Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi wins the $1million Global Teacher Prize 2019 - New Asian Post

Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi
wins the $1million Global
Teacher Prize 2019
Peter Tabichi, a Maths and Physics teacher from Kenya, was
named as the winner of the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher
Prize 2019 on Sunday 24th March 2019. The Global Teacher Prize
is awarded under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed
Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister
of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. The glittering
award ceremony was hosted by actor, singer, and producer Hugh
Jackman, who performed songs from musical film The Greatest
Showman, including The Greatest Show and Come Alive, before
announcing the winner.

On winning the prize, Peter Tabichi said: “Every day in Africa
we turn a new page and a new chapter. Today is another day.
This prize does not recognise me but recognises this great
continent’s young people. I am only here because of what my
students have achieved. This prize gives them a chance. It
tells the world that they can do anything.

“As a teacher working on the front line I have seen the
promise of its young people – their curiosity, talent, their
intelligence, their belief. Africa’s young people will no
longer be held back by low expectations. Africa will produce
scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs whose names will be one
day famous in every corner of the world. And girls will be a
huge part of this story.

“I believe science and technology can play a leading role in
unlocking Africa’s potential. We all know that scientific
discovery and innovation fuel progress, facilitate development
and can tackle issues such as food insecurity, water shortages
and climate change.

“It’s morning in Africa. The skies are clear. The day is young
and there is a blank page waiting to be written. This is
Africa’s time.”

In a special congratulatory video message broadcast into the
ceremony hall, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, said:

“Mr Peter Tabichi – on behalf of all Kenyans – let me
congratulate you for winning the Global Teacher Prize this
year. You are a shining example of what the human spirit can
achieve – not just for Kenya – not just for Africa – but for
the world.

“Peter – your story is the story of Africa, a young continent
bursting with talent. Your students have shown that they can
compete amongst the best in the world in science, technology
and all fields of human endeavour. All we need is together to
give them the right support. You give me faith that Africa’s
best days are ahead of us and your story will light the way
for future generations.”

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation,
said: “Everyday in classrooms throughout the world teachers
light the spark of curiosity. I want to congratulate Peter
Tabichi for winning the Global Teacher Prize 2019. I hope
Peter’s story will encourage others to enter the teaching
profession and shine a spotlight on the truly inspiring work
teachers do to make tomorrow brighter than today.”

Now in its fifth year, the US $1 million award is the largest
prize of its kind, and was set up to recognize one exceptional
teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the
profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important
role teachers play in society.

« ‹ 1 of 20   ›   »

About Peter Tabichi
Peter Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80% of his
monthly income to help the poor. His dedication, hard work and
passionate belief in his students’ talent has led his poorly-
resourced school in remote rural Kenya to emerge victorious
after taking on the country’s best schools in national science
competitions.

Peter, 36, teaches at Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School, Pwani
Village, Nakuru, situated in a remote, semi-arid part of
Kenya’s Rift Valley. Here, students from a host of diverse
cultures and religions learn in poorly equipped classrooms.
Their lives can be tough in a region where drought and famine
are frequent. Ninety-five percent of pupils hail from poor
families, almost a third are orphans or have only one parent,
and many go without food at home. Drug abuse, teenage
pregnancies, dropping out early from school, young marriages
and suicide are common.

Turning lives around in a school with only one computer, poor
internet, and a student-teacher ratio of 58:1, is no easy
task, not least when to reach the school, students must walk

7km along roads that become impassable in the rainy season.

Undeterred, Peter started a talent nurturing club and expanded
the school’s Science Club, helping pupils design research
projects of such quality that 60% now qualify for national
competitions. Peter mentored his pupils through the Kenya
Science and Engineering Fair 2018 – where students showcased a
device they had invented to allow blind and deaf people to
measure objects. Peter saw his village school come first
nationally in the public schools category. The Mathematical
Science team also qualified to participate at the INTEL
International Science and Engineering Fair 2019 in Arizona,
USA, for which they’re currently preparing. His students have
also won an award from The Royal Society of Chemistry after
harnessing local plant life to generate electricity.

