#AFRICANVOICES: AN ODE TO HOPE, RESILIENCE AND THE POWER OF COLLABORATION AND CONNECTION
- andrewgasnolar
- Jun 28, 2021
- 7 min read
To kick off our very first #AfricanVoices blog, we go west on our vibrant African continent. This collaborative piece between young African leaders Maryam Shehu Mohammed from Nigeria and Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar from South Africa laments Africa’s challenges and — more optimistically, chronicles the resounding impact of their life-changing leadership journey. These stories tell of the beauty and power of chance encounters — sparking collaboration and connection and signalling hope of the promise and prosperity that awaits our beautiful continent.
AFRICA IS THE FUTURE
The issues confronting Africa, and the Global South, often seem insurmountable and the scale so systemic that any alternative seems starved of any possibility of meaningful implementation. However, through our own experiences in Nigeria, South Africa, and from our brothers and sisters across the Global South, we have been inspired by what is possible through meaningful collaboration and partnership. Often, partnership and collaboration seem serendipitous, and perhaps our connectivity was by chance. After all, the work of President Barack Obama and his State Department that sought to invest in the promise of young Africans enabled it.
TOGETHER, WE CAN REIMAGINE AFRICA
Each day, we are reminded of the bonds we formed during the summer of 2014, and we remain encouraged by how those bonds have enabled deep appreciation for our individual challenges, but also our shared responsibility to reimagine Africa and to pick up the baton and work with others to confront what we see wrong in the world. The promise of Africa and its people is rooted in its people, resilience, talent, exuberance, vibrancy, and diversity. The decade ahead for Africa and the Global South must not shy away from this diversity and abundance. Instead, we must begin to model what is purposeful and possible through our collective altruistic efforts.
MARYAM’S STORY
Maryam Mohammed reflects very personally on this journey and her place in the world:
“I have met people and read about people who have set out to become one thing but find their passion in other things. Usually, they are successful in living out their greatest passion. Never had I ever imagined that nine years down the line, I would immerse myself in something so great that it has taken on a life of its own.”
Maryam further tells of her rooting, experience and the nature of her work:
“I am a lawyer by profession. I love the law so much that I could not stop studying it until I earned a PhD. I love my line of work; I enjoy being a Company Secretary and always look forward to my day job. I advocate for gender equality in the workplace, striving to ensure that women are not held back because of imposed gender stereotypes or cultural expectations of what a woman ought to be. I have many passions, but this is the one that keeps me awake at night.”
ANDREW IHSAAN’S STORY
Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar, Kembali’s Founder and CEO, reflects on why African Voices has been conceptualised, and his hopes around this series:
“Over the years, I have benefitted immensely from the investment in my leadership journey — from the World Economic Forum and UNLEASH to the Obama Foundation. But what always struck me is the vibrancy and commitment of service that young people have demonstrated and modelled. Crucially, African Voices will be a platform for shared experiences and a way of giving visibility to the important work and commitment by the unsung heroes of our generation. African Voices acts as a clarion call to commit to service and to make meaningful policy interventions across multiple sectors.”
OF YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS
Maryam and I, like many other young people across the continent, have been encouraged to dedicate our energy and effort to obtain the best academic outputs and focus on building careers of meaning and impact. Perhaps, if people like us were allowed the opportunity to become involved in the non-profit sector ten years ago or lead an organisation, we would not have conceived this as a possibility. However, Maryam’s work with our kindred brother and medical professional Farouk Garba in Nigeria reminds us of the power of action and commitment to service.
Maryam and Farouk, through their work, have changed the lives of hundreds (their families included) through their collaborative work underpinned by partnership and shared skills and values. This partnership — fostered by Farouk and Maryam, saw them working with people who echo the sentiment that meaningful work requires a real commitment to the work. Action is important, and those first steps — although treading lightly, are sometimes the most powerful and impactful. The work across Nigeria that Maryam and Farouk have undertaken has reminded Andrew Ihsaan of his own civic and non-profit work in South Africa, often happening unassumingly and without much fuss. There is no doubt that service and commitment for others have brought out the very best in people like Maryam, Farouk and Andrew Ihsaan.
THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION
Partnership and collaboration have been a gamechanger for the work that Maryam and Farouk have spearheaded. When it began, their work was guided by their values and those who have supported them along their journey. Charity to Cheer Foundation was not always a foundation or organised structure. It began with crowdfunding from family and friends to help get a man off the streets of Abuja in Nigeria. Social media, partnerships and collaborations enabled Maryam and Farouk to raise funds and again highlights the power of disruption and technology that ought to be used as a gamechanger in the Global South. Importantly, Maryam did not simply assume that this generosity would be accepted by the potential beneficiary, who declined the assistance offered.
