Dr. Zahi Hawass, also known as Egypt’s Indiana Jones, joined MentorTalks to discuss his career, the importance of passion, his most important discoveries, and upcoming events.
“When I open a tomb and see for the first time a statue, it captures my heart,” Dr. Hawass says, explaining that the thrill of discovery keeps him going – and it is a feeling like none other.
“The most important thing is passion. You can study Egyptology, but if you have passion, it will make you a great archaeologist and it can take you to the top,” he said.
Dr. Hawass added: “I do not believe that I live in this world. I really believe that I’m still living in the world of the pharaohs. In my dreams, in my sleep, in my writing – when I wake up, I live with those great people who created great civilizations.”
By fully immersing himself in this passion, Dr. Hawass has built a long-standing career in archaeology, stepping into various roles including Egyptian archaeologist, Egyptologist, and former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs.
During this MentorTalks episode, Dr. Hawass also discussed his most recent project, an upcoming art exhibition entitled, “Forever is Now.” The project is the first international art exhibition of its kind in the 4,500 year history of the Giza Pyramids.
He credits his partner, Nadine Ghaffar, in helping to come up with a name. The two words, they believe, aptly capture the essence of the project, which reflects the enduring talent for creating art that represents a merging of ancient heritage and contemporary art. The exhibition is organized by Art D'Égypte with support by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.
Learn more about Dr. Hawass, his career and numerous discoveries, and how cultural heritage can foster a dialogue on an international scale in this episode of MentorTalks on Facebook.
Youness M. was no stranger to exchange. So, when his professor at Hassan II University told him about the Women’s Leadership Virtual Exchange, a partnered virtual exchange course with Kennesaw State University, he leaped at the opportunity to build upon his experience. Youness took part in the virtual exchange in 2020 while the coronavirus pandemic left many people across the world feeling more isolated than ever before. He was fortunate to discover an opportunity for a deeper look at the American mindset and culture.
Youness’ virtual exchange experience was not immune to the challenges and disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. He encountered difficulties planning and connecting with others through virtual programs, but these challenges helped him understand the true value of virtual exchange. In Youness’ opinion, virtual exchange was one of the few positive opportunities to come out of the pandemic because young people could rely on technology to connect with others. Moreover, the virtual exchange experience emphasized how humanity is better off when we understand and empathize with one another more. “If you’re sick, you’re sick regardless of what culture you belong to. These are issues we should be united in dealing with. We are really not all that different...we are really the same.”
Youness had the opportunity to connect with international peers over important issues impacting women, and in turn learned larger lessons about humanity. Youness discovered how much more Moroccan and American students can learn about one another, especially relating to women’s issues. For example, the participating students realized the similarities in unpaid work that many women are responsible for in both cultures, something the Moroccan students were not aware of. The American students provided detail on the burdens that American women still carry, which were exacerbated by the pandemic. While not unique, this lack of information about international peers demonstrated the need for more virtual exchange programs to further develop an appreciation for other cultures.
Youness likes to use a food analogy to explain why cultural differences should be appreciated: “Food in its essence is nourishment, but we all have different food. If you eat the same thing all the time, all year, all your life, you will get bored. Humanity in its essence is the same – the difference in culture does not make one inferior or better, it is exciting, it is all about how you see it.” Youness believes these programs change who you are as a person. “When you communicate with people who are different than you, you start to think differently, see different shades to issues.” Even during a global pandemic, virtual exchange proved to be a powerful tool to learn with and from international peers.
Youness just finished the first year of his Moroccan- American studies master’s program and his exchange experience is still pertinent to his studies now. He hopes to research the issue and boundaries between freedom of speech and online moderation, and how to solve the problem of disinformation. He is passionate about finding a tenable solution to moderating the internet while balancing the right of freedom of speech, an aspiration that was strengthened by his virtual exchange experience.
Hassan II University of Casablanca and Kennesaw State University’s Women’s Leadership Virtual Exchange is supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. The Stevens Initiative is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
When Suleika Ureña joined the AWE Program, her business was focused around producing and selling honey sticks to local consumers. But her participation in AWE helped her to rethink her business model, and today Mother Bee RD is the first apiary in the Dominican Republic exclusively dedicated to environmental education. The skills Suleika gained through AWE enabled her to turn her dream into reality and to inspire others to learn more about bees.
