Renowned Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina, a 43-year -old man, has come out stating that he is gay, becoming one of the most well-known Africans to ever do so publicly. He published a piece on the websites AfricaisaCountry.com and Chimurenga.co.za called “I am a homosexual, mum,” in which he imagines telling his mother on her deathbed that he is gay.
“Nobody, nobody, ever in my life has heard this. Never, mum. I did not trust you, mum. And. I. Pulled air hard and balled it down into my naval, and let it out slow and firm, clean and without bumps out of my mouth, loud and clear over a shoulder, into her ear. ‘I am a homosexual, mum,’” Wainaina writes.
Wainaina’s coming out coincides with the debate and passage of stringent anti-gay laws in Nigeria and Uganda, as well as existing laws prohibiting homosexuality in most African nations, including his native Kenya.
In fact, LGBT Kenyans can be put in jail for up to ten years if they are convicted of participating in homosexual acts, though the law is not often applied. Kenya’s culture remains conservative in regards to homosexuality.
In Nigeria, the government passed a ruling outlawing gay marriage, gay organizations and attending social or political gatherings related to gay causes. Moreover, Uganda has been mired in international controversy over its harsh anti-gay rhetoric and laws.
Not all African nations, however, forbid homosexuality. In a groundbreaking move, South Africa’s 1997 constitution legalized gay marriage.
It is within this African cultural framework that Wainaina has received criticism and praise, though he says the support has been overwhelming.
Wainaina took to Twitter, saying, “Ten million thank yous to the thousands of Africans and others who have given all kinds of public love, [and] support. We live in a beautiful continent.”
He elaborated in an interview with The Global Post, saying that, “It seems like doom and gloom, but my feeling is that the law is a reaction to a thing that they know has traction. And that’s a good thing. There’s no way to put that shit back in the box.”
Wainaina had contemplated coming out publically sooner, especially while he tried to reconcile his relatively free lifestyle in Nairobi and knowing that other LGBT Africans were being persecuted.
As a frequent traveler to Nigeria, Wainaina has sharply condemned the country’s new anti-gay marriage law, saying it “shames us all.” He also states that visiting the country now that he has come out will be an “adventure.”
To those who argue that homosexuality is “un-African,” Wainaina also has sharp words. He points to deeply entrenched puritan values stemming from Victorian era churches, as well as propaganda and fear-mongering as the culprits behind the creation of the fallacious idea that homosexuality is wrong, unnatural, and un-African.
The 2002 Caine Prize-winning author is poised to embrace his role in fighting for the rights of LGBT Africans, and he believes people are ready.
“People who live in societies where you are being lied to a lot value truth,” he states. “I’m a pan-Africanist; I belong to this continent.”
– Kaylie Cordingley
Sources: BBC, Global Post, Huffington Post, The Guardian
Photo: Internaz
What is Advocacy and Why You Should Care?
What is Advocacy? Advocacy is a word we all hear on a regular basis, thrown around on the news, in the paper, etc. In fact, a Google News search for the word yields nearly 74,000 results. Despite its growing commonality, is it a word whose definition we fully understand? What is advocacy, exactly, and what does it mean to be an advocate?
According to the group Rights of Older People, advocacy “involves representing and working with a person or group of people who may need support and encouragement to exercise their rights, in order to ensure that their rights are upheld.” Speaking, writing or acting on behalf of those who are disadvantaged or groups being discriminated against are core ideals to the definition of advocacy.
The Alliance for Justice suggests several activities that could be included in a demonstration of advocacy: conducting research, organizing a rally, broadening public education and awareness, mobilizing voters, engaging in litigation and lobbying. Furthermore, the group encourages organizations wanting to be more involved in advocacy to become educated on current policies and issues; evaluate the organization’s missions, values and strategic plan while also collaborating with those who share similar values and goals.
Now it may seem to many that advocacy is virtually synonymous with the word “activism,” as they both involve public action and support of a particular belief, policy or group. According to DoSomething.org, activism “can be described as intentional action to bring about social change, political change, economic justice or environmental well being.” Most often equated to notions of protest or dissent, activism takes a wide variety of forms, ranging from writing letters and political campaigning to locking yourself in chains or organizing a sit-in.
While advocacy falls under the umbrella of activism, not all forms of activism are necessarily advocacy. “An advocate can also be involved in controversial activities or issues,” says DoSomething.org, “but because they are speaking on behalf of a group, they tend to be more likely to follow the paths of lobbying and legislation.” It seems as if speaking, rather than acting in general, is what distinguishes advocacy from activism.
