Without proximity, deep empathy and understanding remains an ideal, rather than a reality. This lunch session features the next generation of social entrepreneurs, selected worldwide as part of the 2018 Emerging Leaders Initiative. Come and listen to their powerful and authentic voices, as they explore personal inspirations and their unique perspective on how to create meaningful solutions by working from within and side-by-side with communities.
Pape Mamadou Camara is a communications specialist with diversified experience in NGOs, corporate marketing, and strategic development during the past 7 years. Pape passion for arts and hip-hop culture motivated him to start a venture call G Hip Hop in Dakar, Senegal with a group of artists and activists. A project that focuses on urban and hip-hop culture to promote positive behavioral change in his community. In his entrepreneurship journey, he also launched a couple of projects on music, art and community support. Pape has been awarded several fellowships such as the Mandela Washington Fellowship, The Skoll Foundation, and MasterCard Foundation Emerging Young Leader and the youth action net fellowship to name a few. He is now working for a UN agency.
Director of Digital Research and Development Department, Fundacion Capital
Maria Antonia holds an MA degree in Finance, Government, and International Relations and has six years of experience in Social Entrepreneurship, field work and Information and Communications Technology for Development. She is the current Director of the Digital Research and Development Department of Fundación Capital. Before this position, she co-founded LittleBigMoney, the first social-crowdfunding platform in Colombia promoted by Fundación Capital and developed the expansion strategy of one of the largest Peer to Peer MarketPlace of Latin America Afluenta (Fintech Platform). She is an active Global Shaper and outgoing curator of the Global Shapers Mexico’s Hub. She currently teaches the "Alternative Fundraising and Negotiation" module at the Masters program of Management for Development at (Externado University Colombia) and the "Financial Innovation" module at the Postgraduate Programe - Economy and Management for Inclusion at (UDELAR Uruguay).
Biruk Girma is passionate entrepreneur who found sumuni D.D and match making platform to help startups in a developing countries get access to investment opportunities from around the world.
Senior Manager of Philanthropy, Rosewood Family Advisors
Philanthropy professional with grants, finance, and operational expertise across the non-profit, corporate, and foundation sectors. Currently the Senior Manager of Philanthropy at Rosewood Family Advisors.
Alpha Ngwenya is a student at Arizona State University majoring in Economics and Business Data Analytics. He currently works for Changemaker Central as a marketing chairperson. Changemaker provides over $250,000 in start-up funding. Alpha interned with Steward Bank and Public Accountant and Auditors Board were he developed interpersonal skills. By the age of 14 his grandfather, grandmother, father, and mother had passed away and he had to assume responsibility for his two siblings. That was when he started a vegetable garden business that enabled him to generate funds for his education and the education of siblings. His background was his introduction to the world of social innovation. Alpha has pursued his passion for social entrepreneurship by founding African Data Company, a unique startup that trains rural community members in Lupinyu, Zimbabwe on ways to save, accumulate and invest their money. With the aim of disrupting the cycle of poverty which is dominant in rural Africa. He also co-founded Strong Women Strong Love, a non-profit that provides feminine hygiene products to women facing homelessness. They teach women in Uganda the skills of designing a reusable sanity pad that can be sold for a 5500 Ugandan shillings profit per pack. This is unique because it provides entrepreneurship skills and financial benefit to women who are less privileged. Also, Strong Women Strong Love partners with a safe house with an aim to keep a girl child in school all month long, by training them to make reusable feminine hygiene products for personal use. Strong Women Strong Love has impacted over 2400+ women since its inception.
“social entrepreneurship is a universal language that can make poverty deaf” – Alpha Ngwenya
Driven by an interest to witness meaningful and sustainable change in underserved communities, Bvudzai leads the regional research and advocacy agenda for VillageReach’s work in improving immunization supply chains. Some of her current work is focussed on understanding processes and outcomes of transitioning social innovations (funding and management) from non-profit organizations to governments in low-resource settings. Bvudzai studied Public Health in Zimbabwe and South Africa and earned her PhD from the University of the Western Cape in 2017. All of her work experience has been in public health research with a goal to inform policy and practice. She has received multiple awards and fellowships including the Emerging Voices for Global Health, Social Innovation in Public Health Fellowship, South African Research Chair Initiative in Health Systems & Social Change.
Angela Code is a member of the Sayisi Dene First Nation. She was born in Churchill, Manitoba (the polar bear capital of the world). Angela spent her childhood in her home Indian reserve at Tadoule Lake, Manitoba. There, she was surrounded by denesuline (Chipewyan Dene language), culture, family and community of her people. The Sayisi Dene are caribou people - much of their identity is directly linked to their traditional territory and living off the land. At age 10, Angela’s parents Allan and Mary Code moved her and brother Mike to Whitehorse, Yukon in order to receive higher quality western education, recreation and general opportunities to "succeed" within Canadian society. The move also proved to assist with Allan and Mary's careers as documentary film makers. After finishing high-school, Angela pursued her Bachelor of Arts degree with a Major in First Nation Studies, a Minor in First Nation Languages and Linguistics at the University of British Columbia - she graduated in 2012. Angela has worked various jobs - largely with youth and film making. Angela has also travelled the world. She believes in social justice and the empowerment of the oppressed. Angela is a strong advocate for indigenous peoples’ rights - particularly for indigenous women. Angela has served as a delegate for various summits including The Indigenous Circumpolar Women's Gathering and The Sustainable Goals Summit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