A self-starter, Suleika began producing honey sticks in her living room based on what she learned from YouTube videos and using store-bought honey. Suleika registered Mother Bee RD in 2018 with the initial idea of producing honey sticks and selling them in gas stations, supermarkets, and liquor stores, and the same year she created the Mother Bee Instagram account. The business took off immediately as people bought her product for their own consumption or for special events.
Despite the business’s early success, Suleika soon realized that the use of prepackaged honey resulted in an inconsistent product. To address this, she connected with a local producer who sold her two hives and linked her to an organization that provides workshops on apiary management and maintenance. Suleika moved the hives to a countryside mission outside of Santo Domingo and painted newly built boxes with her three daughters. Wearing children’s beekeeping suits Suleika bought online, her daughters accompanied her when she maintained and cared for the hives.
The business thrived. While Suleika knew she had something good on her hands, she understood that she needed to continue to grow her skillset, and thus she applied for the AWE program. It was during her AWE program experience that she decided to take her business in a new and innovative direction.
Suleika observed how her daughters lost their fear of bees as they worked on the hives with her. Working with her AWE mentor, she made the decision to transform her business into an educational apiary so that other people would have the opportun ity to see the bees up close and learn the critical role they play in the environment. Her first AWE assignment was to conduct user experiences to test the concept. These first visitors posted about their experience on social media and paying customers soon began to flock to the apiary.
The AWE instructors also helped Suleika look beyond her original market. Mother Bee opened a unit dedicated to corporate social responsibility, where Suleika could explore alliances with private companies. She signed her first agreement with a corporation that sponsors two hives and owns all the honey harvested from these hives. The company used the first harvest of this year as Valentine’s Day gifts for their clients.
In her business plan, Suleika planned to form Mother Bee’s first corporate partnerships in 2021. She is currently more than a year ahead of schedule and relishes that achievement. Profitability has also multiplied by 300 percent. The business expanded from a team of two in 2019 to a current staff of five: Suleika, two beekeepers, a teacher, and a nurse who comes when there are family and school activities.
Mother Bee also no longer produces honey sticks. As Suleika deepened her engagement with beekeeping, she began to pursue a master’s degree in ecology and the environment. It was here that she realized producing plastic products contradicted her stance as an advocate for the environment. While it is no longer a core part of the business, any honey that is produced beyond the hives sponsored by corporate clients is sold in glass jars. Suleika’s husband, one of her biggest supporters and counselors, even helps – after the honey is packaged, he brings the jars to his clients as a gift. He says people in the Dominican Republic are learning more about quality honey through Mother Bee. “My clients every year are waiting for me to bring them that package of honey, and they value it much more than a bottle of wine or a bottle of whiskey.”
Before the pandemic, all of Mother Bee’s activities were in person. As COVID-19 cases rose they halted on-site activities and moved to online meetings and classes. In October 2020, they reopened the family experiences but attendance still has not fully recovered and Suleika is continuing to reconsider the business plan, including a shift to a semi-digital format.
Suleika wants the next generation of beekeepers to be trained with Mother Bee. In 2021, she launched a workshop called “Beekeeping for Beginners” that provides students with the tools, supplies, and information they need to maintain hives. This course was not included in her initial business plan, but she noticed many families placing a higher value on being outdoors and relocating to the countryside during the COVID-19 crisis. The next step is to digitize the course and upload it on her website so interested users can purchase it. She is also developing a course called “The Zoom of the Bees” targeted at primary school students. “When we talk about environmental conservation, we have to educate the minds of those growing up, the next generation,” Suleika told us.
Suleika continues to find the DreamBuilder material extremely useful as she considers how to adapt her business to the pandemic. “When I sit down to rethink everything like right now, I grab my DreamBuilder notebook. All these tools I received allow me to rethink what I am going to do,” she said.
She also highly valued the mentorship component of the program. “Every time I came out of a [mentorship class], I had an assignment to do, and I could see the results almost immediately.” For example, she used to think of digital marketing tools as out of her reach, but after being tasked with sending out mass marketing messages, it has become part of her regular office operations.
The emotional support she received from the AWE Program was also extremely beneficial. The 36 women in her cohort were diverse in terms of age, background, and sector, but as women they faced similar personal and professional struggles. Suleika reflected, “That was one of the things that I also liked a lot: knowing that there is a community of women who are also entrepreneurs, who are in the same boat as you, who have the same challenges... who fall but get up and keep going. Being surrounded by such people is very good for you.” She is proud of how they have all thrived and generated employment because of the AWE Program.
