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Today Moussa’s work with the Accountability Lab focuses squarely on countering misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, namely myths about the new coronavirus’s origin and transmission. Some people think Africans are immune to the virus or that it doesn’t spread in warm weather,” Moussa says. He’s making a concerted effort to counter these and other COVID-19 myths. As Moussa sees it, changing minds in Mali hinges on access to reliable information from medical experts.
With stay-at-home orders in place, planning for the future can be especially trying. But it’s that forward-thinking mentality that Honoré Nzambu, a coach, speaker, and teacher in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said is critical now more than ever. Honoré also recommended Action for Happiness’ Monthly Action Calendars, online tools featuring a daily happiness prompt. Tools and activities like these, Honoré insisted, are key to staying busy and positive in the midst of the pandemic.
“How do you convince a male-dominated field to accept women?” It started with one game, and then another. Soon we had two national teams participating in international games. Don’t think about what anyone else is doing. Start by looking at your community and the needs that they have,” she said. “Then think about how you and your skills come into play.”
“Imagine loving education and not having access to it just because you are an orphan, or not being able to eat hot meals, not having new clothes, and living in a world where you don’t exist. There are so many children like me who are struggling on their own. Whether in an orphanage or abandoned by their parents, they all face the same pain. Being an orphan is like serving for a crime you never committed,”
“I don’t just want to educate my peers about these goals, but I also want to help them create the innovations to achieve them,” Oluwayomi says.I hope my YALILearns session motivated participants to be innovative, to broaden their thinking and to better understand the problems in their society.For Oluwayomi, an inspiring leader is interested in building others up, in highlighting their strengths and in helping them to overcome their weaknesses.
“I learned over the course of my session, for instance, that a lot of the attendees had never come across a code of ethics in a business context. They also saw networking as collecting business cards, rather than developing personal relationships.”To address this, Javnyuy used his session to teach others about the value of writing a code of ethics and of building meaningful relationships with others, not just to expand their business network but also to create lifelong ties.
“I found that the topic sparked critical thinking and engagement among my participants,” Josaphat says. And though his was an in-person session, a virtual YALILearns webinar would work just as well, especially with stay-at-home orders in place.“My favorite part of the session was listening to the different businesses that these participants have and how they maintain them.I learned that any business can sustain you as long as you are passionate about what you do.”
“I got interested in financial development in 2015 when I began job searching,” Ngang says. “I saw around me in Mutengene food insecurity, theft, and other issues, and decided: I want to be the change. I could be a job creator for myself.”So far, 50 people have benefited from these trainings,” Ngang says. “We’re also sharing accurate information about the virus and how to slow its spread. It takes persistence to change minds, but it’s worth doing; it’s the only way to keep ourselves and our communities safe.”
“One of my favorite memories growing up was when my dad would take the whole family out to celebrate me or my siblings getting a good grade,” Elfi Kashori Martial says. “That or spending an entire day biking and playing soccer with my friends.”Elfi, a 2019 Mandela Washington Fellow and the founder and chief executive of the Empower People Network, is working today to build his community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, inspiring his peers along the way.
“I work with girls aged 10 to 19 to teach them basic literacy and business skills in a weekly format,” Christine says. “We aim to empower and inspire them. We talk to young adults about setting goals, about being leaders, and about understanding their rights,” Christine says. “We discuss harmful cultural practices and how to overcome them.”