Peter and four colleagues also give low-achieving pupils one-
to-one tuition in Maths and Science outside class and on the
weekends, where Peter visits students’ homes and meets their
families to identify the challenges they face. Despite
teaching in a school with only one desktop computer with an
intermittent connection, Peter uses ICT in 80% of his lessons
to engage students, visiting internet cafes and caching online
content to be used offline in class.

Through making his students believe in themselves, Peter has
dramatically improved his pupils’ achievement and self-esteem.
Enrolment has doubled to 400 over three years, and cases of
indiscipline have fallen from 30 per week to just three. In
2017, only 16 out of 59 students went on to college, while in
2018, 26 students went to university and college. Girls’
achievement in particular has been boosted, with girls now
leading boys in all four tests set in the last year. All of
this is made possible in a severely resource constrained
school by an exceptional teacher.

Global Teacher Prize 2019 Top 10 Finalists
The other nine finalists for the Global Teacher Prize 2019
were:

     Andrew Moffat MBE, a Personal Social Health Education
     (PSHE) teacher from Parkfield Community School,
     Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom;
     Daisy Mertens, an all subjects teacher at community-
     based school De Vuurvogel, Helmond, Netherlands;
     Débora Garofalo a Technologies for Learning teacher at
     EMEF Almirante Ary Parreiras, São Paulo, Brazil;
     Hidekazu Shoto, an English language and ICT teacher at
     Ritsumeikan Primary School, Kyoto, Japan;
     Martin Salvetti Head of Automative Studies and Adult
     Professional Training, at EEST N°5 “2 de Abril”
     Temperley, Temperley, Buenos Aires, Argentina;
     Melissa Salguero, a Music teacher at P.S.48 Joseph R
     Drake elementary school, the Bronx, New York, United
     States;
     Swaroop Rawal, a Life Skills teacher, at Lavad Primary
     School, Gujarat, India;
     Vladimer Apkhazava, a Civic Education teacher at Chibati
     Public School, Tbilisi, Georgia,
     Yasodai Selvakumaran a history and society and culture
     teacher, at Rooty Hill High School, New South Wales,
     Australia.

The original top 50 shortlisted teachers was narrowed down to
ten finalists by a Prize Committee. The winner was chosen from
this ten by the Global Teacher Prize Academy. All ten
finalists were invited to Dubai for the award ceremony at the
Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF), where the winner was
announced live on stage in a red carpet gala event.

For further information visit www.globalteacherprize.org

Tanzanian startup ‘Ubongo’
wins the Next Billion EdTech
Prize 2019
Tanzanian startup Ubongo, which creates localised and multi-
platform educational media that reaches millions of families
through accessible technologies, has won the ‘Next Billion’
Edtech Prize 2019. Launched by The Varkey Foundation to
recognise the most innovative technology destined to have a
radical impact on education in low income and emerging world
countries, the ‘Next Billion’ Edtech Prize is held at the
Global Education & Skills Forum.

Ubongo was voted for by delegates at The Global Education &
Skills Forum from three startup finalists which include
PraxiLabs,andDost. All three winners will be awarded $25,000.

30 startups were selected to pitch for the ‘Next Billion’
Edtech Prize, which focuses on low income and emerging
economies. The winners were chosen from six finalists which
included FinEazy, Signa, and Sabaq. Led by TechCrunch Editor-
at-Large Mike Butcher, the expert panel of judges was made up
of venture capitalists, philanthropic investors, experts in
Edtech and learning sciences, and senior education policy
makers.

Mike Butcher said: “It was clear to the judges that emerging
market Edtech is going to be one of the hottest tech sectors
in the world over the next few years. The majority of the
startups we saw during the competition clearly have enormous
potential, it’s clear the new wave of Edtech is about to hit
its stride. It’s fantastic that GESF is throwing the spotlight

on this exciting sector.”