Linguistically, the word “advocacy” stems from the Latin roots meaning “to summon,” “to voice” or “to call to,” as UNICEF explains, evoking the image of “calling people to stand by your side.” Defined by UNICEF as “an active verbal support for a cause or position,” advocacy involves public vocalization, not necessarily direct action; as an advocate, the main priority is to make your voice heard, especially if your voice is representing an underprivileged class of individuals.
These definitions and explanations help to make advocacy less abstract and more tangible and accessible. You do not have to engage in a protest march, donate bundles of money or even organize a political campaign to be an advocate. In the end, it boils down to this one fact: if you have a voice, you can be an advocate.
– Mallory Thayer
Sources: Merriam-Webster, Alliance For Justice, Rights of Older People, UNICEF
Photo: Google
Drug Use in Developing Countries
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports while drug use is stabilizing in industrialized countries, it is increasing in developing nations around the health and security of a nation than drug use in developed countries. Poor nations may not be able to handle drug abuse because of their underdeveloped boarders.
There has been a growth of heroine use in Eastern Africa and cocaine use in West and South Africa. South East Asian and the Middle East are experiencing increased production and use of synthetic drugs (synthetic drugs include synthetic marijuana, MDMA, and “bath salts”.)
The Economist reports that Afghanistan is the heart of a multi-billion-dollar drug network smuggling heroine. Tajikistan, part of the former Soviet Union, borders countries economy. The majority of the country’s population lives on less than $2 a day and often do not have power to heat their houses in the winter. However, the capital city of Dushanbe is full of mansions and flashy cars, signs that the city is profiting from the drug trade.
If is hard to find data on illicit drug use in developing countries but the use of opiates (heroine, opium, morphine) is likely to be the highest in Eastern Europe and Central, South and South East Asia where the drug is produced. Most opiate users, 7.8 million, live in and around Afghanistan and Myanmar, both major opiate-producing countries.
The World Health Organization reports that alcohol abuse and tobacco use have also risen dramatically in Eastern Europe and South and Southeast Asia. Research on the social and environmental causes of substance abuse has been lower than in the developed world but early research and case studies point to urbanization, poverty, migration, technological change, and interest in drug production as contributing factors.
Historically imprisonment has been the most common solution to illicit drug use and addiction. However research shows that imprisoning drug users is not very effective. The medicalization of drug use and the medical and therapeutic treatment of drug use is much more effective. Unfortunately developing countries face many barriers when implementing the medical treatment of drug addiction. Developing countries do not have the financial recourses or health infrastructure to provide programs like harm reduction initiatives (clean needles, needle drop off sites), drug residential rehab programs, or oral methadone. There is also a moral view of drug use held by many people in poor countries that drug addiction is a personal choice and people should assume responsibility for it. These countries are more likely to take punitive action in dealing with drug use rather than treatment or harm reduction.
– Elizabeth Brown
Sources: World Health Organization, Elements Behavioral Health, The Economist, The White House
Photo: Giphy.com
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5 Deadly Infectious Diseases
Infectious disease is the second most deadly health condition in the world (only behind heart disease) and claims over 16% of all lives lost annually. Nearly half of the World Health Organization’s top ten causes of disease in 2008 were infectious diseases; all of which disproportionately affect developing and low-income countries.
Take the pulse of this major player in global health with the below quick reference guide to five of the world’s most notorious infectious diseases.
Cholera (chol·er·a) – A strictly diarrheal illness caused by a bacterium that infects the intestinal tract and festers in any place contaminated with infected fecal matter. Transmission occurs through drinking water or eating food tinged with the bacterium, which is why cholera often affects regions lacking safe drinking water or proper treatment of sewage.
20% of infections progress to severe symptoms, which include watery diarrhea, leg cramps and vomiting. Cholera-induced dehydration can be life threatening, and may cause death within hours. Three to five million people are infected with cholera annually, causing between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) – AIDS is a critical, incurable condition caused by the virus known as HIV. The virus damages T-cells, a critical component of the body’s immune response, and causes prolonged illness in its victims. HIV can be spread through contact with infected blood of another individual, or from mother-to-child during pregnancy and breast feeding. AIDS is now manageable with a cocktail of antiretroviral drugs, but still killed 1.7 million people in 2011.