Suleika says that before the AWE Program, her business was just an idea she had in her head, and now it has come to fruition. She is committed to continuing to expand the capacity of Mother Bee – ultimately, her plan is to establish regional educational apiaries throughout the country.
“I want this place to last, and the tools I received at AWE have helped me with that,” she notes.
To keep growing, her primary objective is to identify additional corporate partnerships and to use that revenue to build an extraction room at the mission to grade and package Mother Bee honey. She also plans to create a beehive rescue division that will specialize in safely relocating swarms of bees.
The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) is a global initiative led by the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) to support and empower female entrepreneurs across the world. Through an inclusive learning community, participants have opportunities to explore the fundamentals of business, such as preparing business plans and raising capital, with the goal of building a better future for their families and communities. They participate in lessons related to business management and, in addition, they can connect with networks of companies, female entrepreneurs, and mentors in their own regions and the United States.
This year's Pulitzer Prize winners include Megha Rajagopalan, a 2010 Fulbright U.S. Student to China who recommends going outside of your bubble and keeping an open mind. She was part of the winning team for this year’s Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting.
Megha joins a group of more than 100 exchange alumni - including 88 Fulbright alumni winners, who have won a total of 94 Pulitzer Prizes since its inception in 1917.
Megha, whose work spans reporting on the North Korean nuclear crisis to the peace process in Afghanistan, is an international correspondent for BuzzFeed News. She has been a staff correspondent for BuzzFeed News based in China and Thailand, as well as in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Prior to her time at BuzzFeed, she worked as a political correspondent for Reuters in China.
Alongside two colleagues at BuzzFeed News, Megha was awarded the prize for her recent reporting in China – specifically around the oppression of Uighur and Kazakh citizens and new developments led by the government in the region to repress these minority groups. Her writing focused on life inside Chinese internment camps as well as on new infrastructure, including an extensive new building created by the Chinese government to imprison its Muslim citizens.
When asked about her award, Megha told us that she was inspired by her time living and working in China. During her first job in international reporting at Reuters in Beijing, she was able to cement an understanding of some of the major issues as well as develop new sources.
After getting to know many former detainees and others in the Uyghur and Kazakh diasporas, Megha felt an obligation to keep uncovering more, and thus, after she left China in 2018, she worked alongside Alison Killing, an architect and geospatial analyst, and Christo Buschek, a programmer, to come up with new methods of reporting on Xinjiang from abroad. Together, they published their first series of articles that drew on both satellite imagery and architectural expertise, as well as interviews with two dozen former prisoners, in 2020.
Regarding her exchange experience, Megha is grateful for the Critical Language Enhancement Award (CLEA) grant she received while on the Fulbright in China. It was there that she studied at IUP-Tsinghua, an intensive program for Chinese language immersion where she strengthened her language skills to the point that she could carry out interviews and consume Chinese news. She also had the chance to meet and learn from accomplished Chinese journalists and scholars, whose knowledge and advice helped to shape her career path.
To those considering going on an exchange, Megha recommends going for it. Specifically, she encourages honing in on a language, and getting outside of your “bubble.”
“I would encourage them [students] to acquire language skills if they can because that's a great thing to spend time on in college,” Megha says. “Also, keep an open mind and try not to spend all your time with your American friends.”
Congratulations, Megha! You can find more on Megha and her team’s work on the Pulitzer Prize website.
There’s an elephant in the room, and Becky Shu Chen wants to address it.
Becky, an alumna of the Professional Fellows Program (PFP) and an expert on elephant-human interactions who consults for the Zoological Society of London, has been working to better understand the issues around human-wildlife coexistence for years.
Most recently, a phenomenon in western China has captured her attention – as well as the attention of millions of others. It involves a 300-mile trek of 15 wild elephants from their reserve in Yunnan province in China in March 2020 that appears to have no end in sight.
Since the herd of elephants left their wildlife reserve near China’s border with Laos and Myanmar, they have traversed steadily northward, eating and stumbling their way through the country, and pausing only briefly when a calf of one of its members was born.
The motives of these gentle giants are not entirely clear – but the phenomenon has captured the hearts of millions, with citizens taking to social media to express their fascination and wonder. Yet despite many being enamored by the story, the trek also raises questions about issues surrounding wildlife and human development – particularly given rapid urbanization.