The jury selected the three winners from six finalists who
pitched on the main GESF stage on Sunday morning. The audience
voted on who should lift the trophy.

Ubongo
Ubongo leverages the power of entertainment, the reach of mass
media, and the connectivity of mobile devices, to deliver
effective, localized learning to African families at low cost
and massive scale. Its family-friendly content promotes
literacy and education in resource-poor areas. Through
learning at home and in the family through a variety of
channels, from online to radio and TV – multi-channel players,
cartoons are a central part of its story telling approach.

Location: Tanzania

Ubongo Chief Executive Nisha Ligon said: “We’re delighted to
have won the Next Billion Prize. We’re already having an
impact reaching children but this award will mean we can do so
much more. By 2022 we plan to reach 30 million children in
Africa and our ultimate goal is to reach 440 million – every
child in Africa.”

Dost
Dost empowers parents of any literacy level to take charge of
their child’s early education, creating short, friendly audio
content that is sent to parents via their mobile phones. Dost
software, audio content, and toolkits make it easy, fun and
addictive for parents to boost their child’s early
development, so low-income families need no longer send their
children to primary school behind and without a chance to
catch up.

Location: India

Dost CEO Sneha Sheth said: “It’s really exciting to bring Dost
to the global stage at GESF, it motivates us even more to keep
working on our mission to help parents to unlock their child’s
full potential.”

Praxi Labs
Praxi Labs provides virtual laboratories for schools and
learning organizations in the Middle East and beyond. With 3D
simulations of major experiments in biology, chemistry and
physics, students can access these from their devices at any
time. Additional multimedia files help students perform their
scientific experiments and the whole process can be integrated
within existing learning management systems of schools or
education providers, giving learners worldwide tools to
experiment and learn science.

Location: Egypt

PraxiLabs Founder Khadija Elbedweihy said: “We are thrilled to
be one of the top three winners for this prize, this is a
priceless opportunity for us to help build awareness of our
mission of providing the world with more scientists.”

« ‹ 1 of 10   ›   »

About the Next Billion EdTech Prize
This prize identifies, spotlights and celebrates the world’s
leading EdTech startups that have shown through ingenuity and
innovation that they can improve learning in parts of the
world where there is limited access to good quality teaching.

According to UNESCO, 264 million children do not have access
to schooling, while at least 600 million more are “in school
but not learning”. These are children who are not achieving
even basic skills in maths and reading, which the World Bank
calls a “learning crisis”.

Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation and the Next
Billion Prize said,

“Over a billion young people – a number growing every day –
are being denied what should be the birthright of every single
child in the 21st century, no matter where they live: a good
education that allows them to make the most of their God-given
talents.

“We use the ‘Next Billion Prize’ to highlight technology’s
potential to tackle the problems that have proven too
difficult for successive generations of politicians to solve.
Our fervent hope is that the prize inspires practical and
persistent entrepreneurs the world over to come forward with
fresh tech ideas. These ideas must be hardy enough to improve
education in regions where young people are denied access to a
good quality teacher and a great learning environment”.

The ‘Next Billion’ Edtech Prize, which comes five years after
the Varkey Foundation founded the US $1 million Global Teacher
Prize, was awarded for the first time at the Global Education
and Skills Forum (GESF) 2018. The GESF brings together over
2000 delegates from around the world to solve the big
questions in global education.

Sunny Varkey added:

“The EdTech prize joins some of most important players from
the spheres of education and technology together. Startups
will have access to every type of stakeholder – from Silicon
Valley venture capitalists to former and current education
ministers, foundations, academics and the world’s best
teachers. They can draw on their expertise and support to
build products that will work as well in the classroom as they
do in a pitch”.