Influenza (in·flu·en·za)– Contagious disease of the respiratory system caused by the influenza virus, of which there are two main types: A and B. The flu causes fever, chills, muscle aches and occasional vomiting or diarrhea. Severity of the flu varies seasonally and depending on the infected individual. Extreme outbreaks have changed history: the 1918 pandemic, for example, affected 20-40% of the global population and killed 50 million people.
Malaria (ma·lar·i·a) – An infectious disease caused by a blood-borne parasite transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female mosquitoes. Malaria causes flu-like symptoms in its victims. Bouts of malaria are distinguished by cycles of sweating, chills and fever. In 2010, 219 million people came down with malaria; of those, 600,000 lost their lives. 91% of malaria deaths occur in African nations.
Tuberculosis (tu·ber·cu·lo·sis) – An infectious disease affecting the lungs. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are spread in the droplets released after a cough or sneeze, thereby entering the respiratory tract and causing fatigue, cough, chills, fever and night sweats. Countries with high burdens of HIV see more frequent and more severe cases of TB, including infections of the kidneys, brain and spine. 8.6 million people were infected with TB in 2012. Of those, 1.3 million lost their lives.
– Casey Ernstes
Sources: Centers for Disease Control, Centers for Disease Control Key Facts, Centers for Disease Control Cholera, Flu, Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic Tuberculosis, The World Health Organization, The World Health Organization Media Centre
Photo: CNN
Bolus, Outdated Medical Routine Endangers African Children
In 2011, a group of researchers published results in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that the Western method of treating shock leads to a higher mortality rate among African children. Despite these findings, the WHO has yet to revise its shock treatment process- potentially risking the lives of thousands.
For decades, seriously dehydrated patients in Europe and other developed countries were treated with large quantities of fluid in a 15 minute drip known as a bolus. Until the 2011 trials, this practice had never been tested in a clinical setting. Named the Fluid Expansion As Supportive Therapy (FEAST), the trials enlisted over 3,100 African children suffering from shock and tested the effectiveness of bolus-treated patients versus non-bolus treated patients.
The results stunned doctors and led to a premature shutdown of the trials due to an excessive number of deaths. Overall, researchers concluded that the presence of bolus significantly increased 48-hour mortality in critically ill children. Bolus-treated children had an 89.4% survival rate whereas the non-bolus treated children had a 92.7% survival rate.
Put shortly, out of every hundred children treated, more than three died from the bolus treatment than those who were rehydrated more slowly.
Possible explanations for the perceived discrepancy between African and European success rates include better hospital facilities in Europe, access to ventilators, and the increased severity of the cases in Africa. Until a similar trial takes place in a developed country, doctors will not be able to definitively explain continental differences.
However, as Sarah Boseley reports in The Guardian, the WHO 2013 edition of the Pocket Book of Hospital Care for Children still lists a 20 ml/kg bolus as an acceptable method of shock treatment.
A recently published paper in the British Medical Journal expressed concern that the number of children meeting the WHO’s standard definition of shock “might expose substantial numbers of children to harm.” Based on the known number of children along the Kenyan coast treated for shock ranging in the millions, the BMJ believes continued rapid fluid resuscitation treatment could produce “hundreds of thousands of excess deaths.”
As a preeminent leader in global health and safety, the WHO’s actions directly influence the lives of millions. Their continued use of a highly questionable practice reflects poorly on the organization, and postponing a response only weakens their influence in the developing world.
– Emily Bajet
Sources: The Guardian, The Guardian Heath, BMJ, The New England Journal of Medicine, Modern Ghana
Photo: The Guardian
Spreading Agricultural Technology to India’s Poor Farmers
It is an accepted fact that poverty is the root cause of malnutrition. Over 42% of the Indian population lives on less than $1.25 a day. However, if farmers could increase their output and earn more from what they already have through the use of innovative technology, food insecurity could decrease and that same dollar and a quarter could go much further.
Technology can help farmers to augment their knowledge of which crops to produce for the best return, find the most effective farming practices and make plans based upon weather forecasts.
The e-Choupal initiative is one way that technology is being used to give farmers the information they need to be more successful. The aforementioned benefits of technology are all accounted for on the e-Choupal platform, even enabling buyers to come to the farmers instead of having to haul the produce to market, where oftentimes traders manipulate the market in order to exploit the farmers out of their proper earnings.
