Bruger:LKT.Kwera/sandkasse
Kwera is a Danish social enterprise founded in 2017 by the Danish lawyer and social entrepreneur Jimmy Scavenius Lang. Kwera provides higher education support and skills development for underprivileged youth. Currently, Kwera is operating in Malawi, Africa.
Kwera pays tuition for the students studying at local universities and simultaneously develops their employability and entrepreneurship skills via a tailored, inclusive and demand-driven skills building programme. Students are mentored throughout the programme by learning advisors who also support their personal growth and resilience. The students commit to pay a percentage of their salary when they graduate and have found work. This financial structure is called income share agreements.
Kwera is currently focusing on educating youth in Malawi, as only 1% of young people in Malawi get a university degree, which is the lowest rate in the world and below the Sub-Saharan average of 9%.[3]
The word ‘kwera’ means ‘to climb’ in Chichewa, Malawi’s native language, hence Kwera’s students are referred to as Student Climbers.
History
Kwera is the outcome of the thesis written by its Founder and CEO, Jimmy Scavenius Lang (1976) to complete his Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) at International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2013. In 2015, he quit his job as a corporate finance lawyer in Denmark, sold all his belongings and moved to Malawi. Following further research, he founded Kwera in 2017.
Today, Kwera consists of a global, diverse team from nine different countries, most of them working as volunteers. From 2017 to 2020 Kwera enrolled a total of 30 Malawian students from various academic areas, from medicine to social sciences and STEM programs.
The first two Kwera graduates received their degrees in Medical Laboratory Sciences and in Business Administration in early 2021. In 2021, Kwera secured funding to enroll more than 100 new Malawian students into the program.
The impact of higher education
Kwera focuses on higher education because of its maximized positive social and economic impact. According to the World Bank, the private financial return for university-educated people is the highest in the entire educational system. On average, the private financial return for higher education is 17% as compared to 10% for primary education and 7% for secondary education. Sub-Saharan Africa has the best average return for higher education at 22%.[1]
Graduates of higher education are more environmentally conscious, have healthier habits, and have a higher level of civic participation. Further impacts of higher education are increased tax revenues from higher earnings, healthier children, and reduced family size. all build stronger nations. Higher education institutions prepare individuals not only by providing them with adequate and relevant job skills, but also by preparing them to be active members of their communities and societies[2].
Prizes and Recognitions
In 2019, Jimmy Scavenius Lang won the ‘2019 Take Responsibility, Entrepreneur, Award’ by Lederne, one of Denmark’s largest unions for enterprises.
Nominated by IMD for his exemplary leadership, Jimmy Scavenius received the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business’s (AACSB) 2021 Class of Influential Leaders award. The AASCB honors leaders who are using their business education for impact in unique ways for societal change. Just two dozen graduates of AASCB-accredited business schools receive this recognition each year.
References
IMD News (April, 2021) "Fulfilling Africa’s promise – first Kwera graduates focus on sustainability". Retrieved 2 October, 2021
IMD News (February, 2021) "'Higher education is essential to taking on climate change, equality, poverty and building a sustainable world,’ says Jimmy Scavenius". Retrieved 2 October, 2021
AACSB (February, 2021) "AACSB Jimmy Scavenius". Retrieved 2 October, 2021
Sustain Report (15 February, 2021) "Dansker får global bæredygtighedspris". Retrieved 2 October, 2021
Lokalavisen Nyborg (13 March, 2021) "Fra Refsvindinge til Afrika: Jimmy solgte alt, flyttede til Afrika og har nu vundet global lederpris". Retrieved 2 October, 2021
Forbes (20 August, 2019) "Impact Investing VS Investing With Impact". Retrieved 2 October, 2021
Berlingske (13 February, 2019) "Advokat droppede sit højtbetalte job, solgte sin lejlighed og alle ejendele: 'Jeg har aldrig været gladere'". Retrieved 2 October, 2021