This is the case of Connexion Sans Frontiere , conceived by Senegalese Ahmed Karim Cisse, who uses Ict for a telemedicine project for traumatologic patients, particularly road accident victims, or the one for Education for Change, made in Kenya by Simeon Oyando Ogonda, dedicated to the training of farmers on alternative and more environmentally friendly farming methods.
There have been no innovations for education and childhood, such as the one developed by Elizabeth Kperrun in Nigeria to teach the country's traditional fairy tales to the young, taking into account the different languages spoken, and political and social participation such as Nyaaya Of Indian Sumeysh Srivastava to make accessible to all citizens the knowledge of the laws in force in the country and to ensure that everyone is aware of their rights.
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The 25 shortlisted innovators come from sixteen countries. The most represented countries being Nigeria and Kenya, both with four projects each. The African presence is very strong as twenty of the twenty-five finalists come from this continent. Of the remaining projects, two are from India, one is from Bosnia Herzegovina, one from Cambodia, and one from Colombia.
Nearly 40%, or 9 out of 25, of the finalist projects were presented by women, resulting in good female representation. While there is often talk of a gender gap in technology access, these “ICT for Social Good” innovators seem to counter this notion. As a percentage, women’s projects have risen from around 25% of the total initial applications to 36% of those that are in the final shortlist, demonstrating a high level of competency and quality among the proposals submitted. The issues addressed most by the applicants concern agriculture and health, as well as the themes of education and of participation in political and public life. Seven of the finalists are tackling child-related issues and they will compete for the Grant funded by Fondazione Mission Bambini Onlus, specifically dedicated to this target. Being an environmental educator in today’s world feels like you are asked to stop a rushing river armed only with a teaspoon. There are so many issues coming at you—from climate change to habitat destruction, from oceans of plastic to endangered species and from the loss of biodiversity to melting glaciers and the list goes on… Teaching children about these formidable challenges seems daunting, overwhelming and at times, well – hopeless.[i] And despite our best efforts, things just seem to be getting worse.
Perhaps like a reversed telescope, environmental education is being looked at in the wrong way. Instead of dealing with reactions to problems and to trying to solve environmental issues as they arise, it may be worthwhile to think about the type of citizen we want for our earth. Or, as Simeon Ogonda, a youth development leader from Kenya, asks: “Many of us often wonder what kind of planet we’re leaving behind for our children. But few ask the opposite: what kind of children are we leaving behind for our planet?”[ii] Raising environmentally engaged citizens doesn’t happen by itself. As the saying goes, “it takes a village.” All of us collectively are responsible for fostering the stewards of tomorrow. Perhaps like a reversed telescope, environmental education is being looked at in the wrong way. Instead of dealing with reactions to problems and and trying to solve environmental issues as they arise, it may be worthwhile to consider what sort of citizens we believe should populate the earth. Or, as Simeon Ogonda, a youth development leader from Kenya, asks, "Many of us often wonder what kind of planet we are leaving for our children. But few ask the opposite: what kind of children are we leaving behind for our planet?". Raising environmentally engaged citizens requires more than just a few educators participating in this work. Rather, it is a collective responsibility: each of us has a stake in fostering the stewards of tomorrow.
This is a print book written by the Worldwatch institute on the topic (EarthEd (State of the World): Rethinking Education on a Changing Planet). It can be accessed at www.EarthEd.info (or click here for the specific paragraph: https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=_XlPDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA61&lpg=PA61&dq=Simeon+Ogonda&source=bl&ots=1V33_X3KNs&sig=aR6H8gpg1JCjP4eMEt7I57GMLYs&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Simeon%20Ogonda&f=false ) One of the questions that has kept me awake at night is… How do you foster a steward? Whose responsibility is this anyway? Perhaps like a reversed telescope, environmental education is being looked at in the wrong way. Instead of dealing with reactions to problems and trying to solve environmental issues as they arise, it may be worthwhile to consider what sort of citizens should populate the Earth. Or, as Simeon Ogonda, a youth development leader from Kenya, asks: “Many of us often wonder what kind of planet we’re leaving behind for our children. But few ask the opposite: what kind of children are we leaving behind for our planet?” Raising environmentally engaged citizens requires more than just a few educators participating in this work. Rather, it is a collective responsibility: each of us has a stake in fostering the stewards of tomorrow.
