How Slum2School Green Academy Became One of the World’s Best Schools for Environmental Action

For generations, children in Saga island, a remote fishing community in Epe, Lagos, grew up without access to a formal school. Today, that same community is home to one of the world’s most celebrated schools. A recognition which has placed a community once overlooked, on the global education map and affirms that transformative ideas can emerge from the places the world least expects.

Slum2School Green Academy has been named among the Top 10 Schools in the World in the Environmental Action category of the World’s Best School Prizes, organised by T4 Education alongside its global partners.

Where It All Started

During a medical outreach in a remote riverine community several years ago, the Slum2School team encountered Jennifer Williams, a young girl who had been out of school for years while battling a serious health condition.

After receiving treatment, Jennifer was determined to return to school. Yet even after overcoming her health challenges, she faced another barrier: finding a school willing to admit her. With the support of Slum2School and a partner school, Jennifer eventually gained admission, excelled academically, and went on to receive awards for academic excellence and leadership. Her journey was a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when a child is given an opportunity.

But it also exposed a much larger challenge. Jennifer’s community was filled with children who wanted to learn but had no school within reach.

The question became bigger than helping one child find a school. What would it take to bring education to an entire community?

From a Dream to a Long-Term Commitment

By 2019, the vision of building a permanent learning environment for children in Jennifer‘s community had already begun to take shape, but the years that followed were not years of waiting.

While the long-term…