In January 2019 we will enter our 7th year with this class and add three new and two returning project hosts. New to the class will be Chipatala Cha Pa Foni, a phone-based health care company designed and built by Village Reach (Seattle) and based in Malawi (our 16th country to work in). Also new for 2019 are Sanergy (sanitation) and the Middle East Investment Initiative (financial Inclusion). Returning this year will be two education organizations: Bridge International Academies and Kepler. Class projects are not yet defined, but our hosts will begin working with students in early February to finalize the scope and activities to be completed in the summer.
Bridge International Academies – Liberia
Using innovation and technology to transform learning outcomes for children, Bridge creates world-class lesson plans based on national curricula and develops in-depth teacher training. Bridge schools empower teachers and communities by being data driven and evidenced based.
With more than 100,000 students enrolled across 5 countries, Bridge measures success by learning outcomes. Pupils take national exams and, in each country, demonstrate an ability to outperform national averages.
Student participants: Fred Ebongue, Mackenzie Hawkins, Kayla Mapotaringa
Chipatala Cha Pa Foni – Malawi
Chipatala cha pa Foni (CCPF) is a toll-free health hotline in Malawi that creates a link between the health center and remote communities. CCPF is staffed by trained health workers who provide information and referrals over the phone. Originally developed as a maternal and child health innovation, CCPF has evolved to become a general health hotline, covering all general health topics including nutrition and sexual and reproductive health in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines.
Student participants: Yara El-Khatib, Rabhya Mehrotra, Lydia Schooler
Kepler – Rwanda
Kepler provides students in East Africa with access to international degrees by partnering with accredited online offerings that lead to a US accredited Bachelor’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University. Kepler is a registered 501(c)3 in the United States and a registered INGO in Rwanda. Many Kepler graduates are the first in their family to have a formal job and support family members by paying for education expenses and other needs. Graduates become role models in their communities promoting the direct impact of higher education.
Student participants: Zodi Chalat, Ananya Kachru, Willow Sylvester
Middle East Investment Initiative – Tunisia
MEII’s core capability revolves around finance using debt, equity, guarantees, leasing, insurance, microfinance, mortgage finance, and derivatives coupled with technical assistance and capacity building to foster economic development and job creation. Recognizing the importance of financial inclusion, MEII designs and deploys finance programs that strike a balance between development and profits to stimulate sustainable economic development and investments in the Middle East and North Africa.
Student participants: Ella Fanger, Claudia Meng, Namra Zulfiqar
Sanergy – Kenya
40% of the world, lack access to basic sanitation. High population density combined with the lack of infrastructure and resources makes the problem particularly acute in slums, where populations will double to 2 billion by 2030. Kenya is at the epicenter of this crisis with 10 million people living in slums, 80% of whom lack access to basic sanitation. Sanergy builds a dense network of small-scale sanitation centers across the slums, a low-cost containerized waste collection infrastructure, and converts this waste into useful byproducts, such as organic fertilizer, animal feed and renewable energy.
Student participants: Isha Dalal, Habib Shatry, Amy Zhang