About The Varkey Foundation
The Varkey Foundation believes every child deserves a vibrant,
stimulating learning environment that awakens and supports
their full potential. The foundation believes nothing is more
important to achieving this than the passion and quality of
teachers. It supports global teaching capacity and seed
excellence and innovation in the next generation of educators.
It also founded the Global Teacher Prize to identify and
celebrate the incredible work teachers do all over the world.

For further details visit www.varkeyfoundation.org

Varkey   Foundation:  ‘The
Assembly, A Global Teacher
Prize Concert
For the first time, The Varkey Foundation hosted ‘The
Assembly: A Global Teacher Prize Concert’ as a joyful ‘thank
you’ to teachers on Saturday 23 March 2019. The event
celebrated the unsung work that teachers all around the world
do every day with a stellar lineup of acts including Liam
Payne, Rita Ora and Little Mix. The Top 10 Global Teacher

Prize finalists were joined on stage by actor Hugh Jackman and
American singer, songwriter, and pianist Lauren. Allred who
made her Billboard debut with “Never Enough” from the
soundtrack to the musical, ‘The Greatest Showman’.

Now in its seventh year, the Global Education & Skills Forum
(GESF 2019) is also hosting the Next Billion Prize, which
recognizes leading edtech startups making an impact on
education in low income and emerging economies, as well as the
first Philanthropy Summit, attended by over 64 grant making
foundations from around the world. The three-day event
includes a welcome reception; the new Global Teacher Prize
concert and features as the climax the award ceremony of the
US $1 million Global Teacher Prize 2019 on Sunday 24th March
2019.

                        « ‹ 1 of 7   ›   »

« ‹ 1 of 11   ›   »

About The Varkey Foundation

The Varkey Foundation believes every child deserves a vibrant,
stimulating learning environment that awakens and supports
their full potential. We believe nothing is more important to
achieving this than the passion and quality of teachers. We
founded the Global Teacher Prize to shine a spotlight on the
incredible work teachers do all over the world and we continue
to play a leading role in influencing education debates on the
status of teachers around the world. For further information,
visit www.varkeyfoundation.org

For further information about the Global Education & Skills
Forum visit: https://educationandskillsforum.org and for
further information on the Global Teacher Prize visit:
www.globalteacherprize.org

Global Education & Skills
Forum 2019 opens with a plea
by Rohingyas
The seventh annual Global Education & Skills Forum 2019 opened
on 23rd March at The Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, UAE, with an
emotional plea by Rohingyas to support the education of
refugee children, whose only hope for the future rests on it.
Addressing the audience, Ahmed Ullah, organiser of peace
rallies and co-writer of ‘I Am Rohingya’ and Zainab Arkani,
who runs the world’s first Rohingya school in Canada, said
ensuring the education of the children is the only way forward
to rebuild their lives.

Held under the theme of ‘Who is changing the world?’, the
Global Education & Skills Forum (GESF 2019), a Varkey
Foundation initiative, brings together more than 2,200
delegates from 144 countries, who will discuss pressing
challenges in the education sector – as well as in society –
through 124 sessions. Seven former heads of state and 40
ministers of education attended the Forum, joined by a new
generation of change-makers, including grassroots activists,
philanthropists, tech developers and many more, who are
shaping the world with new voices, new ideas and new
technologies.

‘Who is changing the world?’
The first session was opened by 10-year-old Internet
sensation, vlogger and presenter Braydon Bent, who set the
tone for the day’s events by noting how education and the role
of the younger generation has changed along with that of the

world’s rapid pace of change. Pointing out the 360-degree
wraparound screen in the venue, one of the largest ever used
in the Middle East, Braydon said that technologies are
advancing at the speed of light, and education had to follow
suit or get left behind.

Next to take the stage were Mark Pollock, a visually and
physically challenged athlete and explorer and the first blind
man to race to the South Pole; Mina Guli, an entrepreneur and
adventure committed to global water saving efforts; and
Kennedy Odede, a former slum child who is one of Africa’s
best-known social entrepreneurs today. The trio spoke about
the importance of realistic optimism and the power of the
individual in solving collective issues.