In Peterborough Ontario, we are working on a stewardship framework for education, anchored in Indigenous ways of knowing that involves an entire community: parents, grandparents, educators, schools, organizations, community leaders, health professionals, municipal officials and businesses. It is called “The Pathway to Stewardship.” American Express recently hosted its second annual Leadership Academy Alumni Summit in New York on April 4 and 5, celebrating nine years of an industry-defining program that has developed more than 2,000 emerging, nonprofit and social purpose leaders. Simeon Ogonda of Enterprise Education-4-Change attended and collaborated with distinguished program alumni and representatives from ten top leadership development and entrepreneurship organizations to grow the next generation of social purpose leaders and advance the sector’s impact on society. Produced in partnership with Atlas Corps, the Summit featured a variety of workshops and panel discussions, designed to provide participants with a stronger network and vital leadership skills.
Chief Operations Officer at M-Shamba. He oversees all strategic operations relating to customer service, product development, and marketing. He supervises the marketing processes and customer services while coordinating the product development life cycle. Aside from his daily operations, Simeon was very critical in the formative years of the M-Shamba platform and as one of the pioneering faces, remains a very valued Ambassador for the company. His interest and passion for youth enterprise development and start-ups also make him a dynamic person in our company and a very active player in different initiatives in our company.
Many of us often wonder what kind of planet we’re leaving behind for our children. But few ask the opposite: what kind of children are we leaving behind for our planet?
This is an important question that our grandparents should have asked of each other. In the barely three centuries since we began the race to mechanize agriculture, production, and even warfare, we have proven to be the greatest threat to our home. In primary school in Kenya, I heard the story from some old men in our village that the rains came from places like Mau forest, Maragoli forest, and Nandi Hills, all the way to the plains of Kano. These were places I considered sacred. As a young mind, I felt these places provided the livelihood of our village. It made our local river flow, made our farms productive, and provided food through good rains. Yet as I joined Maseno University, 25km northwest of my home, Maragoli forest was gone. Political brawls and encroachment had begun to threaten the very existence of Kenya’s largest water tower, the Mau forest. Around this time, I joined a student organization called SIFE, now Enactus. I was therefore pursuing a degree in philosophy and political science as well as getting a formal introduction into a new kind of entrepreneurship, which was teaching me to have a head for business and a heart for the world. I was learning how the positive power of business could transform the world in ways we only imagine. My first experience trying to live on a better planet was a project called “Greenpreneurs,” in which I led a group promoting the growing and selling of trees and tree seedlings in the local market. When thinking about the current state of our planet from an environmental perspective, the saying often goes, “what kind of world are we leaving for our children and our grandchildren”? In the latest blog post in The B Team’s series, Simeon Ogonda reverses the question and asks, “what kind of children are we leaving behind for our planet”?
Ogonda has observed that in the past three centuries, during the ages of mechanization and eventually globalization, humans have altered the environment dramatically and become a direct threat to the planet as we know it. To him it is obvious that we have not passed on values that celebrate the protection and cultivation of our home. In this blog, Ogonda describes his journey and his eventual passion for developing ventures and initiatives that that both restore the environment and develop a new generation of leaders. “Our generation learned about capitalism, and soon became its experts. Our children can learn about the planet, and become its most dedicated proponents” he says. Simeon, a U.S. State Department Fellow, is a Youth Enterprise Development Consultant from Kenya. He has been involved in various community development projects over the past six years, beginning his learning as a student volunteer in community outreach project for rural enterprise development in Kenya and Uganda. In his current role as Operations Manager for StartUp Africa, he is responsible for the establishment of the Youth Entrepreneurship Program in East Africa. He also serves in the Board of Youth Challenge-4-Change, a Ugandan based community organization fostering youth enterprise development through entrepreneurship education. Simeon has supervised and coordinated eight community outreach projects, played a critical managerial role in the establishment of Spring Break Kenya and established a mentorship program for Enactus Maseno University as well as mentored University Students from different Universities in Kenya.
Conway is a Peace, Justice and Human Rights major at JCU, where she participates in Students for Social Justice’s Human Trafficking Committee and the Arrupe Scholars Program. She also performs weekly service with US Together, a program that helps refugees and immigrants prepare for their citizenship tests. Through the service with refugee resettlement services in Cleveland, Conway met a man named Simeon Ogonda, who gave her another opportunity to participate in service abroad.
Simeon Ogonda, an Enactus Kenya Alumni, started Enterprise Education-4-Change (Ee4C), a program that helps solve youth unemployment by training undergraduates to become business leaders after graduation.
Forbes Magazine: For Youth, By Youth- Creating Jobs, Sustainability And A Future Vision For Kenya22/1/2015 Simeon Ogonda’s vision for Kenyan youth is ambitious. He wants to transform young people from job seekers into job creators who build and support sustainable and transparent enterprises. “My vision is to bring up more young people who can develop their own businesses, work hard, and trust that so long as they keep their passion alive, they will not fail in what they’re doing,” he said.
