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Students who attended the Visiola Foundation's 2016 STEM Summer Camp for teenage girls impressed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and American ambassadors when they visited Abuja, Nigeria. One of the projects the girls had was to make a robotic forklift (see video below). The Visiola Foundation was founded by 2014 Tutu Fellow Lade Araba.  It educates high-potential girls and young women in the STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering & Math) fields to build a pipeline of leaders and innovators who will help to transform African countries.

2016 Tutu Fellow Amanda Gicharu-Kemoli has been recognized by the Anita Borg Institute, winning the 'Change Agent' category in their annual GHC ABIE awards for 2016.  The Anita Borg Institute is a nonprofit organisation focused on the advancement of women in computing.  It seeks to connect, inspire and guide women in computing and organizations that view technology innovation as a strategic imperative. Founded in 1997 by computer scientist Anita Borg, the organization is active in more than 65 countries.

2016 Tutu Fellow Succès Masra has been appointed to the Presidential Task Team team at the African Development Bank that has been tasked with delivering the New Deal on Energy in Africa. The team will be in charge of projects like Inga Hydroelectric, which will be the largest of its kind on the continent, and the African Renewable Energy Initiative.  Masra, the Principal Energy Economist at the bank, will play a pivotal role in mobilizing capital for financing of the energy projects that will be part of this project's portfolio. 

Shared working spaces are one of the ways in which startups can keep costs down while simultaneously working in an environment providing networking opportunities and a sense of community.  Tutu Fellow Zied Mhirsi co-founded a space called Cogite in Tunisia, which has been listed as one of the top ten co-worker spaces in the world. 

Forbes wrote an article on shared spaces, partnering with Coworker, a ratings and reviews platform, and Nomad List to power the "Where to Work" feature for location independent workers who have the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world. More than 3,000 participants submitted their opinions on what made a particular space the best place to work.  Founders were also questioned about their spaces.  Cogite emerged as #3 on the list.

The full article is on Forbes.

The book, Expert Mavericks, showcases extraordinary individuals, each one a maverick in their field. It highlights the journeys and struggles that they faced in order to achieve success. Tutu Fellow Craig Wing is one of the 13 people selected for the book, compiled by Shareen Richter. 

The 13 South Africans, who are considered mavericks in their respective fields, share their personal stories with Richter in an effort to empower other South Africans to...

Forbes has written a piece on Kisua, highlighting how the company is putting African fashion on the map.  It starts out by pointing out that even if you’re not immersed in fashion, you probably understand that most designers originate from Paris, Milan, New York, and London. Africa seems to be a fashion afterthought. But it then makes the case for the impact African fashion has had on international design and the role that Kisua is playing today.

2016 Tutu Fellow Andre Hilton Ross has been nominated for the 2016 Marsh Award for peacemaking and peacekeeping. The Marsh Award recognises individuals from outside the UK who are making an innovative difference to areas of conflict and peacemaking. Ross was shortlisted as a nominee for his work as Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Jala Peo Foundation and his role in using sport for development as a catalyst for change.

Tutu Fellow Ntombenhle Khathwane has been included on the Forbes 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa 2016 list.  The Swazi-born entrepreneur is the founder of AfroBotanics, a Johannesburg-based company that makes ethnic hair and body-care products.  The Forbes African entrepreneurs list began in 2011 and has featured several other Tutu Fellows since its inception.

Linda Kasonde has been elected President of the Law Association of Zambia during the association’s fifth annual conference at Livingstone’s Avani Victoria Falls Hotel. Kasonde beat two other contenders to become the first female President of the association. She takes over from George Chisanga who had completed his term of office.

The World Economic Forum has announced the 2016 Young Global Leaders.  Of the 11 selected by the WEF, five are Tutu Fellows and Associates, a powerful affirmation of the impact of the African Leadership Institute's programs.

WEF describes their list of Young Global Leaders as 'Brilliant scientists. Emerging entrepreneurs. Tech investors. Activist MPs' that represent the most innovative, enterprising and socially minded men and women under the age of 40 who are pushing boundaries and rethinking the world around them. WEF says that this year’s class of Leaders gives hope to tackle the world’s most complex and pressing challenges.  In addition to being honored by their selection, they will also be offered a five-year leadership journey to break down silos, bridge cultures and use their collective skills to get things done for positive impact across private, public and civil society organizations.

The five Tutu Fellows named among this year's Young Global Leaders:

Ada Osakwe
Victor Ochen
James Mworia
Zuki Siyotula
Juliana Rotich

 

Tutu Fellow Ronald Osumba has been appointed by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta as the Chairman of the country's Youth Advisory Board.  The appointment began in March and runs for three years.  The position is key in that Osumba has the potential to make a big difference to the lives and influence of youth in Kenya. 

Tutu Fellow Lade Araba, who is a founder of the Visiola Foundation, saw a small measure of the fruits of that organisation's efforts when she accompanied two science scholars to the Next Einstein Forum for their 2016 Global Gathering in Dakar, Senegal.  It was the first time the two scholars,  Rachael Asaolu and Omolara Kassim, had been on a plane, their first time traveling outside of Nigeria, and their first time at an international conference.

Tutu Fellow Lorna Irungu has been accepted as a candidate for the prestigious Eisenhower Multi-Nation Program, which starts in April in the United States and runs until May 2017.  The programme is highly selective, with only a small number of people being accepted from invited countries across the world. 

The world is in the midst of a refugee crisis. More than four million Syrians have fled the country since the start of the civil war in that country and more than a million migrants from Africa and the Middle East crossed into Europe in 2015. This is one of the largest movements of people since the end of World War II.  Against this backdrop, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has appointed a Tutu Fellow, Victor Ochen, as their global advisor on Gender, Forced Displacement and Protection.  The appointment of the Nobel Peace Prize nominee was made by the UNHCR in February 2016.

Three Tutu Fellows were selected for a list of leading Africans contributors to an article for up and coming entrepreneurs.  The three Fellows are Monica Musonda, Susan Mashibe,  and Swaady Martin.  The article, which is for the website Lionesses of Africa, is entitled The 50 best pieces of advice we featured in 2015 from some of Africa's leading women entrepreneurs.  The three Fellows are all active entrepreneurs in different fields.  Musonda is the founder of Zambian-based Java foods; Mashibe is the founder of VIA Aviation a Tanzanian business transport and aviation company; and Martin is the founder of YSWARA, a South African tea company.