Mirza Idham Saifuddin is dedicated to tackling educational inequality in his hometown of Sawahan, Nganjuk, a mountainous area where access to secondary education is limited. Each year, around 600 students are unable to continue to senior high school due to distance and financial constraints, with many at risk of leaving school early.
Over the past 13 years, Mirza has expanded free access to education through his school, growing from 17 students to 240 students annually.
Studying at University of Warwick transformed his approach to solving rural education challenges. Through exposure to diverse business models and mentorship from Xiao Ma, he developed practical, data-driven solutions for community development.
Today, his organisation provides vocational education, Islamic boarding programmes, orphanage support, and research initiatives that strengthen education access and workforce development in rural Indonesia.