"Africa Through Our Eyes": Panel featuring Atlas Corps Fellows

Atlas Corps

Submitted by Andrea on October 10, 2011 - 2:21pm

Venue Address: 

1825 K Street NW 2nd Floor

Washington, DC 20006

United States

See map: Google Maps

www.atlascorps.org

Join four emerging professionals from Africa in the first edition of the "Africa Dialogue Series."

These leaders from North, South, East and West Africa who are currently in the United States as Atlas Corps Fellows serving at Ashoka, CentroNia, Earth Conservation Corps, and Refugees International will share their views and seek to answer the question: What type of aid/investment and partnerships does Africa need to be sustainable?

Africa is a diverse continent of 54 countries, resource rich but held back by poor leadership. The continent has also seen some of the worse conflicts and famines in history. However, it is not all gloomy. Signs of economic growth are rife with 6 of the 10 fastest growing economies in 2011 located on the continent, as reported in The Economist. Rapid growth in mobile technology and internet penetration has given rise to innovation and a host of solutions spurring growth as well as giving rise to increasing demand for political and economic accountability.

RSVP http://bit.ly/atlascorpsafrica

PANELISTS - Atlas Corps Fellows

Eva Baguma (Uganda) is an Atlas Corps Fellow from Uganda serving at Ashoka. With more than five years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Eva has a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism from Makerere University in Uganda and holds Certificates in Fundraising Database Management (Blackbaud, UK) and Monitoring and Evaluation and Project Management. Eva served as the Program Officer of Fundraising and Resource Mobilization at the Uganda Society for Disabled Children (USDC). In this capacity, Eva directed the organization’s public relations and media and communications campaigns, which included the development and production of the organization's print media products and online communications. Prior to this role, Eva served as a hospitality and events manager in several capacities before finding her true calling in the development sector, where she has found a heightened sense of fulfillment in her work. 

Mirette Bahgat (Egypt)is an Atlas Corps Fellow from Egypt serving at Earth Conservation Corps. Mirette graduated from Cairo University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and is pursuing her Master's Degree in Professional Development at the American University in Cairo. Mirette started her career as a banker at HSBC bank in Egypt. In her spare time, Mirette devoted herself to community-based social work. She volunteered at an orphanage where she employed games and experiments to teach English and science using an interactive approach. Mirette later volunteered as a facilitator with ILO-Cairo on the SCREAM project, which supports child rights through education, arts, and the media. Mirette’s enriching experience with this project led to a life-changing decision to devote her career to community development. Mirette is currently working as a non-formal education coordinator and youth educator at Alwan Wa Awtar NGO, an arts-for-development organization situated in rural Cairo.

Takawira Kapikinyu (Zimbabwe)is an Atlas Corps Fellow from Zimbabwe serving at Refugees International. Takawira has seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector. He has earned several degrees, including a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management, and a Master of Science in Rural and Urban Planning from the University of Zimbabwe. As a university student, Takawira was an active member of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace Zimbabwe and a representative to the Students Representative Council for his faculty. Most recently, Takawira worked as an Associate Researcher with Gender and Rural Development Consultants (GERUDE), where he provided consultancy services to many NGOs and development agencies. At GERUDE he gained vast experience in project planning and management, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing. He is currently the vice president of the Proudly Zimbabwean Trust Zimbabwe Chapter.

Yaw Adu-Gyamfi (Ghana) is an Atlas Corps Fellow from Ghana serving at CentroNia and a Consultant on Governance and Sustainable Development with over 5 years experience in community development, organizational, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises-SME capacity building. He is also the Co-Founder and Executive Director at Kumasi Center for Lifelong Learning, a center for business and technology skills development, entrepreneurship, research and policy advocacy based in Ghana's second and ancient city of Kumasi. Yaw is also a Director at SpanAfrica  and member of the Pan-African Competitiveness Forum, promoting shared best practices for bottom up development across the continent. But most importantly, he is a member of the famed Cheetah Generation, an emerging crop of African leaders who are hands-on problem solvers, identifying opportunities in challenges.

MODERATOR

Nii Simmonds, a recognized speaker and consultant on African entrepreneurship, is the Co-Founder of The DAIN Network. The DAIN Network focuses on Agriculture and rural development, utilizing the African Diaspora for mentorship and technical assistance in the agriculture verticals. DAIN’s goal is scale agriculture businesses in agriculture incubators, where, they can be investment ready in 3-5 years for venture capitalists and angel investors. He was a TED Fellow and is the Africa Prize Director for the annual William James Foundation. Currently, he serves on the board of advisors for Investors Without Borders, Wall Street Without Walls, Gateway Innovations Limited and BarCampGhana.

Atlas Corps, started in 2006, is an international network of nonprofit leaders and organizations that promotes innovation, cooperation, and solutions to address the world’s 21st century challenges. Our mission is to address critical social issues by developing leaders, strengthening organizations, and promoting innovation through an overseas fellowship of skilled nonprofit professionals. Profiled as a “best practice” in international exchange by the Brookings Institution and World Economic Forum, featured in the Washington Post and Forbes as a model social entrepreneurship program, and recognized as a Top 10 International Voluntary Exchange Programby the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, Atlas Corps engages leaders committed to the nonprofit sector in 12 to 18 month, professional fellowships at organizations (like Ashoka, Peace Corps, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure) to learn best practices, build organizational capacity, and return home to create a network of global changemakers. Our network of Fellows includes 100 nonprofit leaders from 30 countries. Atlas Corps Fellows serve at organizations such as Ashoka, CentroNia, Habitat for Humanity, Points of Light Institute, Public Health Institute, UN Foundation, and the U.S. Peace Corps.