Nik Kafka

Nik Kafka is the founder of Teach A Man To Fish, an organization empowering millions of young people with entrepreneurial skills to reach their true potential and forge pathways out of poverty. According to the World Bank, one in six children live in poverty, while UNESCO reports high secondary school drop-out rates worldwide, especially among girls. With 68 million unemployed young people globally and 1 billion expected to join the workforce in the next decade according to the International Labour Organization, conventional education is insufficient to ensure lifelong success. Kafka's goal is to equip marginalized youth in low-income countries with skills valued by employers and an entrepreneurial mindset that enables them to adapt to an ever-changing world. The School Enterprise Challenge, Teach A Man To Fish's primary offering, is a 14-step program supporting teachers to help students set up businesses in school settings. Operating in more than 34 countries through distance learning, in-person instruction, and local partnerships, approximately 2,000 schools and 70,000 students participate annually, generating nearly $1 million USD in income that supports educational and community needs.

Through the School Enterprise Challenge, students create business plans, learn operations and financials, and develop sustainable ventures while moving through challenges with organizational support. The program has expanded to include out-of-school clubs, teacher training, consulting, and Enterprise Adventure—a mobile app and offline workbooks created during COVID to help young people identify neighborhood challenges and develop solutions. Kafka's work has increased lifetime earnings for students, helped create family businesses, reduced school drop-out rates, and encouraged girls to stay in school longer. Teachers report learning new collaboration and teaching methods. Honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2009 and named one of Devex's 40 Under 40 International Development Leaders in 2011, Kafka holds an MSc in International Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and a first-class BSc in Chemistry from the University of Bristol, along with professional qualifications in finance.