Our Origin Story
When Despair Became Determination
We didn’t begin with Resources. We began with conviction.
In 2025, the world can no longer look away from the devastating gap between Africa’s boundless potential and the daily suffering of millions of its people.
We have walked through villages where hunger is etched on every face. We have seen mothers weep because something as basic as clean drinking water—a right, not a privilege—was denied. We have buried children lost to diarrhea, families broken by malaria, villages emptied by cholera.
We have stood in hospitals where women died giving life. We have seen girls forced out of school because of poverty, early marriage, or lack of something as simple as sanitary pads. We have watched climate change burn crops, dry rivers, and flood entire communities—displacing millions who had so little to begin with. We have witnessed epidemics—Ebola, COVID, measles—tear through fragile health systems that were already breaking.
And the most painful truth? These tragedies are not hidden—they are simply ignored. The world has grown numb to African suffering, as though the death of a child, a mother, a family is no longer worthy of outrage.
One night, after too many funerals, too many preventable losses, and too much silence, I made a promise. That promise became the Way Forward Africa Foundation—to bridge the gaps that rob lives of dignity, and to make a lasting difference where the world has failed to act.
Because Africa is not poor—it has been poorly served. And now is the time to rise.
We cannot wait another year, another month, another day.
Every life saved is a victory. Every girl educated is a revolution. Every community lifted is a beacon. The Way Forward starts now.
And it starts with you. Together we will implement The Way Forward.
About the Founder
The journey of the Initiative Way Forward Africa Foundation is deeply rooted in the personal experiences of its founder Lateef Omidiji, who grew up in Africa, I was born in Africa, lived in these same conditions and know exactly what the issues are because I lived it first hand and saw many experience the very problems I'm trying to solve 4 decades later.
Seeking a brighter future, we immigrated to the United States, where we encountered a vastly different landscape. The privilege of access to clean water, quality education, food security, healthcare. This transformative experience fueled my passion to give back and create similar opportunities for the people I left behind in Africa. Thus, Way Forward Africa Foundation was founded—driven by a commitment to empower the next generation of African children, women and men. Our mission is to ensure that we are not desensitized to the DAILY plights of Africa, that people in Africa have the basic resources like...clean water that they need to realize their potential and make meaningful contributions to their communities. This journey from hardship to opportunity continues to inspire our vision, motivating us to expand our impact across the continent.
I have people in the frontlines across Africa and know the issues and how to tackle it, I always knew that one day I will find a way to help and this is my way of fulfilling a promise I made to myself as a child. I established Way Forward Africa Foundation because of my limitless desire to help the people I come from- the women, girls, men and boys of Africa.
quote from the founder
“When we feed the hungry, quench the thirst of the thirsty with clean water, heal the sick, and educate the young, we do not give — we restore what was always theirs.”
-Lateef Omidiji
Our Core Values
Our Promise to Africa
✊ Dignity First
Every human life has value. Preventable deaths and wasted potential are never acceptable.
⚖️ Equity & Justice
Africa is not poor — it has been poorly served. We fight inequality so resources and opportunity reach those long denied.
🔥 Empowerment Over Charity
We don’t hand out aid — we spark transformation. Those we serve become those who serve.
👩🏾 Women & Girls at the Center
When women rise, entire communities rise. We break barriers for girls and women to lead Africa’s future.
🌱 Sustainable Transformation
We build systems that endure — in education, climate resilience, health, and opportunity.
🛡 Accountability & Transparency
We honor trust. Every resource is used responsibly, with visible, measurable impact.
💡 Local Leadership & African Solutions
We believe that those closest to the problems hold the keys to the most effective solutions. That’s why we prioritize local knowledge, leadership, and innovation — amplifying African brilliance to solve Africa’s challenges first, then the world’s.
⏳ Urgency With Hope
Every day delayed costs lives. We act now — because a thriving Africa is not just possible, it’s inevitable.
Our Vision
We see an Africa where:
✨ Every child’s future is defined by their dreams, not by poverty, hunger, or circumstance.
✨ Clean water flows freely—not as a privilege for the wealthy, but as a right for every human being.
✨ Mothers no longer bury children from preventable diseases—and every birth is a celebration, not a gamble with life.
✨ Young people inherit hope, dignity, and opportunity—not despair, displacement, or silence.
✨ Communities rise together, grounded in unity and interdependence—not trapped in cycles of dependence on aid.