Growing up in Yunnan, China, not far from rainforests and the Tibetean plateau, Becky forged a deep connection with wildlife at an early age. She fell in love with elephants, and developed a passion for promoting and protecting their habitat. With China being home to just 300 wild elephants -- less than 1% of the global population, Becky realized a need to find long-term solutions to help grow the numbers of these animals by encouraging a better human coexistence.
So in 2019 Becky applied for and was awarded the PFP, which she spent working at the Defenders of Wildlife in Washington, D.C. While there, she had the chance to meet with a group of public lobbyists on Capitol Hill to advocate on wildlife conservation issues. Following her PFP fellowship in D.C., she flew out to Alaska to meet the Defenders’ teams guarding the intact habitats for beluga whales, polar bears, and migratory birds.
Her interest led her to begin working for the Zoological Society of London, where she eventually became involved in elephant conservation across China. Liaising with the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group and other conservation groups alike, she has worked to get insights from other Asian elephant range countries about the potential drives of the elephant dispersal and adaptive measures that can be taken. Through this work with scientists, researchers, and countries, Becky hopes to generate more scientific evidence to understand the phenomenon.
Reflecting on her PFP experience, Becky believes her exchange program reinforced her commitment to wildlife conservation. “My fellowship has further strengthened my determination to inform, inspire, and empower more people to advocate for conservation,” she said. And she recommends anyone considering applying to the program to go for it, noting, “Different experiences will help you to grow into a leader in your field.”
Becky also understands that as elsewhere in the world, recovering wildlife numbers means a more challenging task to promote human-wildlife coexistence in the sharing landscape. She noted the hopeful strides have been taken to address the issue – for instance, in China, where resources have been allocated to research institutions and communities to set up early warning systems and 24/7 drone monitoring teams. On the landscape level as well, habitat restoration and Asian elephant national park planning is on the way.
But there is more work to be done, and it is up to each of us to take responsibility. “Conservation has no boundaries,” Becky said. “We share the same planet, and we face similar challenges.”
While the trek of the elephants throughout Yunnan has unprecedentedly drawn the attention of the globe, Becky hopes that the phenomenon can help to improve a global understanding about human-wildlife coexistence issues and ultimately channel more resources to support ground conservation work from partners and other stakeholders.
“The elephants are helping to raise the issues around coexistence,” she said via Facebook messenger. For more details, you can read Becky’s blog post on the Zoological Society of London website.
Toi Nichelle has been working to change the discourse on mental health for years. But it wasn’t until attending an Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminar (TIES) in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2019, that she became inspired to finish work on her mental health book, The Hush Language Mental Health Journal.
As an undergraduate student at San Francisco State University, Toi majored in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry. While there, she had an opportunity to engage in several workshops that pushed her to reflect on one single question: “How did those words make you feel?”
To further understand this question, Toi set off as a Gilman Scholar to study in Norwich, England during her senior year of college, where she immersed herself in a new culture with a series of workshops and writers who challenged her to consider her own thinking, as well as her ability to chase a story.
In 2007, Toi put her interest in writing and poetry into action, establishing Dream Loud Ink Publishing, which aims to help writers take the next step in their writing careers. She began to realize just how important this mentorship and support was – and it was during this time that Toi discovered her calling.
Toi eventually released her first official work, The Hush Language Memoir, which recounted a personal story of the challenges that she faced throughout her childhood and that had played a key role in shaping her perspective on life. With a belief that by encouraging others to look inward and to identify their own trauma, she could help others to put these memories into context and feel empowered to move forward. This eventually led her to begin work on The Hush Language Mental Health Journal.
At the same time, Toi reflected on the strong academic support that she experienced during her Gilman Scholarship, and she was inspired to get more involved. In 2020, Toi was selected as one of 25 Gilman Ambassadors, a role in which she promotes international education to a wide range of audiences, including students, colleges, and universities, by presenting Gilman as a funding option for students who wish to study abroad.
And then in 2019, Toi attended the “Art, Culture, and Transforming Conflict” Alumni TIES in Santa Fe, New Mexico as an arts participant. It was over the course of the three-day event that she was inspired to carry on the work she had begun years ago – and it led to her completing her mental health journal in 2021.
