Kaawe: to read, to educate oneself
Kaawe was born from a deeply personal place.
This challenge is my tribute to my maternal grandfather, a man whose presence was truly formidable and inspirational. He taught me some of the most important lessons I carry with me: the value of family, the importance of education, and the belief that where you begin does not define how far you can go.
About a year before his passing, I found an online archive of a letter he wrote as a teenager in Ilesa, Nigeria, in 1950, seeking a scholarship for his education from W.E.B. Du Bois, the Pan-Africanist and civil rights activist. That letter captured something I always knew about him: he dreamed beyond his circumstances and believed he could build a better future for himself.
I kept that letter as a reminder, that ambition is not limited by where you start, and that progress often begins with the courage to take the next step, however small. On difficult days, it reminds me that I am capable, even when my goals feel far away.
One of the last things he said to me was, “please educate me on this.”
That phrase stayed with me. It became part of the inspiration for the name Kaawe, a Yoruba word that means to read, or more loosely, to educate oneself.
K'aawe is rooted in that spirit: the belief that learning opens doors, that education is power, and that young people should be supported as they build, create, and dream bigger than their current circumstances.
This challenge exists to help student founders in Nigeria do exactly that, to give promising ventures the support they need to grow, create value, and shape a better future.