Meet the 2021 kanthari course alumni
Abhilash John
India
Growing up in a rural village in North India came with several challenges. As there was no school in my village, i had to travel 2 hours every day to attend classes. Later, my family moved to the city. There I witnessed how children from marginalized communities were forced to engage in child-labour and had no access to any sort of fundamental education.
I completed a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering and got a job in a multinational Oil & Gas company. However, the lack of accessible education for children in marginalized and discriminated communities, both in rural and urban areas kept haunting me.
In 2017 I quit my job and learnt a lot about the crisis of accessibility to education.
To bridge this gap and bring a positive change, I founded ‘Ignite India’ creating technology-aided learning environments in urban slums and rural villages that are engaging and accessible.
Website:https://khojindia.in/
Aisha Abdullahi Buba Nigeria
Globally, every 40 seconds, someone dies by suicide and depression is among the leading causes. In Nigeria, over 7 million people suffer from depression, with less than 10% having access to care.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further widened the gap in access to mental health care. I am a psychologist and witness to the mental health impact of conflict, and this has driven me to start The Sunshine Series. We work towards improving access to quality mental health care for Nigerians, especially underserved communities, irrespective of age, gender, and other socio-demographical barriers. This is done through counselling, capacity building, research, and advocacy, by involving community members to bridge the care gap and ease access to basic psychosocial support.
We also set up the first mental health helpline in Nigeria on the National emergency number 112, which is piloting in the capital city, FCT, providing free 24/7 counselling services to help-seekers.
Website : https://idimma.org/
Frank Ekow Arkorful Ghana
During one of my seismic data acquisition activities in 2017 in Bawku, a shea-dominant settlement in Ghana’s Savannah region, I noticed something unique: practically every institution or outlet had something related to ‘shea’ displayed in photos, signboards, or buildings. Even more fascinating was how shea butter was elegantly presented and offered as gifts. This prompted me to inquire about the product. Soon I learnt about the numerous nutritional, health, and cosmetic benefits it offers.
I grew up in the slum where violence, rape, drug abuse was part of life and even now, this region, despite the availability of the precious shea fruit, remains impoverished.
I want to make use of the shea fruit as a tool for socio-economic improvement. Training women making high-quality health, nutritional, and cosmetic products, should also be part of a solution to the growing gender inequality in Ghana.
Website: https://fairshea.org/
Akhina Mohan
VK
India
In 2018 I found myself volunteering in the relief works for the devastating Kerala flood that took 400 lives. This experience brought a purpose to my life. During this time, I read an article about a flooded river that after the water level dropped, left tons of plastic waste on a bridge. A few days later I read another article that the community had ‘cleaned up’ the bridge by dumping the trash in the river again. This incident shook me to the core and made me realize that environmental responsibility is the need of the hour. During my studies, I realized that textbook knowledge and real-life experiences are completely disconnected. I dream to influence children and involve them in climate action and also connect the community through them.
That’s why I founded alarmo an organization, where we create the platform for children to become little climate leaders.
Website: https://alarmo.in/
Biman Roy
India
Nature and agriculture often collide. Nature finds a perfect balance through diversity. Whereas the goal of agriculture is to optimize the output of a single species. I have grown up seeing this classic conflict between farmer and nature in rural India.
In the face of climate change, we need to take a stand. It is obvious that nature should be our priority as without it we cannot slow down climate change. On the other hand, the need of the farmers cannot be ignored. So, what could be a solution? A food forest is a multilayer farming system that mimics the natural succession of a natural forest and primarily produces food (as well as timber). An ideal combination to increase diversity while generating income for farmers. I dream of creating a center and model food forests to train future forest farmers across India as well as making food forests mainstream and establishing innovation centers for a food forest-based economy.
Website: https://bonforest.in/
Geeta Dangol Maharajan
Nepal
Between 1996 till 2006 the lives of people in Nepal were heavily affected by a civil war. During this time, regularly bombs disrupted daily life. I was born in Kirtipur (City of glory) which used to be the safest place but now people started to migrate to Kathmandu city.
For safety reasons, my sisters and I were sent to India, and it was there where we started our further studies. For work I then spent some time in France before I returned to Nepal in 2017; It was quite a shock to see a high rate of unemployment, especially for women, as well as the lack of waste management. This inspired me to start an organisation to empower marginalized women, using skill and leadership training that helps them to become more economic independent.
Website: https://orange-butterflies.org/
Niwas Kumar
India
When I was seven years old and traveling on a train with my mum, for the first time in my life I saw a transgender person. My mum covered my eyes and said that this is a bad person. I didn’t understand and it was only 14 years later that I was traveling by myself when I met another transgender. I started a conversation and quickly learnt about how transgenders in India face discrimination and are denied opportunities for growth, education, employment, inclusion. It triggered me to learn more so I did a lot of research. My goal is to start an alternative residential school for transgender children, a vocational training centre for adult transgenders and a self-sustaining organic farm. Additionally, I want to run awareness programs in schools so in future no transgenders will get abused due to their gender identity.
Website: https://anantmool.org/
Juliet Omondi Kenya
Paro Manien
I grew up in a community where menstruation is a taboo and stigmatized and therefore, I missed getting guidance to understand my bodily changes and what menstruation is all about. Instead, I was told not to pick vegetables from the garden, or not to enter my parents’ bedroom when I had my period. Over time, i discovered that these taboos were not true.
I decided to join the Chuodho Women CBO in Migori where I became a Menstrual Hygiene advocate by breaking the silence, myths and taboos working on sensitization, setting up school health clubs, community advocacy, and national level policy influencing.
