kanthari Course Alumni 2016

Ako Peter, Cameroon

megwah
Ako Peter is the founder of megwah, an organisation that works to:
- Reduce the alarming Deforestation rate in Cameroon.
- Raise young Environmental Ambassadors that will advocate for a safer and greener planet
- Promote Organic Agriculture using indigenous seeds
- find solutions for water shortages to make water accessible and available to all.
- raise youth leaders and we wish to see a Cameroon where humans live and thrive in harmony with nature. From 2017 till date, megwah has trained and supported over 100 cocoa farmers in wabane, South West Region of Cameroon on local farming methods to boost the conservation of the critically endangered Cross River Gorrila. Additionally 350+ children were trained as young environmental ambassadors, in Cameroon, USA and Canada. And megwah has trained and supported over 35 cocoa farming families in Tali, South West Region of Cameroon on Agroforestry best practices to enhance their livelihoods and reduce deforestation. www.megwah.org
Watch Ako's dream speech at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdx6KPh_ow4

Mercy Maungindze, Zimbwabwe

My organisation Simuka is an organisation that supports single mothers with albinism in Zimbabwe. We build their self-confidence and train them in entrepreneurship skills such as business management, marketing strategies etc. In doing this they can participate fully in their communities and earn a living for their families without any discrimination. Additionally I want to reduce the current percentage of single mothers with albinism in my country. To do this we work on intense campaign awareness programs to demystify the myths that mainly cause these women to become single mothers. Watch Mercy's dream speech at http://youtu.be/z5USyKDr0y8
To know more about her project, visit www.simuka.org

Amrita Gyawali, Nepal

I envision a world without barriers and discrimination. My project promotes equal opportunity for jobs and barrier free environment, both physical and attitudinal barrier. With my organization I want the employers and the potentials employees with disabilities to come together and understand each other better. I am working to create an environment in which persons with disabilities will give their 100% and the employers will give them employment on the basis of merits. Watch the dream speech at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FY5gDV6ccg
To know more about her project, visit www.karuna-etc.org

Teh Francis, Cameroon

Founder of Enkindle Cameroon. (EC)
EnKindle Cameroon guides underprivileged women to a level of independence in financial decisions. EC focuses on the potentials that are in them. Women break free from generational cycles of poverty and are empowered to fully participate in the education of their children. EC Projects are: Hands on Business Training and Table Banking, Child Sponsorship, and Vocational Training for Young Mothers. Table Banking provides access to hassle free loans for rural women. This banking system is all run and managed by the women without external control. Peer pressure serves as checks and balances. Once the women have a base they will not exhaust capital but will only manage to scale it up.
Child sponsorship is done through the women empowered and also by connecting individual children to sponsors around the world. Young mothers who are unable to continue formal education are guided toward vocational training. They learn a trade, enhance employment opportunities or create employment for themselves.
300 rural women have received business training to do Table Banking and 84 of these women have had their Table Banking Project funded.
252 children are being helped by the women who do the table banking and 111 are supported through direct sponsorship from EnKindle Cameroon.
35 Young women have benefited from the skills acquisition program in tailoring, hair salon, knitting, designing, décor and nursing aid.
Watch Teh's dream speech at http://youtu.be/AaQCa7K5syc
To know more about his project, visit www.ekcameroon.org

Aparna Gopan, India

Elefant in the room
Aparna founded her organisation "Elefant in the Room" as a provocative movement against taboos like FGM and sex education. She has been running campaigns around menstrual and reproductive health since 2016 across cities of India and Kenya. Roughly 12,000 students from 50+ schools and colleges across South Indian Cities have been trained on menstrual hygiene and safe sex practices before the lockdown started. Today, Aparna is the youngest TEDx Speaker at the largest Tedx event of Kerala, her home state. Aparna spoke about her life which formed one of the stories for 16 days of activism against gender based violence in 2017 and in 2021 her work against cyberbullying has been featured as a story in #SheTransformsTech by WorldPulse.
more on www.elefantintheroom.org