Reflecting on her time as both a Gilman Ambassador and Alumni TIES participant, Toi noted that both experiences had a profound impact on her career trajectory. “Being a Gilman recipient taught me that I always had the ability to go after higher education and study in another country.” Toi plans to continue her studies at Arizona State University as a student in the M.S. Family and Human Development program, where she will further explore the intersection between writing and mental health, and how she can continue to bridge arts-based projects in her community.
For those considering international exchange, Toi strongly recommends going for it. “Don’t overthink it because you’ll limit all that you’re already capable of,” she said. “The exchange program you choose will help to shape your thinking and understanding of other opinions in the world. You’ll also have many resources and networking opportunities available to you during and after your program ends, so you’ll never feel alone during your process.”
Learn more about exchange program opportunities at exchanges.state.gov.
Peter has spent his life redefining the impossible. With a zeal for adventure, Peter has served in Islamabad, Pakistan; Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; and Shanghai, China – but what has sparked his interest in promoting cultural diplomacy and engagement for nearly a decade?
This interest can be traced back to Peter’s childhood, when he drew inspiration from his mother’s career as a travel agent and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 2. While Peter’s path didn’t lead him to scale the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, it still led him to a life of adventure – from being selected as a Student Ambassador to managing the Student Ambassadors Program at the Shanghai Expo, leading the USA Pavilion's overall operations in South Korea, touring Southeast Asia by motorcycle, and eventually, joining the U.S. Foreign Service.
During this MentorTalks episode, Peter talks about the power of international exchange, his experience behind the scenes at two World Expos, and life in the Foreign Service – including navigating both the professional and personal aspects of the career path. In regard to the upcoming 2021 World Expo in Saudi Arabia, he says, “Our hope is that the (U.S. Pavilion) adds to the experience and a lasting impression of what the United States is all about.”
Hear more about Peter’s “Great Ride Forward,” when he set out courageously on motorcycle - for the first time - and rode nearly 5,000 miles across China, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia with a friend.
While Peter doesn't necessarily promote riding around the world on motorcycle, he does recommend getting out to see and experience the world from a new lens, encouraging those “to think through how you can go about it in a way where you’re going to see new things and be exposed to things maybe outside of your comfort limit.”
For those interested in becoming a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) or pursuing a career in international relations, Peter also shares his tips for honing your language skills and world affairs knowledge - as why you might need to take the FSO test more than once. Watch Peter’s interview for all his career advice and more.
Speaker Biography
Peter Winter is a career Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State and currently serves as Special Assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (R). He is a Public Diplomacy-coned officer, and previously served as the Saudi Arabia Desk Officer in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; as the Public Affairs Special Assistant in Islamabad, Pakistan; as the Public Affairs Officer in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; and as a Consular Officer in Shanghai, China. His next tour will be as deputy spokesperson for U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt.
Before joining the State Department, Peter worked for the USA Pavilions at two World Expos (World's Fairs). He was the director of the Student Ambassadors exchange program at the Shanghai 2010 Expo, then director of operations at the 2012 Expo in Yeosu, South Korea.
Peter graduated from the University of Southern California with a Master's in Public Diplomacy and a Bachelor's in International Relations & East Asian Languages. He also has a certificate in Mandarin Chinese from Peking University in Beijing.
Peter is originally from Taos, New Mexico. His wife, Dori Winter, is also a Foreign Service Officer and the two welcomed their first son in fall 2020 (who already has his first diplomatic passport!)..
With COVID-19 continuing to have a global impact, the role that exchange alumni play in helping their communities is more important now than ever before. Through grants from the U.S. Department of State’s Alumni Rapid Response Fund (ARRF), here’s how alumni of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Regional Leadership Center (RLC) and Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) program are making a difference in Africa:
Chada El Islam Benmahcene has drawn on her exhange experience by working to reinforce the fight against mis/disinformation about the virus in her home country of Algeria. Atbibiw, a smartphone app Chada designed with the help of the ARRF grant, aims to improve medical access and counter disinformation around COVID-19 – including over/underestimated statistics and inaccurate or biased information surrounding the pandemic. Chada participated in the English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) and is paving the way for digital innovation and media literacy across Algeria.
Alhasan Bah, 2016 MWF alumnus, is applying lessons learned during his exchange to improve the reliability of health information surrounding COVID-19. By engaging health experts, religious leaders, and border communities across the region, Alhasan has reached nearly 200,000 listeners in 10 communities through more than 28 radio programs to educate them on protecting themselves from the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the team has dispersed medical supplies, including 28 hand washing buckets with soap, shirts, and face masks to audiences of these programs, as well as an additional 500 masks to communities and schools across the region.
