Chess in Slums Africa is Offering Hope and Opportunities to Children in Underserved Communities One Chess at a Time!
On a mission to teach and unlock the potential in every child, Chess in Slums Africa is using the game of chess as a framework to promote education and raise champions from underserved communities in Africa.
Chess in Slums is a non-profit organization focused on helping children in slum communities to realize their full potential by simply integrating principles of the chess game whilst teaching strategy, creativity and innovation.
Founded by Tunde Onakoya in 2018, Chess in Slums Africa is changing the lives of children in slums communities one chess at a time. Tunde Onakoya, who recognizes the game as a powerful change agent has introduced the magic of chess to various children – from being complete beginners to competing and showcasing the gift of chess they have discovered. Chess in Slums has improved the lives of some children and has created various scholarship opportunities for them, thus rewriting the narrative of children in slum communities.
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For Tunde Onakoya, Chess is beyond a game of moving black or white pieces – chess saved him from the slums. Growing up in the Isale Odo community in Ikorodu and like so many kids living in underserved communities, he lacked access to a rosy world. Defying odds, Tunde learnt chess at a barber’s shop and was later ranked as the 13th chess player in Nigeria.
Chess had opened Tunde to several life-changing opportunities and that is what he hopes to help other children achieve. His visit to Majidun community would later ignite the passion to give hope to children in the slums. From starting with five kids in Majidun community, the turning point came for Tunde and the profiting children.
Makoko Chess Dream – The Rise of Ferdinand
After two intense weeks of chess lessons in the slums of Makoko, Chess in Slums Africa – CISA recently held a tournament to test learners’ understanding of the game and celebrate their excellence. Ferdinand, a miracle child with Cerebral Palsy turned out to be a chess savant after being given a complex Knight move geometry to solve few minutes after he was taught the basic movement of the Knight piece. Impressively, he won the tournament with an outstanding performance – an extraordinary feat, even for a genius.
Ferdinand, whose father is a fisherman and mother, a petty trader is an out-of-school child in the slums, probably one of the many. Fortunately, the CISA initiative will place Ferdinand on scholarship support for as long as possible, through funds raised via a gofundme account. For little Ferdinand with huge dreams, this is just the beginning of his inspiring success story.
Beyond Majidun, Mafoluko and Makoko community, Tunde’s goal is to extend this opportunity to as many slums as possible and provide various innovative solutions using chess.
We are so inspired.