Watch the dream speech at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcByfv4ys34

John Mwangi, Kenya

Founder of Umoja
Umoja East Africa Fund Kenya identifies and mentors small scale farmer. Under the umoja sustainable organic farming initiatives project we train on natural farming using indigenous microorganisms IMO to grow clean healthy foods, livestock, management, water conservation and business start up training.
Till date, umoja has successfully trained 2000 small scale farmer in the practice of natural farming as well as water conservation. The farmers appreciate Umoja's work since the technologies are easy to use. 500 farmers were supported in their business start up. Through natural farming, water conservation, umoja is targeting to reach to more farmers in East Africa using talented organizers in local communities.
Watch John's dream speech at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ6fdFNzG6Y

Parthasarathy Kandasamy, India

My organisation Aravan is positioned at the national level working with and for the LGBTQI community to defend their rights, to reduce their health care risks, to reduce the impact of violence, abuse and harassment against them and to improve their livelihoods. ARAVANS concentrates on Socio, Economic, Cultural and Political empowerment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) in Virudhunagar District. Watch Partha's dream speech at
http://youtu.be/0_A5jUxMq18
To know more about his project, visit www.aravan.org

Jumoke Arigbede, Nigeria

Founder Nana Vision Initiative
I am a single mum who adopted two children who inspired me start my project . At Nana Vision Initiative we provide education and textile skill training to accomplish the ambitions of girl children in Nigeria. Through our organisation marginalised teenage girls between the age of 11 to 15 years, who, due to poverty and gender discrimination, might not be able to continue schooling after their primary school education, are being empowered to continue their education through textile skills and education. We want people to know that through skills acquisition and education the poverty circle can be broken. Watch Jumoke's dream speech at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVJW_yhrN9c

Lila Nath Pahadi, Nepal

Our organization Akshar Arambha supports disabled children so they can go to mainstream school hand-in-hand with non-disabled children, singing a song of education for all. Our objectives are: - Scholarship for 20 disabled children from the slum/poor families for 3 years - To conduct Campaign on superstitious belief, attitude and conceptual change on disability. - Develop a draft of disability friendly education shadow act for government authority - Lobby and advocacy to incorporate disability friendly education draft in education act. Watch the dream speech at http://youtu.be/Wz1OdZjt3ps
To know more about his project, visit www.aa-nepal.org

Mary Ero, Nigeria

I want to jolt young women living with HIV to confront and destroy the stereotypes that restrict their potential and consequently their survival both economically and physiologically. I also hope that in doing that the Nigerian society is forced to change the way People Living With HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) are viewed and included in daily and economic activities. We intend to accomplish this through both training in and the practice of television production and other entertainment or Art related activities. Watch the dream speech at
http://youtu.be/s5jUDgVNKVI

Abiodun Ayanwale, Nigeria

Founder of BoldImpact Nigeria.
We support youth by building their capacity in using Agriculture as an economic tool and employment strategy. We focus on organic food processing which is an alternative to consumption of food that is processed with chemicals and which is detrimental to human health. BoldImpact promotes health through good food habits. We work to;
- solve the problem of youth unemployment in Nigeria
- help marginalized youth in the society
- help youth become a driving force in Nigeria economy and
- bring out the creativity in Nigerian youth. Watch Abioduns' dream speech at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU4u5Xog8PA
To know more about his project, visit www.boldimpactng.org

Titilayo Femi, Nigeria

Founder Lead Initiative
My aim is for providing the youth of Nigeria hope for livelihood and success. The objectives of Lead Initiative are: a. Equipping Student Leaders from 20 Institutions with skills needed for enhanced productivity and strategic engagement in the educational, agricultural and Environmental sector. The goal is to create better policies and funding of this sector before year 2021. b. To secure a 30% increase in youth’s involvement to study and participate in the environmental and agricultural sector within the next 5 years. c. Transform and equip 500 youths within the next 5 years to own outstanding and marketable innovations having explored the needs in the Agricultural value chains. Watch Femi's dream speech at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRMnFXFh4cM
To know more about his project, visit www.leadinitiativeng.org