INNOVATION IS FUNDAMENTAL
Maryam used a BlackBerry group — again innovatively modelling transparency, refunding the donors, and communicating effectively with their collaborators. This model of leadership and partnership is essential. However, the donors refused to accept the refund but instead insisted they help more people. More than 30 individuals decided to continue working together, pooling resources each month and helping those in need through this humble start. In 2014, they formally registered their NGO.
Common interests unequivocally trigger collaboration. Later that year in 2014, Maryam met Dr Farouk Garba, a fellow Mandela Washington Fellow, who happened to be in the same school as her in Baltimore. Maryam ran a charity involved in healthcare, and Farouk had a critical cause of making vision restoration more affordable and accessible. Maryam and Farouk inspired others like Andrew Ihsaan to believe in partnership and collaboration from that chance encounter and just a couple of weeks together. This ethos of partnership and collaboration forged in Baltimore during the summer of 2014 has continued to blossom, supporting each other’s work and dreams at every turn and coordinating efforts to help those struggling with the Ebola crisis in West Africa during 2014 and 2015. Not only were we able to understand the crisis as it unfolded, but we were able to coral support and engage regional stakeholders and contacts within multilateral health organisations that we met during our U.S. visit in 2014.
Maryam and Farouk started with less than 20 beneficiaries in 2014. Since then, the amount delivered annually to commemorate world eyesight day depended on how much funds were raised, so the numbers hovered between 30-50 each year. In 2015, we partnered with Etisalat (now known as 9mobile) to provide 50 surgeries in Gombe and 50 in Bauchi State.
OF QUALITATIVE NETWORKS
In 2019, another 2014 Mandela Washington Fellow, Saidat Shonoki, told Maryam about a course she would later attend at Lagos Business School on Non-Profit Management. Through this contact, Maryam learned more about the programme and obtained funding from the Ford Foundation to participate fully. Saidat wholeheartedly supported Maryam. This is the story of Africa. These anecdotes tell of our willingness to support the dreams and aspirations of our fellow brothers and sisters. Later that year, Maryam was selected and attended the programme. Maryam felt revived and transformed, empowered to pick up the baton and forge ahead as a non-profit leader. At this point, Maryam felt confident, skilled, and ready. At this point, with a renewed sense of confidence, skills and reflection, Charity to Cheer Foundation underwent a process of growth and transformation. Some restructuring, adopting a five-year strategic and sustainability plan, a website rehaul, producing newsletters, and investing in some publicity for the first time made a world of difference.
SEEING EYE TO EYE
Finding the right people who either share your vision or are willing to buy into yours is critical. Following the consistency and success of this aspect of the charity’s activities, efforts were made to reach out to organisations that may buy into the charity’s hope of restoring more people’s vision. At the end of the day, Farouk and Maryam always remembered the value of building meaningful partnerships, deliberately learning from institutions like Lagos Business School, and relying on the advice and guidance of their benevolent Advisory Board. An important lesson learned is leveraging your network for good. Allow that network to both support your dreams and root your ideas in knowledge and experience. Intergenerational partnerships are crucial to leapfrogging forward. Former U.S. President Barack Obama supported young Africans like Farouk and Maryam. His encouragement and support have sown the seeds of hope that continue to ripple across Nigeria.
We look back fondly on the days in the cafeteria of Morgan State University in Baltimore. We reminisce on the laughter and lectures that Maryam and Farouk shared with other fellows such as Ida Mboob, Halima Ilo Gambo, Andrew Ihsaan and many others, through which we forged this camaraderie. Today, almost 200 patients have had their eyesight restored from a partnership that seems to still be in its infancy. We miss many opportunities out of fear of rejection, but there is a lesson in every failure. There is the build-up of emotional stamina to withstand a “no”.
RESOLUTE, RESILIENT, RISING
Over the years, Maryam has learned that not putting ourselves out there and not showcasing what we do to attract the right kind of benefactors limits our ability to reach more people in need, especially since they rely primarily on members’ contribution. Why do this when there are sufficient resources that we can capitalise on to improve communities’ lives and livelihoods?
We will keep asking, and if one says no, we won’t be crestfallen and disheartened. Our momentum and determination will remain resolute and unwavering. We will keep moving. From the tireless work of inspirational young people like Maryam and Farouk, we draw strength and inspiration, and we know that Africa is indeed on the move and rising!
- Maryam Shehu Mohammed and Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar
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