Africa Matters Quarterly Insights: Celebrating Achievements and Embracing New Horizon's in Q2 & Q3
Dear Africa Matters Community,
The transition from the second to the third quarter of the year has been nothing short of immersive. These past few months have encouraged us to be deeply introspective. Each time we reflect on our quarterly activities, we are amazed by all that has transpired, and this period is no exception.
We recently celebrated a group of young leaders graduating from our flagship programs—a bittersweet moment as we wished them well on their journeys. At the same time, we embraced new beginnings by launching a new iteration of Her Environment, Her Future, and we are thrilled to welcome a new cohort of young changemakers!
We are committed to supporting young leaders in becoming their ancestors' wildest dreams, and we need your help to continue this mission!
AMI Highlights
On the 20th of April, AMI celebrated 9 years of upskilling and empowering young Africans across the continent and the diaspora! We are grateful to our community for supporting us over the past 9 years. To celebrate this momentous achievement, several of our alumni shared their thoughts on how AMI and the programs they participated in have shaped and changed their trajectories.
Reflections
Former Her Environment, Her Future (HEHF) participant Madalisto from Malawi shared that?
“Through initiatives like Her Future, Her Environment, AMI has not only deepened my understanding of gender intersectionality with climate change but also empowered me to actively engage in the climate sector.”?
2023 Africa Matters Ambassadors Program (AMAP) participant, Winnie from Uganda shared with us that her community engagement project,?
“...not only empowered the girls with valuable skills but also addressed a critical issue that affects many young women in Uganda, ultimately contributing to the overall development and well-being of the community.”?
Leonah from Zimbabwe, who was a former 2020-2021 She is Empowered (ShE) Leader and now volunteers on the team as the Alumni Assistant wrote that,?
“Through Africa Matters, I found myself. I realised the power of youth and that changed my trajectory forever. All fifteen-year-old Leonah wanted was a community where she would not be judged because she was too young, and Africa Matters became that community and even much more.”?
We are humbled and immensely proud of the work that young leaders have been able to do with the support of our programs. To all of you we say, ‘keep pushing boundaries!’?
If you are interested in further supporting our alumni and programs, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] .
Congratulations to our 2023 AMAP & ShE Cohorts!?
The ShE is Empowered (ShE) and Africa Matters Ambassadors Programs (AMAP) celebrated the program completion of their respective third and fourth cohorts during the May graduation ceremonies.?
Our flagship programs successfully graduated 14 ShE Leaders and 13 AMAP Ambassadors, who have completed dynamic capacity-building training and Community Engagement Projects (CEPs) that have directly impacted over 3500 beneficiaries across 11 African countries.
With advocacy work spanning sectors such as sexual and reproductive health rights, civic engagement, environmental sustainability, food security, digital skills development, literacy promotion, and more, we are immensely proud of our participants. They have developed into exceptional leaders actively contributing to economic empowerment and social transformation within their communities.
We are excited to welcome them into the AMI Alumni Network!
Her Environment, Her Future is Back!
We are excited to announce that the second iteration of Her Environment, Her Future (HEHF), funded by the UMI Fund , The program will train 20 young women and girls aged 16-29 from Malawi, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Tunisia, and Sierra Leone to become climate leaders who will tangibly change their communities, countries, and regions through deep-rooted climate advocacy and effective leadership.
领英推荐
Read below to learn about 2022 HEHF Leader Esther Ishuga's experience with the program and how it has transformed her both personally and professionally in the climate sector.
Applications closed on the 14th of July with an outstanding number of submissions. Stay tuned for the announcement of the incoming cohort in the next edition.
AMI Meet Ups
On 16 June, our Co-Founder and CEO, Reanne Olivier, met with our alumnae and program participants Minneh Kimunya, Nelvin Kerubo Agwata (ShE 2024), Esther Ishuga (HEHF 2022), Mary Wangari (AMAP 2023), and Eliud Luutsa, a valued friend of AMI who also serves as a facilitator, coach and mentor within our programs in Nairobi, Kenya. It was beautiful to see everyone come together as we strengthen our network, and we are thrilled about the positive developments emerging from Kenya.?
Call for Mentors?
Our flagship programs are seeking enthusiastic and dedicated mentors to participate in our 2024 AMI Mentorship Program. Mentorship is a crucial element of our programmatic framework, allowing us to pair budding and active community leaders with industry leaders to enhance their personal and professional development. Through the mentorship program, mentors and mentees embark on a mutual journey of growth, guidance and impact, with the opportunity to foster great change within numerous African communities.
If you are interested in participating in the AMI Mentorship Program, sign up here as soon as possible. The 2024 AMI Mentorship Program will commence in August 2024.?
Call for Board of Directors
Africa Matters Initiative is seeking to welcome two dedicated and dynamic individuals to join our Global Board of Directors . We are specifically looking for experts who can serve in the Fundraising and Communications portfolios. This is a unique opportunity to be part of an impactful organisation dedicated to empowering African youth and fostering sustainable economic transformation across the continent. If you are passionate about Africa’s future and possess the strategic vision and skills to drive our mission forward, we invite you to apply and make a significant difference.
We invite you to apply here: https://fs27.formsite.com/o83e5a/ami-global-board-form/index . Applications close on 2 August 2024, at 11:59 PM EST.
Opportunities
Check out these amazing Africa Matters Initiative projects you can support or volunteer for:
Capacity Building?
Deciding whether to apply? Watch our 2023 webinar, where Scholar Elects share their tips on applying and discuss the impact and outreach of the Rhodes Scholarship.
More Opportunities
If you have any opportunities that you would like us to share, please contact us at [email protected] .