Baobab Summit 2020
Baobab Goes Global #Resilience
Baobab Goes Global #Resilience
The Baobab Summit is an annual signature event that brings together Mastercard Foundation Scholars for three days of fellowship, learning, and mentorship. Since the global pandemic upended plans to host the Summit in Rwanda, Mastercard Foundation held the first ever virtual Baobab Summit, an interactive experience that Scholars could enjoy from the comfort of their own computer screens.
This event has ended.
Opening Remarks from Reeta Roy, President and CEO
Resilience: A Marathon Not A Sprint
The Summit kicked off on Friday, August 21, 2020 with a Facebook Live session with Mastercard Foundation President and CEO, Reeta Roy and three-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge — Resilience: A Marathon Not a Sprint.
Welcome to #Baobab2020
Grounded in the values of transformative leadership and inspired by the Scholars Program’s new targets to engage more young people with disabilities, refugees, and those who have been displaced, resilience offers participants an opportunity to explore the intersection between personal growth, inclusion and social transformation. As we discussed resilience and its building blocks: connection, adaption, compassion, innovation and purpose, Baobab 2020 was an opportunity to learn from each other and build the critical thinking, grit and entrepreneurial skills needed to re-think challenges and forge new solutions.
Our Roving Reporters
Two Scholars, Sandra Kalua and Mahmoud Kanso, reported from the Summit, sharing their thoughts and experiences on our Facebook and Instagram channels.
We’ve asked two Mastercard Foundation Scholars to share their Baobab experience with us at this year’s event. Check back for reports from them, sharing their thoughts on the highlights, what they’ve learned, and who they’ve met.
Sandra Peachy Kalua
Mastercard Foundation Scholar at EARTH University
Sandra Peachy Kalua is a youth activist based in Costa Rica currently completing her degree in agricultural sciences. She believes in talent development and advocates for youth to not only embrace their talents but also learn how to monetize them. She does not only talk the talk but walks the walk. She is a lifestyle blogger and vlogger where she uses her passion and talent for content creation to help the youth navigate this complex life. Also offering one-hour mentorships sessions on her website as part of the Speak your mind movement. Where she helps youth work on building their respective talents and planning a way forward.
Sandra, on resilience:
“Resilience, to me, is having the world look at what you have to offer and devaluing it, but you still continue to believe in yourself and talents and work towards proving them wrong.”
Mahmoud Kanso
Mastercard Foundation Scholar at American University of Beirut
Mahmoud is a Syrian civil engineering student at American University of Beirut, with a minor in Arabic. He is Founder of social venture EduPass.
Mahmoud on resilience:
“Resilience is when everything that surrounds you, drags you down but you try your best to keep going forward. Resilience is when you hold a switch button and turn on to what keeps you rising and turn off to whatever obstructs your journey to your dreams and goals. Resilience is when your supports fail but you insist on taking their ruins to build a whole new foundation that you can stand on again.”
2020’s Plenary Speakers
Eliud Kipchoge
Eliud Kipchoge is a Kenyan long-distance runner who made history in November 2019 by running a marathon under two hours.
He is a three-time Olympian, having won a bronze medal in Athens in 2004, a silver medal in Beijing in 2008, and a gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Described as “the greatest marathoner of the modern era” and with his eyes set on Tokyo 2021, Eliud believes that a strong mindset is key to his success: “Anytime I face a challenge, I take it as a lesson. I don’t lose; I always learn.” He is an advocate for sport, believing it has the power to unite the world.
Christine Kirungi
Christine Kirungi is a disability and gender activist.
She is the Executive Director of the Uganda National Association of Cerebral Palsy (UNAC) and a Disability Inclusion Facilitator with Light for the World in Uganda. As a young woman living with cerebral palsy, she brings years of life experience to the conversation on disability inclusion.
Valerie Labi
Valerie Labi is a Ghana-based social innovator who is committed to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
She currently serves as the Country Director of International Development Enterprise, which supports innovative and sustainable initiatives such as SolarTaxi. She is also the Founder of Sama Sama, a social enterprise that offers affordable and sustainable sanitation and hygiene solutions to communities in Northern Ghana. Valerie previously worked for Vodafone PLC and Ernst & Young LLP in both Africa and Europe. Her accomplishments were recognized by President Obama in 2014 when she was awarded the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
Ambrose Murangira
Ambrose Murangira is a leading disability advocate and Disability Inclusion Advisor with Light for the World.
Before joining Light for the World, he was the Executive Director of the Uganda Association for the Deaf. Ambrose has a wide network in the disability community and is a highly experienced trainer on disability awareness and disability-inclusive programming.
The Virtual Space
Due to COVID-19, 2020’s summit was virtual
Speak Your Mind
Every year, Mastercard Foundation Scholars have a chance to enter the Speak Your Mind content, where they share personal insights around the theme of the Baobab Summit. 2020’s resilience theme was one that resonated strongly with Scholars for obvious reasons, and garnered more than 200 submissions. From spoken word to speeches, from dance to videos, each piece was poignant, compelling and deeply personal.