The initiative also provides access to storage services and agricultural equipment in addition to other important assets for rural farmers. The e-Choupal network has expanded to 6,500 centers synchronizing the efforts of 40,000 villages to produce greater quantities of better produce and profit.
In this same vein of increased technology and higher profits, organic farming is a possible venue poor farmers could explore. Organic produce consistently garner high prices, the demand for which is only rising. The only constraints are the ones that the e-Choupal network is already helping to eradicate, at least in India, including lack of technical expertise and insufficient market knowledge.
Another example of innovative agricultural technology is the use of drip-irrigation, which cuts water use by 40%, and saves the equivalent of 10 million households water expenditures per year. Much in the same way, the e-Choupal initiative has created a network where over 25,000 small farmers have organized a supply chain that has augmented their average annual incomes by a very significant $1,000.
India is a country of fertile lands and capable farmers. Technology is the catalyst that promises to drive the more than 400 million people living on less than $1.25 a day out of poverty.
– Jordan Schunk
Sources: The Huffington Post, New Indian Express, Rural Poverty Portal
Photo: The Fourth Revolution
Poverty Vortex
If you live in the United States or have been paying any attention to global news over the past week, you have probably heard a lot of discussion and speculation about the icy weather phenomenon that meteorologists are calling the “polar vortex.”
According to Mark Fischetti of Scientific American, the polar vortex is a wind pattern that circles around the Arctic, essentially keeping cooler air flowing North rather than South. The icy temperatures that are being felt all over the United States are a result of this polar vortex shifting South and taking icy gusts along with it.
Meteorologists all over the country called the icy conditions “life-threatening” and warned Americans to stay inside and stay bundled. Unfortunately, several cities experienced widespread electricity outages and frozen pipelines, causing schools to close and many people to temporarily evacuate their homes.
It is often during times like these when it is important for us to think to ourselves: what about those who live like this every single day?
Icy temperatures aside, a similar panoptic pull and tug of the polar vortex can be compared to the sweeping destruction of extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is not isolated within one particular arena of life rather it affects each and every facet of daily life for almost 1.2 billion people.
Although many citizens of developed countries are aware that extreme poverty exists, it often takes a drastic event like the polar vortex to happen in our own lives before we stop and consider how it must be like to never have basic daily needs met.
Consider these statistics:
The dictionary defines “vortex” in several ways. One of these definitions states “something regarded as drawing into its powerful current everything that surrounds it.”
While America quickly learned that the polar vortex did indeed draw everything into its powerful current, the “poverty vortex” in the developing world functions in a similar manner.
Electricity is a great example of this. While 589 million people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have electricity, this does not mean that it only affects the energy sector within a given country. Rather, a lack of reliable access to electricity affects health care standards and educational accessibility. The cyclical nature of extreme poverty is its own poverty vortex.
However, just as icy temperatures began to subside after a few days and most of America started functioning normally again, the same relief is possible for those in the developing world by breaking the poverty vortex.
By drawing upon our own struggles as a chance to learn more about how people in the developing world live on a daily basis, we can begin to understand how and why the cycle of poverty must be broken. Pick up your phone today and call your members of Congress: tell them that the poverty vortex exists and must be broken.
– Brandi Geurkink
Sources: RT USA, Scientific American Blog Network, The Clarion-Ledger, The World Bank, The Dictionary
Photo: International Business Times
USAID, Paragon of Higher Edu. for Developing Nations
For decades, it was believed that funding should be siphoned into lower levels of education rather than university education, and throughout the 1980’s studies argued in favor of this mode of international aid. However, more recent studies show conclusive evidence that higher education has manifold benefits for developing nations. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is perhaps the paragon of the potential that universities and development agencies have when they work together. USAID has chosen to forego any future partnership with Higher Education for Development, an intermediary that works with universities at home and abroad, opting to instead work directly with universities themselves.This signals a more hands-on approach that shows the growing importance of higher education in the eyes of USAID.One very important case of this approach is the Higher Education Solutions Network, which attempts to find solutions to global issues such as food security through development labs at seven different universities.Another example of the commitment of USAID to higher education is its appointment of a senior higher education coordinator that will serve to improve the agency’s transparency and accountability.In every way, USAID shows the desire to forge strong relationships with universities in the belief universities are integral to addressing global problems.One real world example of these burgeoning relationships involves Burma and USAID’s attempt to help the country in its transition to democracy through its universities.In addition to supporting the future leaders of Burma, USAID hopes to create a culture of democracy within the universities that will proliferate outward, focusing on expanding courses in business and politics.The fact that Burma is near the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index shows the ambitious and optimistic nature of the endeavor, as well as the belief in the importance of higher education.The relationships formed through these partnerships have also gone a long way in mending what has been a problematic one between the U.S. and the countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan since the killing of Osama bin Laden. USAID has sponsored and trained Afghan professors and hopes that this might curb the rampant Islamic extremism within the country.The U.S. also expanded the Fulbright program to Pakistan in 2011, providing 200 scholarships to bright Pakistani students to pursue an advanced degree. This makes it possible for intelligent but poor Pakistanis to transition to a higher economic strata.
