, U. S. Mission (2022-10-09). "U.S. Mission Welcomes 2022 Mandela Washington Fellows". U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  23. ^ tjohnson (2017-10-30). "YALI Voices Podcast: Orondaam Otto's Passion and Perseverance in Social Entrepreneurship". Young African Leaders Initiative. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  24. ^ Onuoha, Millicent Arebun (2024-08-12). "Nigeria's Ijeoma Akunyili & Otto Orondaam Join Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Board - LeVogue Magazine". Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  25. ^ "Alumni Board Elections Results 2024". www.hks.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  26. ^ "TFAA 2013 Winners List". The Future Awards Africa. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  27. ^ "TFAA 2012 Winners List". The Future Awards Africa. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  28. ^ "Orondaam Otto". blog.mipad.org. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  29. ^ "#YNaijaPowerlist2020: Isaac Success, Modupe Odele, Otto Orondaam feature on list of powerful young Nigerians in Advocacy". YNaija.
  30. ^ Africa, B. I. (2022-03-21). "Here are the nominees of the Business Insider Africa Awards". Business Insider Africa. Retrieved 2024-08-15.