As Managing Partner at Millennial Legacy, Simeon Ogonda develops creative collaborative frameworks for rural communities to develop sustainable neighborhoods in East Africa. He has been involved in various leadership positions over the past seven years, beginning his learning as a student volunteer in community outreach projects before serving as team President of the Enactus University Chapter in Maseno University, Managing Director of Spring Break Kenya, and Field Operations Manager for StartUpAfrica. Ogonda oversees the volunteer placement process and ensures that the students are contributing to the economic development of rural areas in Kenya. While in the U.S., Ogonda worked at US Together in Cleveland, Ohio, where he gained experience in community development practices and youth volunteerism. Having completed the Community Solutions Program, Ogonda is continuing his work in rural Kenya, focusing on increasing the transparency of the development process to ensure that resources are allocated properly and transparently.
"Halfway through my farming with a JEMBE, a good farm neighbor asked me to stop. She said she would bring in her modern tools to help me finish digging my plot. Her willingness to help me was highly welcomed. However, it made me think hard about the usage of Jembe. I asked myself out loud; When are the Innovators going to innovate for better and modernized farming tools for African Women Farmers? When is someone going to see the their plight and say STOP! That our MOTHERS, SISTERS, FATHERS and BROTHERS need a BREAK from old farming tools that are a Pain to work with?!
A JEMBE, otherwise commonly referred to as a Hoe, is an ancient versatile agricultural tool that is used to move small amounts of soil. It's most important role for many African farmers is land preparation and weed control. Through the agitation of soil surface around a plant, creating narrow furrows and shallow trenches for planting, and piling soil around plants, the Jembe has determined the growth of agricultural economies, development of agrarian empires, and the sustenance of large human populations. The Jembe has indeed shaped the lives of human life for millennia and deserves a place in the birthplace of ideas. Welcoming Heights is a new initiative aimed at creating a “city of neighbors” in Cleveland Heights through activities and services that promote a welcoming environment for immigrants who have made the city their home. The initiative is based in the beliefs that all humanity is connected and that people discover their humanity by sharing their unique experiences with others.
The initiative is part of an effort to assist members of the immigrant and refugee community to integrate into life in Cleveland Heights and Greater Cleveland, and also to enrich the entire community through activities in which all residents are welcome to participate. On Sept. 9, in the first of a series of meetings regarding the project, participants endorsed the ideas of establishing a “welcoming hub” in a Cleveland Heights library and possibly setting up a Welcome Wagon for new immigrants and refugees living in the community. The focus of my work is on Youth Enterprise Development, technology, and Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Assessment. I have provided various training to farmers, researched on various ways of applying technology to improve farming in rural areas especially among the youth and registered a youth based organization which has been the driving force through which my team continues to foster the growth of youth enterprise development, technology, and Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Assessment in Kenya. I would like to share the wealth of information i have so far gained in a dynamic audience that will enable my organization grow.
So often we see examples of global citizens serving the world by traveling to new countries and cultures. But what about those who see disparities within their own community, and aim to resolve those? They are just as much ‘everyday ambassadors’ as those who trek far from home. Today’s post is from one such person: Mr. Ogonda Simeon, Director of Spring Break Kenya, an innovative social effort to engage Kenyans in public service within their own borders. Although he does not directly discuss the impact of technology on his attitude and work design, note that Kenya is the hub of Africa’s IT boom, and Simeon’s generation of college peers rely on their mobile phones and Facebook as much as their American peers to structure their social lives. You will see, without him describing it precisely, that Simeon is overcoming ‘tech traps’ by making human connections.
My name is Simeon and I believe “In humility there is no humiliation.“ Words cannot express the joy I have while writing this blog. It just seems like yesterday, when the idea of Spring Break was conceived. The horn of Africa famine was at its peak and media was flooded with many heart wrenching pictures. These pictures prompted me to think how we could engage our young African University students beginning with Kenya in crafting more sustainable solutions towards ending hunger. Thank fully, social media has all the channels to communicate thoughts with friends. This idea started from a face book chart on our Young Thinkers Kenya page as evidenced in this original email send to Simeon Ogonda.
Dear Simeon, Thank you for your contribution in Young Thinkers Forum. We really appreciate. As a result of your comment this morning, an idea quickly flashed into my mind of organizing a week long “Spring Break” kinda of thing where Kenyan University students and other college attending students can volunteer in a week in those areas affected by hunger and kind of carry a project eg digging a dam for the areas affected and helping plant the gardens of those really affected in an effort to contribute to meaningful and sustainable solutions..and showing that young people are interested in offering kind of more permanent solutions rather than donations.. We are in the brain storming phase and we would like to all think together and come up with something.” |
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August 2017
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