STAR4Africa Builds Lasting Relationships with African Communities

Founded in 2007, STAR4Africa has spent the last decade helping underdeveloped communities in Africa. The organisation draws on a wealth of different experiences among its management staff. Its founder, Nick Nicholson, spent twelve years in banking and has a network of connections throughout Africa. Meanwhile, long-time trustee David Nicholson is a headteacher with almost two decades of experience in education and school management.

STAR4Africa has worked on a number of different projects in Kenya, Zambia and Ghana, among other nations. What makes this organisation particularly effective is its system of ongoing support that links past efforts with current projects. Much of STAR4Africa’s early work focused on building educational infrastructure in Africa. Now, shifting its emphasis to the School2School programme that connects schools in Africa and the UK, the charity has been able to integrate these developing schools into an international education system.



Baharini Pre-school in the Kihoto Village of Kenya was one of STAR4Africa’s early successes. The village was devastated by violence in 2007 and high levels of poverty and HIV still add to the instability, especially for children. STAR4Africa enabled the development of the pre-school, which serves children aged between two and seven years old. The organisation continues to ensure the school’s survival by bringing qualified volunteers to help with classes and after-school activities for the students. Baharini is also a member of the School2School programme, partnering with Bowesfield Primary School in the UK.

STAR4Africa has worked extensively with Livingstone Women Make a Difference (LIWOMADI) in Zambia. This local organisation supports women and children in the area who suffer as a result of the national AIDS epidemic. Among other projects, six community schools help to educate children. STAR4Africa is instrumental in this effort with an ongoing programme that funds grants to train local volunteer teachers and make sure the schools’ students receive a high standard of education. Indeco School also works with STAR4Africa to bring in international volunteers, and the school maintains a valuable connection with St Cuthbert’s Primary School via School2School.



In Ghana, STAR4Africa has partnered with the Assin Endwa Trust for more than four years. The charity funds the education of twelve children and helps to support the local trust’s goal of improving literacy. Currently, only 30 percent of the population has a basic level of education. STAR4Africa also organises a cultural interaction programme each summer, hosting a large group of UK volunteers in the Assin Endwa community and helping to make the needs of underprivileged children in Africa more than just an abstract idea.

These are just a few of the places where STAR4Africa has been able to help further local projects and support its mission of providing ‘active participation and mutual collaboration’ at an international level. There is always more work to be done in this area, but STAR4Africa’s accomplishments help to promote a more positive, self-reliant future for Africa.