MCW GLOBAL AWARDS ALUMNI VENTURES FUND GRANTS
Meet the 2019 Recipients: From Egypt to Nigeria and from India to Vietnam
New York, NY, USA, February 12, 2019 – MCW Global awarded four Alumni Ventures Fund (AVF) grants, totaling almost $15,000, to young leaders from around the world. These young leaders are working hand-in-hand with grassroots organizations to pursue projects that make a difference in their own communities.
As recipients of the AVF grant, each individual will receive financial support and a year of professional mentorship to help turn their vision plans into concrete community-based projects. To date, MCW Global has awarded 17 AVF grants totaling more than $61,000 granted since the fund’s founding in 2009.
These four young leaders bring a range of experience and interest to their projects, from linking the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and local volunteerism in Egypt to training individuals in First Aid in Nigeria and from diversifying educational opportunities in India to combating gender stereotypes in Vietnam.
“AVF gives young leaders the unique opportunity to execute a project that is important to them and their community,” says Sharon Kess, a co-founder of the fund. “AVF grants provide the resources and mentoring to help optimize this process.”
Charmaine Peart-Hosang, a member of the AVF selection committee, adds “AVF provides the needed funds, mentors, and networks to elevate young leaders to further build and showcase their areas of local change and contribute towards global change.”
Meet our inspiring recipients below:
- Mohamed Ghanem, Egypt: The AVF grant will support Mohamed and Agents for SDGs’s mission to broaden the scope of promoting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in Egypt by engaging more youth in its programs through volunteerism. “AVF will help us move from being an unregistered initiative in Egypt to a registered youth organization, a critical part of expanding our activities and partnerships. We are also at a turning point where mentorship will help us grow to the next level.”
- Sharath Koona, India: Under the umbrella of Redefine Education Through Universally Reachable Network (R.E.T.U.R.N), Sharath’s project aims to provide communities with access to career-crafting workshops focused on skills building, mentorship, employment, and networking, in order to address rising unemployment in India. “This [AVF] grant will not only help us to realize our project, but also to bring the change we want to see in our community.”
- Tu Karen Nguyen, Vietnam: In 2017, Tu Karen Nguyen worked hand-in-hand with a group of individuals to set up YJT Sisterhood Union (YSU). Today, YSU boasts 3,000 members, including men and women of Vietnamese origin from around the world. With support from AVF, Tu aims to support YSU’s mission to fight toxic gender stereotypes in the local community by empowering women through educational, emotional, and mental support through a webinar series and a mentorship club. “We have been successfully mobilizing internal resources to sustain our activities. However, we cannot be isolated forever. This is the right time to open up and exchange with the external environment. The AVF Grant is the start engine to build our online presence, network and expand our activities in the future.”
- Ogbemudia Eddy Uwoghiren, Nigeria: With support from AVF, Eddy’s project, LifeSavers Initiative for First AID Education Nigeria, (LifeSaversNG), aims to bring First AID training to every Nigerian and equip them to be LIFE SAVERS whenever emergencies occur before transporting the patient to the hospital to increase their chances of survival. “I see myself as Nigeria’s First AID Education Young Ambassador. By awarding this grant, MCW Global has selected a young social activist from the world’s most populous black nation to advance the vision and mission of MCW Global through this project that places strong emphasis on First AID Education from a West African perspective.”
For more details on the Alumni Ventures Fund and to meet our past recipients, visit https://mcwglobal.org/alumni-ventures-fund/
To make a donation to the Alumni Ventures fund, visit https://www.classy.org/give/212068/#!/donation/checkout