Neeraj Kumar, India

Founder/ Director Khetee.
Khetee works for Community Development through Regenerative Agroforestry. The organisation works towards bringing systematic transformation in the way agriculture is practiced in the country and around the world. The main focus is on marginalised women, small farmers and youth minds, train and enabling them to become Agroforesters. So far, Khetee has been successful in developing a 5 acres Model Agroforestry Farm along with training 30 local farmers under its Agroforestry Fellowship Program. Camp Khetee also represents India in the worldwide movement of Ecosystem Restoration. Durdih Village, Lakhisarai, Bihar, India. To know more about his project, visit www.khetee.org
http://youtu.be/BevLcauJmdo

Peter Marimi, Nigeria

I want to empower youths for meaningful and creative participation in the promotion and preservation of ethical values. Using the different forms of media in a participatory way youths will be given a platform to introspect on their behaviour and find ways of improving the same. This will also be an environment in which they can be empowered with leadership skills to be leaders, not just of tomorrow, but of today as well. Being more responsible students will be able to put more effort on their studies while avoiding irresponsible behaviour and therefore succeed not just academically but in their social lives as well. This will translate into an improved economy and a country where citizens live in peace and harmony. Watch the dream speech at
http://youtu.be/R7x37aEsgfw
To know more about his project, visit www.hunhuhwedu.org

Rajasekharan VK, India

Having a disabled son and being disabled myself, my NGO Liberate is a project that focuses on society rehabilitation. In this project, people with disabilities are taking the lead. The contribution, enrichment made to society, achievements made by exemplary people with disabilities etc. is being presented to the public to develop a positive attitude. We organize special events and themes like Blind Café (where people can dine in the dark). Liberate sees a society (in Trivandrum) that will be rehabilitated through people with disabilities. Watch Rajashekaran's dream speech at
http://youtu.be/NUmj0vgTtRg
To know more about his project, visit www.liberatetvm.org

Rajendra Prasad Dhital, Nepal

REAL Nepal is a non-profit social organization located in Panauti Municipality, Kavrepalanchok, Nepal. It was established in 2016 to address the problems of blind children aiming at ensuring their right to education and making them self dependent in the future.

REAL Nepal runs a residential set-up to house blind children as they come from very far away and need to walk for hours daily to reach home. "REAL Dream Home" started on 15th December, 2017. It is a residential educational training center/ preparatory school for blind children. This home accommodates 15 children from different remote parts of Nepal at present.

Watch Rajendra's dream speech at http://youtu.be/5N64Td8oUWE
To know more about his project, visit www.real-nepal.org

Sonam Mittal, India

Founder Azaadi
Azzadi Supports and enables women in India to live life without harassment and fear. We aim to make feminism 'cool' - Make women assertive, sassy and courageous enough to deal with and smash sexual harassment, at the workplace or on streets. - Make policies around prevention of sexual harassment at workplace accepted in workplaces and get them implemented quickly, efficiently and without negativity. Watch Sonam's dream speech at
http://youtu.be/mrqeYiXeoVw
To know more about her project, visit www.azaadi.org.in

Sophy Resal, India

I want to start a new project called Save Sahya which will protect the Western Ghats that are currently under a mining threat. There are seven small streams originating from the mountain and those are the major water source of Vellarada village. The mining will negatively affect our water availability, environment, livelihood etc. Some of the villagers organised and started a social movement to protect the mountain. Through my project I want to develop a sustainable future plan to protect the mountain which includes awareness creation of the villagers, authenticated study about the specialties and importance of this particular mountain range, study about impacts of mining, conservation and restoration of natural resources etc. Watch the dream speech at
http://youtu.be/P1IODGrdNf4