I learnt about girls who, because a lack of menstrual hygiene products, did not attend classes when they had their period or others who engaged in transactional sex to get money to buy sanitary products resulting in unplanned/unwanted pregnancies, and/or others who got infected with STI/STDs. Menstruation is a natural phenomenon, and no girl should be left behind.
Website : http://paromanyien.org/
Mirranda Tiri
Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, mental wellness and sexual reproductive health of the girl child are linked to stigma, myths, and misconceptions. Because of this as well as cultural and religious beliefs, especially girls from strongly patriarchal communities with no personal support system are vulnerable.
I am a sexual abuse survivor and I battled with depression when I had just reached puberty.
Having experienced and overcome these challenges I was motivated to help girls flourish, restore their dignity, self-esteem, confidence and maintain a healthy body and mind. My aim is to create awareness programs, centers and hold camps where girls can come together to discuss taboo topics such as mental health, sexual and physical abuse, menstrual hygiene and sexuality. Free counseling services will be made accessible to communities without resources. It’s time for change!
Website: https://khanyafrica.org/
Joseph Christophe Kone
Guinea
I am a father to a daughter, a brother to a sister and a son to a mother and therefore I want to live in a society where there is no gender-based violence, no sexual abuse; no early marriages and where widows, girls and orphans are supported.
As a child growing up during the Liberian war in the 90s, I witnessed how women were abused. And in 2014, during the Ebola outbreak in the Mano River region in West Africa, I saw the hardship women, girls and children faced because of the virus.
It was time to act, so I organized a group of 35 women and five men in Feroh Kissidougou city and started a vegetable farming and micro-finance program. The idea was supported by Plan International Guinea. Our intervention proved to be one of the best recovery programs in the region and it was copied to other parts of Guinea. I then started the organisation Lampstand. I believe that everyone needs equal opportunity, to be safe, healthy and educated.
Website : http://esperoafrica.org/
Precious Kiwiti
Zimbabwe
Almost 60% women and girls in Zimbabwe are falling victims to domestic violence. They are afraid to speak out, suffer psycho-traumatic diseases or even commit suicide. Being a survivor of domestic violence, I lacked access to much needed services and a support system. Because of this I founded the organisation Precious Hearts Haven, a non-profit organisation that offers services, psychological and practical support to women who feel hopeless.
Our main objectives are to, rescue and shelter victims and survivors of domestic violence, a 24-hour crisis helpline, psychosocial support, training in self-help income generating projects as well as advocacy activities against domestic violence. I envision a community free from violence and abuse in any form. I want to restore hope that turns victims to becoming survivors who are resilient, who rise with a new sense of dignity and self-worth and so, move beyond violence and abuse.
Website: https://preciousheartshaven.org/
Nematullah Ahangosh Afghanistan
Stretch More
Decades of war and bomb blasts in Afghanistan have caused poverty, child labor and disabilities.
Personally, I was affected by all three: I experienced poverty, as a child I had to sell cigarettes on the streets of Kabul to fend for my family and at the age of 13, I became disabled. Although I am not a war victim, I can empathize with those who have lost limbs.
Back then, I asked myself what I really wanted in life. My biggest desire was to be independent.
I always believed I have had what it takes to build a better future for myself.
My dream is to start the first Self-Empowerment Centre for persons with physical disabilities. I will focus on persons who have Muscular Dystrophy, like me, on people who have polio and those who lost limbs due to the war.
Website: https://stretchmore.org/
Adegbite Tobi Gabriel Nigeria
As an environmental biologist and public health scientist, I was passionate about agriculture and went for training to be able to start farming the ‘big and right way’. On this journey, I witnessed what ordinary Nigerian farmers experience in their quest to feed the nation and it was shocking. I failed big, not once, but twice. Problems ranged from insecurity, and high cost of production even to climate change amongst others. Looking for solutions, I encountered another problem in the food system which was the organic waste that was causing environmental damage around my newly sited farm. Therefore, I founded Entojutu which focuses on solving two problems: food shortage and organic waste problems. How? Entojutu uses black soldier fly larvae to convert urban organic waste into organic fertilizer and it brings high-value insect protein, which replaces water and climate-intensive plant protein as well as over-harvested and depleting fish protein used in animal feed.
website: https://entojutu.org/
Puneet Singh India
I was born in India, a country known for its ancient wisdom of enquiry and diversity in people, language, culture, and traditions. However, it seems that recently, we have forgotten to welcome criticism and questioning.
I am a stammerer and my way of speaking with blocks and hurdles in certain words, syllables and sounds is looked down upon and the emphasis seems to be often more on ‘how I say’ instead of ‘WHAT I say’.
It is my earnest dream to normalise speech disorders and promote acceptance of different styles of communication. I want to create and promote an active societal dialogue where people understand the struggles of a person with speech impediment. Therefore, I created the organisation ssstart! So, let’s get ssstarted! Puneet Singh
Website: https://ssstart.org/
Shivani Kumari India
WILD
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic brought additional issues to my attention. After years of the green revolution, farmers started facing huge losses and migrated towards cities for labor work. To stop this migration, I started Soil4Soul introducing regenerative agroforestry on barren and wasteland. Agroforestry will ensure whole year employment, food security, nutrition, Low input cost, minimum tillage, and by restoring the ecosystem it will also help in the fight against climate change.
Website: https://wild-india.org/
Amos
Zimbabwe
Imagine having to go to see a doctor and he/she discovers your sexuality and humiliates you in front of other people. This happens in many facilities, and it is heartbreaking that Healthcare is not equal to all citizens.
In Zimbabwe, there is an increase of 30+ year-old LGBTQ members who face such challenges, and this led me to ask the question “Where do older LGBTQ people who have no families or means go after they have been ridiculed and rejected?” Knowing this, I plan to start a safe space for neglected older people.
Website: https://totaltogether.org/