Author: Katie Groe

NAIROBI, Kenya — Walter Mugbe was 7 years old when his father passed away. His family of five was in crisis. Mugbe struggled to survive until he found the Africa Yoga Project (AFP). He recently visited Washington D.C. this summer as an advocate for the program and a professional yoga instructor. Statistics from 2005 indicate that nearly 45.9 percent of Kenya’s population live in poverty. Two years later, Paige Elenson met with Kenyan acrobats while on a safari. She decided to show them yoga and has been doing so ever since. She began AFP while focusing on impoverished areas. Observing life…

CALAIS, France — The Jungle is a makeshift campsite for refugees resting on the shore of France’s Calais where an estimated 3,000 people migrated from Eritrea, Afghanistan, Syria, Northern Africa, Iraq, Sudan and Ethiopia. Nonprofits and individuals across France and the United Kingdom have donated money and supplies to assisting refugees who lack many necessities, but also lack many educational luxuries, such as books and poetry. The Jungle is transforming into a settlement that relies on philanthropy. British teacher Mary Jones, formerly from Wales, began “Jungle Books” or “Livres de la jungle.” This library holds children’s books, fiction novels and…

ABUJA, Nigeria — Hello Tractor is a start-up company connecting small rural farmers with hard labor services. Jehiel Oliver is the developer of the Smart Tractor, a two-wheeled engine with GPS and internet connections in places with low internet capabilities. This tractor can be purchased using Hello Tractor’s text messaging system that processes payment through the cloud. Agriculture makes up 20.2 percent of Nigeria’s GDP. About 79.1 percent of Nigeria has cultivatable land, but the country ranks 132 out of 188 countries that use modernized agricultural technology. In fact, there are only 6.6 tractors every 100 square kilometers of arable…

SEATTLE – There are 775 million illiterate people in the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 200 million children are living in locations without access to basic books. Worldreader, a nonprofit firm, raised $1.5 million from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, publishers and other foundations paying for 1,100 Kindles and 180,000 e-books to be sent to students and educators in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. President and CEO Rhonda H. Lauer of Foundations Incorporated expresses in an article by Language and Literacy for All that literacy broadens vocabulary and enhances learning capabilities and professionalism. Reading is an experience that shapes culture and empathy, and…

NAIROBI, Kenya – Steve Song, an activist supporting the advancement of Africa’s connectivity projects, has stated in an article by Simon Allison that affordable Internet is not a luxury and “it creates efficiencies at every level from the rural farmer to the large corporation.” A solar-powered and wireless Internet provider called Mawingu Networks is ready to take on a loan of a possible $4 million using the technology of TV white spaces to connect rural Internet users who are economically at a setback. Conversations at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi at 2015 put TV White Space technology in the…

MAGADI, Kenya — In Kenya’s Kajiado County, the village of Magadi takes advantage of a solar power revolution carried out by more than 200 Masai women. There was virtually no solar energy marketing in Kenya, but that statistic from 2006 jumped to a consumption rate of 20 percent in 2015. About 2,000 households have adapted to solar technology thanks to Masai women. Jackline Naiputa knows too well the struggles of relying on kerosene. To buy fuel or simply charge a cellphone, stations sit 15 kilometers out of reach. She spent 40 cents a day on kerosene and a dollar each…

SOUTHERN SUDAN — Since December 2013, children of Southern Sudan face subjection to war, hunger, and poverty. There is little optimism in the media’s coverage regarding Southern Sudan. However, some people standing against illiteracy have carried positive strides in recent months. With 2 million being displaced and 70 percent of schools being shut down, assistance from Project Education South Sudan (PESS) brings opportunity to children in an unstable time. About 50.6 percent of South Sudan was living in poverty as of 2006. Project Education Southern Sudan, housed in Colorado, is determined to make optimistic headway in light of recent events.…

KIGALI, Rwanda — The Coca-Cola Company initiated an expansion of internet connectivity to rural communities in Africa. Rwanda’s rural communities are scheduled to receive internet capabilities from Ericsson’s Ekocenter, which is a kiosk designed to direct attention to social enterprises while supporting business and community needs. Rwanda has come a long way since 1994 regarding social welfare. The country has progressed with exceptional economic growth and construction methods thanks to foreign aid and socio-economic reformation. Since 2006, Rwanda’s poverty rate has dropped from 56.7 percent to 44.9 percent in 2011. About 48.7 percent of those who live in poverty live…

BOSTON, Massachusetts – On July 7, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Anita Goel won the Galactic Grant Competition to support the Nanobiosym Research Institute. This facility is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was founded and is led by Dr. Anita Goel. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) found that Nanobiosym is a groundbreaking innovation essential to tackling difficult to detect and drug-resistant health problems. The United Kingdom’s National Health Service has observed that more than 50 percent of Ebola patients’ conditions improve when they are merely hydrated. Rural Africa needs real-time…

NAIROBI, Kenya – There are nearly 34 million Kenyans living without electricity. M-Kopa Solar’s June Muli is in charge of customer relations. She is establishing a sense of ownership amongst Kenyan residents whose solar panels are provided by M-Kopa Solar. The mission of this startup company is to reach off-grid customers by providing lightweight, safe power with green energy that’s affordable. President Obama recognized M-Kopa Solar at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi. June Muli met with President Obama in July to discuss the M-KOPA III Solar Home System requiring a payment of only 40 cents a day. This is…