Acumen Fellows Regional Trip Update: Rwanda impresses and……

There's me in the middle in the front row!

I know…I have not been rather forthcoming with news on my Acumen Fellowship journey. 
But, that is because I have been busy putting together a rather interesting piece for you…. I hope you will love reading along.

As you might already know, I am 8 months into the Acumen Regional Fellows program, a journey that I am not only enjoying, but I am almost sad that it will soon be coming to an end. I am glad, however, that I am paving way for someone else to live the experience.

The lessons…..

The last few months, which featured workshops and a regional trip (of course the regional trip was made to none other than my Rwanda), have been rather rewarding with fellows being hosted to ‘social readings’ by Jacqueline Novogratz herself ( and I am assuming you all know who she is, but if you do not…meet her here. Applications for the next Fellows are open. Apply NOW). 

We were hosted to readings from the works of Chinua Achebe (RIP), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and JJ Rousseau among others, which triggered interesting schools of thought. We still ponder over them.

In April, the session was even more playful learning and in company of the Acumen Global Fellows. We mastered the art of communication from lovely Abigail and Michael from Virtuozo and also enjoyed lots of games. I cannot fail to mention the special treat of attending a Masai cultural festival and returning home with a traditional dress.

The regional trip (which serves as a learning platform on social change models in the region) was another eye opener for all of us in one way or the other. In Rwanda, all fellows got a feel of what and how things are done. 

Only in Rwanda, did we find sexy words like; consistency, no corruption, performance contracts, customer care etc.

We witnessed campaigns around ‘zero tolerance for corruption’ and ‘customer care’; not only among authorities, but rural people as well.

While visiting one of the projects run by ‘MVPs, I was personally moved by the fact that health workers keep calendars of who needs to have their antenatal care and remind them, every woman, not only has access to antenatal care, but to a reminder, courtesy of the health workers. I almost wished I lived in that part of the country where I am reminded to go see my doctor. Super!

During the same trip, while visiting one of the fellows project on coffee processing, we made our first stop to a school. This school that has been set up to cater for educational needs of coffee farmers’ children, since they live so far away from most schools. The young children sung for us and it brought tears of joy as I observed how their lives are being changed by coffee growing. Who said that coffee is all about drinking!

Rather unique is the latest seminar which not only saw the launch of "Acumen Kampala,” but also challenged our understanding and perception of leaders and what leadership means ( I am struggling not to mention the word leader… my Acumen Fellows know what I mean..).

To this particular school of thought (and I would love to hear your mixed feelings/arguments); there is no such a thing as a leader and it gets better! While every person in authority has been labeled a leader, it’s interesting to know that "Leadership is not a role, it’s an activity and ability to mobilize people to address issues in a community." 

I leave you to grapple with that. Challenging in all of this though is the realization that even to perform such acts of leadership, we need a purpose. And my question to all readers and ‘leaders’ is this: "What is your purpose?" Think about what drives you.

If you know the Acumen Fellowship structure, you probably know that we are at the drawing table putting together a collaborative project. In our last seminar we has an opportunity to brainstorm on the best alternative; we have two projects which you will learn of in the next episode.

Having said that, it’s not all about work and no play. In our launch of the ‘Regional Fellows Program’ in Nairobi, we had a chance to dine, wine and dance with Acumen well-wishers along with some of the global team members and Fellows. In Kigali, the fellows had an experience of the local traditional dance, while in Kampala, the group not only enlisted themselves at Silk Club but also felt the sting of the famous ‘Traffic jam’ of Kampala.

Oh and before I forget, applications for the next cohort of East Africa Fellows, so make sure to apply if my journey has inspired you!

It’s a series of events; tune in to the next episode…

Ingabire Julian

Where Acumen, Balloons and Theatre Come to Play….

Sometimes when you are in a fellowship like Acumen, you are thinking "Oh great, I am going to learn how to do a business plan, develop one, learn the basics around project management," etc. However, the approach is what is interesting; it's not your usual sit and listen. 

In the first workshop, we spent 5 days practicing our elevator pitches, engaging in design-thinking activities led by IDEO, presenting our life maps, and writing letters to ourselves. We shall open this one day to see whether we have become those people we hoped to be in the letters. I know people dying to read my letter. Duh! It's mine.

One interesting exercise was the balloon blowing, in which each of us had to pick a balloon and write on it their possible distractions from concentrating on the workshop. The idea was that after putting them down, we will then burst the balloon, as a sign that we have let go of those distractions. It was funny; we all had a moment where we held onto our distractions and we did not want to let go. It's not because we did not want to be at the workshop, but it's because these are things that define our daily lives, they are who we are and if we let them go, then we stop being who we are. But, we had to do so to be able to fully learn from the workshop. Learn we did!

The second seminar was even better. First, we were expected do some immense reading on ‘society reading’, and with Jacqueline Novogratz herself as moderator, some of the regions’ great minds (my East African fellows) unleashed in heated discussion.  To crown the week, we spent time with the Acumen Global Fellows on learning the art of communication from theatre experts and playing games. We learned of level 1-3 voices.

Julian (bottom left) with her East Africa Acumen Fellows engage in an IDEO design-thinking workshop.

Guess what is the next activity of the fellowship program? It features a trip to any one of the countries in the region, and OF COURSE, or at least as you might expect, Rwanda is the case study on May 27^th and my EA colleagues will be here in Rwanda! That's not all what is left of the program; there's one more workshop and an innovations conference.

Oh, my favourite parts are the phone basket, where we keep all our electronics so we do not get distracted, and the week's supply of snacks that is over by day one.

Cheers,

Julian, SHE COO, Rwanda

Acumen Fund East Africa Fellows Program: Julian's First Training

When I first applied for the Acumen Fund East Africa Fellows Program, I felt like my chances of getting into the fellowship were slim, because after reviewing the profiles of the past fellows, I soon realized that there an amazing group of people who are just as driven and passionate as I am in making a better world, and that my work is only just beginning in helping to drive long-tern change.

Well, despite the rigorous interviews, I am grateful that I made the cut and that the Acumen Fund afforded me the opportunity to develop my leadership potential. As a Acumen Fund East Africa Fellow, Class of 2013, I am now only a few seats away from Acumen Fund's founder Jacqueline Novogratz.

The Fellows program kicked off with a one week-long intense workshop in Kenya, led by some of the best brains behind the fellowship program, past fellows and design thinkers.

The first workshop was a great experience and an eye opener for me in many ways. First, I got to meet the most amazing people - my fellow colleagues - and my cohort includes social entrepreneurs to political figures to health providers. Some of my colleagues include future East African presidents, I am sure of it! 

My roommate, a woman from Northern Kenya, has dedicated her life to saving young girls from early marriages and genital mutilation. She faces harassment and has even been chased while rescuing a 9-year old from getting married to a 70-year old chief. It's startling how she can confront such human rights violations!  

The Acumen Fund workshops were quite engaging. We learned how to develop an elevator pitch, work together to designing a project, and learned all the essentials about business operations - skills that are imperative to my work.

Even though I am back in the office, I am currently engaging with my colleagues around developing and presenting elevator pitches.  FUN!

The program has just begun, but I have been deeply moved and touched by the kind of work and great things being done by each of the Fellows; it’s an indicator that the region has a lot of potential to unlock. 

Watch this space for more interesting news coming to you live especially since the next workshop will be led by Jacqueline Novogratz herself!

-Julian Ingabire, Chief Operating Officer