The next generation of African

Born and raised on the outskirts of Sebeta, Ethiopia, and Kenesa observed that if you need to get any basic provisions, including medication, food, or school supplies, you have to go to the city, which is a 6km walk from where he lives with his family.

To solve that problem, Kenesa used USSD code to create a delivery service for his community. By dialing *819# on their mobile phones, members of Kenesa’s community could get notebooks, medication, food, or any other goods from Sebeta’s five largest suppliers delivered to their homes in less than 30 minutes. In his first month of running this venture, Kenesa processed 93 deliveries—without spending any time or money on advertising or marketing.

Nour encourages young people in her community to use theatre, poetry, and music to educate others on important issues facing the world. Through Always Dreams, youth in her community have tackled topics ranging from climate change to the protection of sea turtles.

In addition, Nour founded Super Sneey, an online marketplace that showcases and sells the work of local artisans and carpenters. To date, 125 carpenters are listed on the website, allowing those who live in Sousse to easily find the contact details of local artisans and carpenters, and to buy their goods. Nour hopes to be combine her passions for Geography and Physics to pursue a career in Environmental Engineering.

As the Junior President of Zimbabwe, Muku launched the #WeWrite2020 National Short Story Writing contest, challenging youths from across Zimbabwe to submit short stories that highlighted socio-political issues through fictional storylines. Muku launched this contest because he wanted to demonstrate to young people how writing can help magnify social ills and launch dialogue on crucially important societal challenges. Participants wrote about a variety of topics, ranging from self-esteem and self-doubt to questions regarding toxic masculinity and LGBTQ+ rights in Zimbabwean society. Two hundred and fifty young people submitted written pieces for this contest. Muku hopes to join public service after attending university and aspires to unite and develop society by encouraging thoughtful and engaging dialogue on social and political issues.

Saif is currently studying Aerospace Engineering and Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. While at ALA, Saif conducted independent research on the possibility of Leveraging Space Exploration for Conflict Mapping and Management.

He also developed his engineering modeling and simulation skills in Scientific Research using Ansys working on Wind Turbine Wing Design Optimization.

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame as a Hesburgh-Yusko Scholar, Geraldine taught taught EL at ALA in 2017-2018, and then transitioned to teaching at LEAF Academy, a partner school in Slovakia.

Most recently, Geraldine returned home to Zimbabwe, where she taught Reasoning and Research Methods at USAP Community School. While at Stanford, Geraldine will be doing a PhD in Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education, with the hopes of returning back home to help shape educational interventions across the continent.

Ubong holds multiple leadership positions on Kenyon’s campus, including serving as the current Student Body President, President of the Affinity Group Collective, and Co-President of the African Students Association. She is also a teaching assistant for the Biology department and a senior admissions fellow. Her passion lies in improving healthcare access and educating others on disease prevention in marginalized and under-resourced communities via public health research, innovative biotechnological tools, and culture-informed approaches. After Kenyon, she is hoping to work in the biotechnology field and later continue her studies through an MPH/Ph.D degree program.

Eddy Oketch has been a lifelong activist with a deep commitment to the people of Kenya. While at ALA, he built a peacebuilding movement that engaged over 10,000 Kenyan youth.

He is now the youngest member of Kenya’s Senate. Eddy is committed to peacebuilding, economic opportunity, and climate resilience. Eddy is supported by fellow ALA alumnus John Sankara ’09 (Kenya) who is serving as his Chief of Staff.

Fatima Al Ansar is a women’s rights advocate and consultant on peace and security in the Sahel Region. In 2018 she was named the Head of Mission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Mali – making her the youngest Malian diplomat at the age of 26. She is also the founder of Tilwalte Girls Peace Network, a program that empowers girls to be peace ambassadors through entrepreneurship, leadership, and peace-building training.

Netflix launched ‘African Folktales, Reimagined’ in conjunction with UNESCO to identify and support up-and-coming filmmakers from across sub-Saharan Africa.

Mohamed won for his short film entitled The Enmity Djinn, and will receive $25,000 plus a $75,000 production budget to create a short film that showcases the continent’s rich cultural heritage.