My Name is William Bradford, and I am interested in Philanthropy work. Last school year, I was selected to be part of a philanthropy training group, where I learned how non-profits work and how philanthropists work to effectively make a change in communities. I worked with my peers to allocate the distribution of $15,000 to the most deserving non-profits in the Chicago Suburban area. This taught me lots about philanthropy work and helped inspire me to start Scholarships for Africa.
My church does a lot of work in Benin, Africa, and I heard that a 4 year college education costs only $1,100 per year over there. I also heard how a college education can not only change the life trajectory of the person who gets the education, but also uplift that persons entire community and family. Additionally, I met a man who runs a nonprofit that my parents support that does work with scholarships in Africa, and he inspired me to do something similar. As a swimmer, the first thing that came to mind in terms of fundraising was doing a Swimathon.
In 2025, our “5 for 5”Swimathon raised $6,920, surpassing our goal and funding five one‑year university tuition scholarships for motivated students from Togo and Côte d’Ivoire.
I met many of these young people while volunteering at a French‑speaking teen camp in Benin last summer, where I saw firsthand how determined, capable, and ambitious they are. University in West Africa costs about $1,100 per year, yet remains out of reach for many families. Because of your investment, five students are now studying Agricultural Sciences, Finance, Business Management, and Nursing, fields that will directly strengthen their communities. I’m truly grateful for the role you played in making this possible.
In 2026 we’re building on last year’s momentum with our July 15, 2026 “5 for 15”Swimathon, swimming 5 miles each in one session to raise $15,000 and fund 12+ additional one‑year scholarships for students in French‑speaking West Africa
Scholarships for Africa 