USAID’s commitment to addressing global problems through its engagement with higher education is already being noticed and utilized by other agencies. As Peter McPherson, director of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, states, “There’s no question that USAID’s engagement with universities has increased…There’s more money and more relationships.” A good combination for helping those in need.
– Jordan Schunk
Sources: Inside Higher Ed, Insider Higher Ed Global, University World News, USAID
Photo: Flickr
Why Poverty? Film Provokes Poverty Advocacy
Why Poverty? is a collaborative effort whose mission is to get people thinking about poverty and what they can do to help end it. Working with award winning film makers, talent that is just starting out and documentary film makers from all over the globe, Why Poverty? wants to reach wide and diverse audiences to get perspective on what poverty really is and what actually needs to be done about it.
Documentaries include factual information about the various causes and effects of extreme poor. Short films are thought provoking and inspiring to deliberately force audiences to question what they have learned and what they can do next. The effort was launched by the nonprofit organization called Steps.
All of the film and video content on the Why Poverty? website is free for non commercial purposes.
Students who want to show a film to their class or bloggers who are spreading the word to their readers are both allowed to take and share content from the Why Poverty? films. Many of the films investigate how inequality in communities lack of education in children, corruption in government and economical failures can all lead to poverty in nations across the globe.
Visiting foreign lands and talking to people living under these conditions is an example of how the films bring the questions surrounding the issue of global inequality to life. What does it take to feed a family? Is it okay for some people to be rich beyond their wildest dreams while others cannot afford to eat? Does gender make a difference in the chances someone has to escape poverty?
Filmmakers collaborate with writers and documentary experts to find out.
Half the battle of ending poverty is education and awareness. Nobody can help solve a problem about which they know nothing. Millions and millions of people all over the world are struggling with disease, lack of clean water, hunger, violence and economical instability. People live in distress and fear, and nations like the United States and other fully developed countries are in a position to help.
Wealthy and powerful, the leading nations have the ability to put an end to the suffering in many parts of the world. Implementing time conscious policies and aid programs would pose a fraction of the cost of military spending or other government department budgets. Why Poverty? asks the general public to think about the facts and consider ways that the everyday person and not just the government can take action.
– Kaitlin Sutherby
Sources: Healthedeals, Bloomberg Opinion, The Washington Post
Photo: BBC
Lauded Kenyan Author: “I Am a Homosexual, Mum”
Renowned Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina, a 43-year -old man, has come out stating that he is gay, becoming one of the most well-known Africans to ever do so publicly. He published a piece on the websites AfricaisaCountry.com and Chimurenga.co.za called “I am a homosexual, mum,” in which he imagines telling his mother on her deathbed that he is gay.
“Nobody, nobody, ever in my life has heard this. Never, mum. I did not trust you, mum. And. I. Pulled air hard and balled it down into my naval, and let it out slow and firm, clean and without bumps out of my mouth, loud and clear over a shoulder, into her ear. ‘I am a homosexual, mum,’” Wainaina writes.
Wainaina’s coming out coincides with the debate and passage of stringent anti-gay laws in Nigeria and Uganda, as well as existing laws prohibiting homosexuality in most African nations, including his native Kenya.
In fact, LGBT Kenyans can be put in jail for up to ten years if they are convicted of participating in homosexual acts, though the law is not often applied. Kenya’s culture remains conservative in regards to homosexuality.
In Nigeria, the government passed a ruling outlawing gay marriage, gay organizations and attending social or political gatherings related to gay causes. Moreover, Uganda has been mired in international controversy over its harsh anti-gay rhetoric and laws.