YALI RLC alumna Tendai Chidzero led a similar initiative in Malawi, with an aim to sensitize and empower rural masses to engage in COVID-19 preventative measures.Tendai’s team understood that the rural demographic is critical in helping to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and so was able to ultimately reach 12,000 people in the Blantyre district and provide access to accurate, timely information around the pandemic, using radio interviews, jingles, and flyers to combat misinformation in the region.
Alfred Kankuzi, a 2017 MWF and founder and CEO of Status Innovation Limited, has been combating the spread of the pandemic through the creation of his own app called ‘Covid-19 NEBA’ – also known as “Hey Neighbor.” The app works by enhancing access to fact-based information and preventative behaviors from trusted sources such as World Health Organization (WHO), Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the Ministry of Health (MOH). Offered in several local languages, the project’s impact has exceeded the team’s initial expectations by reaching 648,000 citizens, equipping these users with critical information on the importance of hand-washing, wearing face masks, and maintaining social distance.
And in Nigeria, one alumnus is tapping into the creative potential of its own youth to combat the effects of the pandemic. Led by Olakunle (Kunle) Adewale, a 2015 MWF alumnus, Art Responders Healing Project is drawing on art, music, and dance to provide psychosocial support to young adults who are struggling to cope.The project drew in 400 participants selected from six local government areas in Lagos. Ultimately, it aimed to showcase empathy and community resilience through art, supporting healthcare workers on the frontlines as well as youth and young adults. Results of the project can be found here.
Sherifah Tumusiime, a 2015 MWF alumna, organized a master class to increase the participation of women in the economy and to help them gain the skills needed to take on greater leadership roles in business and entrepreneurship. Zimba Women Master Class has engaged over 50 women owned Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and provided dedicated COVID-19 impact analysis and contingency planning, leading to the implementation of these business resilience performance improvements across all companies. Zimba Women held its program graduation ceremony this summer, with all 50 students completing the program.
Across Zambia, MWF alumni have provided basic supplies to the Little Assisi School for Children with Learning Disabilities. Following the government's decision to open learning institutions after a prolonged school closure due to the pandemic, items requested have gone directly toward nourishing its students and included maize meal, eggs, rice, cooking oil, washing soap, and linen for the production of facemasks. After these materials were delivered to 66 vulnerable and marginalized youth with learning disabilities, the alumni also identified a need for professional support, and organized volunteer opportunities from within the Zambia-U.S. Exchange Alumni Association (ZUEA) to provide mentorship to students at the school.
Nkosana Mazibisa is building on his exchange program in Zimbabwe by improving access to professional development resources. With many citizens having lost their jobs or otherwise been affected by the economic crisis that came with COVID-19, the need for readily accessible support is greater than ever. Nkosana created the Asakhane BisaWork electronic platform to provide users access to virtual offices, entrepreneurial resources, digital marketing tools, and an e-commerce market during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform has been incredibly successful since its launch last year, spurring the creation of a number of other companies and networking opportunities.
In Kenya, a podcast called the Podcast Leadership Development Series led by MWF alumni has taken off, offering an educational platform and source of inspiration for Kenyan youth to stay productive and continue to make a positive impact amidst COVID-19. Since its inception, the podcast has been downloaded 460 times in 22 countries and expanded across Amazon, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. It has also garnered 866 followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The most recent episode featured Magdalene Chepkemoi, who offered a glimpse into the Great COVID-19 Innovations challenge – and the episode reached 181 people on social media and across podcast platforms.
Ian Banda, a 2017 MWF alumnus, has called on his government to do more to protect the rights of persons with disabilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the founder of Youth in Action for Disability Inclusion, Ian, who himself is a person with a disability, believes that having a disability often poses a higher risk of infection because of inherent underlying conditions that may exist. He added that the disabled community is often marginalized and live in overcrowded settings, which further puts them at risk.
“The government should provide accurate, user-friendly, accessible, and timely information about the disease, prevention methods, and services,” he said.
Through Ian’s advocacy, others are calling for change in their governments as well, with the hope of effecting long-term change in disability rights.
The work of these alumni is an example of the important role international exchange alumni play in their communities everyday -- from helping to rebuild the workforce, to improving access to critical public health information, to tackling misinformation, and more in the continued fight against COVID-19.
Congratulations to Fulbright alumnus 