Teaching Cheetahs: Disruptive Education in Africa
The discussion will focus on bringing to light some of the innovative ideas being put into practice on the African continent to build leadership and management capacity thus enabling African to fully take advantage of its accelerating growth trajectory.
Creating and expanding opportunities for youth engagement, education and empowerment is especially important in Africa since it is the youngest continent on the planet, with over 70% of its population under 30.
The panel will use examples of institutions and initiatives with unique and innovative approaches to closing Africa's education gap. Leveraging tools that range from text message based test prep to 'pay-it-forward' funding for higher education, these organizations will provide the audience with a glimpse into the rapidly evolving landscape of African education and how it will affect the continents leadership going forward.
Presenters
As the Executive Director, Christy Pipkin works to bring the non-profit’s initiatives to fruition — creating motivating documentaries and short films, helming educational outreach in the US and abroad, and maintaining oversight on development projects around the world.
Mr. Kidenda is the Vice Chairman of the Board at the African Leadership Bridge, an Austin based Non-profit that provides scholarships to students from Africa to study in the US. He is also a senior associate at the Advisory Board Company. He is deeply passionate about education in Africa and has been researching the topic for a number of years. He is currently working on a project to increase access to quality high school education in Africa using low cost computing technology.
Nivi Mukherjee is the founder and CEO of eLimu , an award-winning EdTech startup in Nairobi Kenya that delivers an affordable yet engaging and interactive educational app on tablets to Primary School students in Kenya. eLimu incorporates animations, videos, songs, music, games and quizzes to make the learning process fun. In addition to the national curriculum content, eLimu encourages responsible citizenship and positive behavioral changes. As a social entrepreneur, technophile and community volunteer, Nivi is passionate about empowering youth and engaging in community initiatives that foster development and fun. In her spare time, Nivi runs a "funucation" project for underprivileged children, organizes cultural festivals, bakes, knits, runs half marathons, folds origami and plays Fußball.
Rick Reeder started the African Leadership Bridge in 2007 after deciding to create an opportunity for the next generation of African leaders. Those individuals will serve their continent instead of themselves.
Mr. Reeder is also a Senior Consultant at Dell and is President of the Board of Directors for the Austin Affiliate of Susan G Komen for the Cure.
Friday, March 8