Not all African nations, however, forbid homosexuality. In a groundbreaking move, South Africa’s 1997 constitution legalized gay marriage.
It is within this African cultural framework that Wainaina has received criticism and praise, though he says the support has been overwhelming.
Wainaina took to Twitter, saying, “Ten million thank yous to the thousands of Africans and others who have given all kinds of public love, [and] support. We live in a beautiful continent.”
He elaborated in an interview with The Global Post, saying that, “It seems like doom and gloom, but my feeling is that the law is a reaction to a thing that they know has traction. And that’s a good thing. There’s no way to put that shit back in the box.”
Wainaina had contemplated coming out publically sooner, especially while he tried to reconcile his relatively free lifestyle in Nairobi and knowing that other LGBT Africans were being persecuted.
As a frequent traveler to Nigeria, Wainaina has sharply condemned the country’s new anti-gay marriage law, saying it “shames us all.” He also states that visiting the country now that he has come out will be an “adventure.”
To those who argue that homosexuality is “un-African,” Wainaina also has sharp words. He points to deeply entrenched puritan values stemming from Victorian era churches, as well as propaganda and fear-mongering as the culprits behind the creation of the fallacious idea that homosexuality is wrong, unnatural, and un-African.
The 2002 Caine Prize-winning author is poised to embrace his role in fighting for the rights of LGBT Africans, and he believes people are ready.
“People who live in societies where you are being lied to a lot value truth,” he states. “I’m a pan-Africanist; I belong to this continent.”
– Kaylie Cordingley
Sources: BBC, Global Post, Huffington Post, The Guardian
Photo: Internaz
Forbes’ Inspiring 30 Under 30
Forbes released its 2014 list of “30 Under 30 who are Changing the World,” which recognizes 30 notable young people in 15 different categories such as education, finance, science and Hollywood who are making a big impact in their chosen field.
Forbes recognized 30 inspiring people in the Social Entrepreneur category who are working in various fields such as girls’ education, rural agricultural development, mobile phone access in remote locations and the creation of online giving platforms.
Those honored were a part of a pool of nominated people who were then selected by philanthropist and former-eBay president Jeff Skoll, Cheryl Dorsey of Echoing Green — which funds social entrepreneurs — and Randall Lane, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes.
Some notable entries in Forbes’ Inspiring 30 Under 30: Social Entrepreneurs include the following people.
Malala Yousafzai, 16, and Shiza Saheed, 24, joined forces in 2012 after Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban in retribution for her vocal stance on the importance of girls’ education. Saheed became Malala’s “chief strategist” for how Malala’s courage and activism could be utilized on a broad scale to create lasting global change.
They cofounded the Malala Fund, have raised $400,000 in grants from the World Bank and from Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and have become a powerful symbol of the movement for girls’ education and female empowerment around the world.
Kennedy Odede, 29, grew up in the Kenyan slum of Kibera where he was called to action by the community’s desperate conditions, especially for women and girls. He founded the organization Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), which runs the tuition-free Kibera School for Girls, a health clinic, community center, clean water initiatives and revenue-generating activities for adults in the community.
SHOFCO’s overarching idea is that if community development can be visibly linked to gender equity initiatives, people will support the empowerment of girls.
Odede and SHOFCO have been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative and the Newman’s Own Foundation and will be featured in a forthcoming women’s rights documentary by New York Times contributor Nicholas Kristof.
Esra’a Al Shafei, 27, is the founder of Mideast Youth, which promotes social justice, political dissent, and open journalism in the Middle East and North Africa. Further, the organization runs online platforms for activist musicians (https://mideastunes.com/) and for young members of the LGBT community in the region.
Bryan Baum, 24, is the co-founder of Prizeo, which raffles various experiences with A-listers such as Justin Bieber, One Direction, Muhammad Ali and Alicia Keys in order to benefit non-profit organizations. Prizeo has to-date raised $3 million for charities, including St. Jude, Typhoon Haiyan Relief and Invisible children.
Talia Leman, 18, was only ten years old when she raised $10 million for Hurricane Katrina relief. Since then she has created RandomKid, which facilitates the efforts of young people who want to make an impact on the world.
Ten cents of every fundraised dollar on the site goes into a general pool for future efforts. The site has engaged projects from over 12 million young people from 20 countries.
– Kaylie Cordingley
Sources: Prizeo, Forbes, Shining Hope for Communities, RandomKid, Malala Fund
Photo: NWHM