“No education system can outperform the quality of
its teachers”
Vikas Pota, Chairman of the Varkey Foundation, addressed the
global learning crisis in the light of the recent terrorist
incidents and natural disasters. With disruption happening in
every field, governments need to go down to the grassroots and
change the education system and get every child into schools,
he noted. “No education system can outperform the quality of
its teachers. Improving learning outcomes is the most
important thing we will do, and we can only do that by
changing teacher status.”

Tariq Al Gurg, CEO of Dubai Cares, spoke about instilling a
voice and sense of purpose in students around the world,
citing the example of Swedish student Greta Thunberg, whose
strike against climate change outside her country’s parliament
mobilised thousands globally to follow her actions. With 10
million entering the job market year, education being offered
today must change to keep up with evolving jobs and
industries. In line with UAE Vision 2021, our education must
ensure that the youth have what it takes to be the change,
shoulder more responsibility an innovate more.

Underlining the need to promote the status of teachers in
society and to put at the heart of the dialogue in education,
Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation and the Global
Education & Skills Forum, said that “respecting teachers is
not only an important moral duty – it’s essential for positive
education outcomes.”

He said: “The status of teachers in society is directly
related to the results of students in their classrooms. Today,
education is at a crossroads; it has been tossed in the air
and we don’t know where the pieces will fall. There is,
however, one thing we can be confident about: education will
change more in the next fifty years than it has in the last
thousand, and in the next fifty years, it will change in ways
that will influence the next thousand.”

Re-imagine education
Highlighting the need to re-imagine education, Sunny Varkey
said: “New jobs will require creativity, problem-solving,
negotiation and emotional intelligence. Giving every child a
great education is now an urgent need – and there is not a
moment to lose.

“We need a great education that teaches young people how to
sift truth from hype, and the difference between a balanced
argument and a cynical outburst on social media. We need a
great education that teaches young people how seeing the world
from another point of view is a strength…. not a weakness and
shouting people down is a weakness….not a strength.”

« ‹ 1 of 37   ›   »

« ‹ 1 of 2 › »

EdTech has not yet delivered its great potential
Sunny Varkey said that EdTech has promised much but not yet
delivered its great potential – more so because teachers are
never invited to be part of the EdTech discussion. “If we get
this right, we can give teachers the data that shows where a
child needs more help; we can free teachers from the burden of
bureaucracy; we can give teachers the chance to learn from
each other wherever they are in the world; and we can let

teachers get on with the work that no robot will ever be able
to do.”

Rohingya speakers Ahmed Ullah and Zainab Arkani, narrated
their backstories of struggle and despair. An emotionally
charged Ullah, who spent the first 15 years of his life in a
camp, before making his way to Canada, recounted his
experience of being physically kicked out of school, when he
was a child. He said: “We don’t want anything from you – but
education for our children; if not, another generation of
Rohingyas will be lost.

Arkani experienced systemic discrimination as a student in
Myanmar but went on to complete her undergraduate studies and
helped rescued stranded Rohingya at the Thailand-Myanmar
border. Today, the Canadian citizen continues doing advocacy
and community work for her community. She said: “We have
enough sympathy, empathy and donations. What we need is
education and vocational training for Rohingya children. Help
us in our efforts to raise the first educated generation from
an illiterate people.”

Asif Saleh, Senior Director – Strategy, Communications &
Empowerment, BRAC, the NGO, said Bangladesh opened doors to
over 700,000 Rohingya refugees and provided emergency support.
“The greatest challenge now is to ensure children have access
to education and skills training or risk losing out a large
generation of people.” He said that donor fatigue is setting
in with only about 40 per cent of the current year’s need of
over US$600 million met. “We need to have a mid-term solution
– and that is skills building and creating livelihood
opportunities to create self-sufficiency.”

