It was an inspiring event to celebrate the resilient and innovative spirit that defines Africa’s young people when hundreds of CorpsAfrica volunteers and other young African changemakers gathered on the rooftop of Rockefeller Center, New York City, USA on 26th September 2024 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly 79th session.
TheMediaGood Newspaper can report that the event which also provided the opportunity to display the impact of the CorpsAfrica on the continent had great speakers such as Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative to the United Nations in attendance. It witnessed the presentation of the inaugural CorpsAfrica Inspiration Award to the former President of Liberia, H.E. Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
CorpsAfrica, a nongovernmental organization, founded in 2013 by Liz Fanning is training highly educated young Africans to help local communities identify and solve their own challenges. It is shifting Africa’s development sector from reliance on external aid to empowering and strengthening its most valuable asset: its people.
Inspired by the Peace Corps model, CorpsAfrica Volunteers are trained and posted to live in remote villages for up to one year to facilitate small-scale, high impact projects that are identified by local people.
Delivering her keynote at the event, Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield noted ‘Tonight, I want to speak about something that is of critical importance to me. I want to speak to the future of Africa, and to the future of the world. That is, the power and potential of Africa’s young leaders.I don’t need to tell you there are a lot of young people across Africa. The median age on the continent is 19. And by 2050, 1 in 4 people on the planet will be African.’
‘African countries are experiencing what some have called a “Youthquake.” One that brings tremendous opportunity. Africa’s young people are brimming with potential — ready to work, to lead, and to create change. And it’s that energy and can-do spirit that CorpsAfrica is harnessing.’
She hailed the Founder of CorpsAfrica, Liz Fanning for her audacious move. ‘Liz Fanning was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco when the seed of an idea for CorpsAfrica first took root. As the story goes, one day, while in a cafe in Marrakesh a young woman named Fatima approached Liz and expressed her desire to join the Peace Corps. And she had to tell this hopeful recruit that, unfortunately, only Americans could join.’
‘For the next few decades, Liz would often think back to this moment and ask herself, why should this young woman not have a chance to serve her own country? Many years later, after becoming frustrated by a development system that tried to dictate what communities needed, Liz decided to go back to Morocco and start CorpsAfrica – a program modeled off the example of the Peace Corps, that allows educated young Africans to identify and solve their own challenges. As many of you know, CorpsAfrica has now expanded to more than 10 countries … and aims to expand to all 54 African countries in the next 10 years.’
Speaking about the honoree, Amb. Thomas-Greenfield noted that Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been an inspiration since she was only 26 years old. ‘Over the years, President Sirleaf has taught me so much, and I feel so lucky to have had her as a mentor and a friend. Most importantly, I think you were talking about your dreams will snatch you. And President Sirleaf would say dream big, because if your dreams are not big enough, they’re not big enough to scare you – they’re not big enough. And I, like so many young people, learned to dream big.’