A documentary on resilience, potential, and the future of a continent — told through the lives of the young people building it.
For too long, the dominant global narrative about Africa has been one of deficit — framed around what is missing, what is broken, what needs to be fixed. Children of Africa exists to disrupt that frame entirely. This documentary follows the young women and men of The Gambia and the wider West African diaspora who are building businesses, communities, and futures with the resources they have, not the ones they are waiting to receive.
The film is both a witness and an argument. It witnesses the extraordinary ordinary — the seamstress who opened a training academy, the entrepreneur who chose to stay, the diaspora member who returned. And it argues, quietly but unmistakably, that resilience is not a coping mechanism. It is a design philosophy.
Diaspora audiences need this film because the story of Africa is their story too — and most of what they've seen has been someone else's telling of it. Children of Africa is the telling that belongs to us.
"I founded WAOEI because I believed that change doesn't arrive from outside a community — it is built from within it, by the people who live and love it. This film is the proof of that belief. These children are not waiting for the world to notice them. They are already building the world that will."
— Ambassador Dr. Lord Ajmer, Director · Founder, WAOEI™Each theme is explored through direct character access — no narrator, no commentary. The subjects speak for themselves.
How communities design around constraint — the informal systems, mutual aid networks, and creative adaptations that function as infrastructure when formal infrastructure is absent.
Core ThemeVocational training, self-taught expertise, and peer learning as the dominant modes of education across West Africa — and why they produce entrepreneurs that formal systems often don't.
Human CapitalThe stories of young founders building businesses in agriculture, fashion, technology, and services — often before age 25, often without external capital, always with clarity of purpose.
Economic PowerThe two-way relationship between those who left and those who stayed — the remittances, the returns, the cultural negotiation, and the new model of diaspora-as-investor taking shape across the continent.
IdentityWomen as the primary architects of community resilience — running academies, leading cooperatives, transmitting knowledge across generations, and redefining what leadership looks like at ground level.
Gender & PowerThe meta-theme that runs through every frame: who gets to tell Africa's story, who has been telling it, and what changes when that voice shifts from outside observer to inside participant.
Media & VoiceChildren of Africa is currently in active development. Story research is underway in The Gambia, subject access has been established through WAOEI's existing community networks, and the director's treatment is complete.
We are now at the stage where the right co-production and distribution partners will determine the scope, reach, and festival trajectory of the film.
We're looking for organizations that understand that documentary film is impact infrastructure — not just content. If that's you, let's talk.
Bring your resources, network, and production infrastructure to a project with a clear story, an established community base, and a director with direct access to subjects no outside production can replicate.
We are building a film for theatrical release, streaming platforms, and educational licensing. Distribution partners who specialize in African, diaspora, or impact documentary film are exactly who we need.
This film is built for festival circulation — IDFA, Hot Docs, Sundance, DIFF, and others. We welcome festival advisors, programmers, and labs who want to engage with the project early.
Films that shift narratives require deliberate distribution into communities. We're seeking organizations — NGOs, diaspora groups, academic institutions, advocacy organizations — to co-design the impact strategy alongside post-production.
We are also actively seeking completion funding through grants, documentary funds, and individual major donors. If your organization funds African documentary film or emerging directors from the continent and diaspora, we want to be in that conversation.
Funding inquiries → doctor.lord@gmail.comChildren of Africa has attracted support from organizations committed to African storytelling, cultural representation, and community empowerment. We are honored to carry their trust into production.
Dear Netflix Team,
On behalf of We Are One Empowerment Initiative (WAOEI™), we extend our deepest gratitude for your generous donation and continued support. Your contribution is more than a gift—it is an investment in communities, creativity, and the future of individuals and families across The Gambia.
Through your support, we are able to further our mission of empowering youth, women, and families through vocational training, entrepreneurship, and community development programs. The resources donated will directly support our Sewing & Design Academy, educational initiatives, and outreach programs that create sustainable pathways for growth, independence, and self-reliance.
We also extend our appreciation to our logistics partner, Sunu Logistics Banjul, for their role in ensuring the safe and efficient delivery of the donated items to our programs.
This partnership reflects a shared commitment to positive impact, and we are honored to recognize Netflix as a valued supporter of our mission. Your generosity will be acknowledged in our outreach communications, social media, and upcoming reports, highlighting the difference your support makes in building stronger, empowered communities.
We look forward to continued collaboration and the expansion of this initiative for lasting impact.
Thank you for believing in our vision and walking with us in unity.
With appreciation and respect,
HRH Ambassador Dr. Lord Ajmer is the founder and Executive Director of the We Are One Empowerment Initiative (WAOEI™), headquartered in the Greater Banjul Area, The Gambia. His work spans vocational empowerment, diaspora engagement, and community development across West Africa. As director of Children of Africa, Dr. Ajmer brings unparalleled community access and a lived relationship with the film's subjects — built over years of on-the-ground program work.
Full bio and credentials →This project is at the stage where the right partners make the difference between a film that gets made and a film that gets seen. If you work in documentary co-production, distribution, festival programming, or impact campaigns — we want to hear from you now.
Greater Banjul Area / West Coast Region
The Gambia, West Africa
Est. 2023