Impact Stories & Blogs

Joel Alex Olang, Kenya - Cohort 35 Joel Alex runs the Urban Tech for Hope, a registered Start-up in Kenya which uses mobile health app, known as m-Kliniki available on Google play store, to meet the Urgent and Primary health needs of individuals across Kenya and beyond. The m-Kliniki app also gives healthcare  the stakeholders upfront data and information which enables them to make informed decisions before venturing into their respective fields. Joel says that before YALI RLC EA training, their start-up did not have the mobile health app. They conducted their programs with the old school ...

Bilingual Journalist Forum All over the world in countries where English is not a first language, majority of people make an effort to learn it. Two widely held beliefs are that English is one of the most important global languages and that knowledge of English leads to expanded career opportunities, salary increments, and improvements in living standards. Countries around the world recognize that to remain competitive in the global economy, their citizens must learn English. For many English learners, speaking is the most difficult part of the language to master. To improve your speaking sk...

Covid-19 pandemic has hit the World hard causing a global economic shut down. Currently on the third wave, a lot is been done to stop spread the virus like social distancing, washing/sanitising hands and wearing of masks. Several countries have also started administering the Covid-19 vaccine. With thousands of hospitalizations, public health is more relevant and critical than ever and as a result, public health professionals are in high demand. Stephen Ogweno, an alumnus of YALI Regional Leadership Center East Africa (YALI RLC EA) under the Civic Leadership track is one of those in the fore ...

Vulcain Yengo, Republic of Congo, Cohort 1, Civic Leadership Landing in Brazzaville, we had a lot of expectations. We had heard a lot about our alumnus, Vulcain Yengo, who runs Entraide, an NGO on the outskirts of Brazzaville town. Entraide means mutual aid. The organization specializes in youth entrepreneurship training and was established in 2012 with a mission to develop the entrepreneurial potential of Africans for personal development and sustainable autonomy. Services offered include training, business incubation, international conferencing on entrepreneurship and coaching. Wherea...

Catherina Nakimera, Uganda, Cohort 22, Business & Entrepreneurship Alumna Catherine Nakimera is calm and collected. Her demeanor exudes a woman who knows her purpose and is passionate about her business. Her business is located in the same building as Uganda Bankers Association in Muyenga, Kampala, Uganda. She runs Strategic Sourcing Consult Ltd (SSCL), a premier provider of professional procurement, facilities management and logistics advisory services. SSCL was incorporated in Uganda in March 2016 with the aim of providing professional services to organizations in the public and pri...

Benson Kiragu, Kenya, Cohort 31, Civic Leadership Not so long ago, I was a street kid spending my days and nights on the streets of Eldoret, Kenya. I would go for days without food and other basic needs. I have experienced first-hand what it is like to be neglected and to lack access to basic health-care services. Due to sleeping on unsympathetic floors and having to endure long cold nights, I developed asthma that almost cost me my life on multiple occasions. I also developed a degenerative eye problem, called keratoconus which has left me partially blind. Vulnerable populations continue t...

Gemechis Ejeta, Ethiopia, Cohort 10, Business & Entrepreneurship If you go to Ethiopia and do not eat Injera, you have really let the Ethiopians down. A staple food in Ethiopia and Eritrea and found in many countries across the world, Injera is made with “teff”, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is very nutritious, it contains practically no gluten. It was thus a great experience for us to visit our alumnus Gemechis Ejeta, who is involved in production of this organic food. Getting there was quite a task under the scorching sun. Located in ...

Paulmard Mboungou Moutsinga, Republic of Congo, Cohort 13, Business & Entrepreneurship  “Nairobi!!” A young man landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport not sure of what to expect. Arriving in a country with over 40 Million people which was an overwhelming number dwarfing his country’s figure of about 4 million. When he received the confirmation that YALI Regional Leadership Center East Africa (YALI RLC EA) had selected him to participate in the leadership program, he was ecstatic! From when Paulmard Mboungou was young, his father had reiterated the need to learn and speak E...

Monica Tayebwa, Uganda, Cohort 33, Business & Entrepreneurship The drive to Nyanama area in the outskirts of Kampala was a long one and we had to stop and ask around for directions. We finally arrived in Nyanama through a rough narrow road to meet Monica Tayebwa, an alumna of YALI RLC EA. Alongside her shop was a businessman making “rolex” and for a moment we almost got derailed but we remembered why we were there. In Uganda, the rolex is the country’s favourite snack, a sandwich made up of an omelette, chapati bread, and it derives its name from a play on the words “rolled eggs�...

Brian Gicheru, Kenya, Cohort 24, Civic Leadership The ocean was forging its own sea-song. She embraces the whole world with magnificent beauty and by her breathe humanity and other living-organisms survive A ship was docking after its enthralling journey in the high seas. Hundreds of people were embarking and disembarking from the ferry, leaving or heading to the south coast. This was the norm for Brian Gicheru, a young man who was born and raised on the South-Western side of Mount Kenya in a constituency called Mathira, Nyeri County, Kenya, a region that has earned itself a name in the inte...