About The Varkey Foundation
The Varkey Foundation believes every child deserves a vibrant,
stimulating learning environment that awakens and supports
their full potential. We believe nothing is more important to

achieving this than the passion and quality of teachers. We
founded the Global Teacher Prize to shine a spotlight on the
incredible work teachers do all over the world and we continue
to play a leading role in influencing education debates on the
status of teachers around the world. For further information
visit https://www.varkeyfoundation.org

For further information about the Global Education & Skills
Forum visit: https://educationandskillsforum.org and for
further information on the Global Teacher Prize visit:
http://www.globalteacherprize.org

Birmingham students campaign
for more Asian stem cell
donors
Student volunteers at 3 Birmingham universities, will launch a
campaign to recruit hundreds of potential stem cell donors to
the Anthony Nolan stem cell register on 18th March 2019. The
week-long ‘Birmingham City’ campaign is being spearheaded by
‘Marrow’, blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan’s student
volunteer network, which operates in 55 universities across
the country.

Birmingham has a diverse population and, because of this, the
Birmingham City campaign will seek to highlight and celebrate
the diversity of Birmingham, by having a particular focus on
recruiting people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME)
backgrounds. It’s more difficult for patients from BAME
backgrounds to find a donor with a matching tissue type. Only
60% of transplant recipients receive the best match, and this
drops dramatically to around 20%, for patients from black,

Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds. Students in Birmingham
want to do everything they can to change this.

Shaswath Ganapathi, is a 3rd year medical student at
Birmingham University and is a Birmingham Marrow committee
member. He decided to volunteer with Marrow after his friend,
Rohan, sadly died from leukaemia last year. Shaswath and the
other committee members hold events across the university,
where they encourage students to sign up to the Anthony Nolan
stem cell register, any of whom could go on to donate their
stem cells in the future.Shaswath said: ‘The donors I have
spoken to have said that it’s the most life changing thing
they have ever done, and they would never have thought that
spending a few minutes signing up at a stand and doing a quick
cheek swab could lead to potentially saving someone’s life.’

Stem cell donors recruited by Marrow, account for over a
quarter of all people who go on to donate, meaning the student
volunteers are a vital part of the work of Anthony Nolan. This
academic year, Marrow is also celebrating 20 years of students
saving lives and the 130,000 potential lifesavers they have
recruited to the Anthony Nolan stem cell register since 1998.

Samrick Bahia, 25, was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was 19
years old and spent three months at Queen Elizabeth Hospital
in Birmingham. He has been told that if his cancer returns, a
stem cell transplant will be the only option.

Samrick said: ‘Even now I’m scared of getting cancer again,
I’m sacred of it coming back.

‘My doctor told me that the chance of people from Asian
backgrounds finding the best possible match is significantly
reduced. It was such a shock to hear that we have a much lower
chance.’

Samrick is now passionate about raising awareness of the
Anthony Nolan register, especially within Asian community.

‘Signing up to the register is so simple. If you are chosen to
donate, it’s not going to affect your life, but it could save
someone else’s.’

Shreena Chavda, signed up to the Anthony Nolan register when
she saw a Marrow stand at her university fresher’s fair. She
was called up to donate last year. Shreena said “Coming from
an ethnic minority background, I instantly knew that I had
been called up to donate because there was no one else, as I
know men are more likely to be chosen. ‘After I donated I felt
so happy and energetic, that I had done something to actually
help someone. It’s the least painful but one of the most
joyful things I have ever done, there is no other feeling in
the world. If you might be able to give someone a new life,
it’s amazing, why wouldn’t you want to experience that.”

Aisling Cohn, Youth Programmes Senior Manager at Anthony Nolan
said: “Our Birmingham Marrow volunteers really are heroes,
helping Anthony Nolan give hope to patients with blood cancer
by signing up thousands of potential donors

‘It is also so important to address the need for more people
from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds on the stem
cell register, so that we are able to find a match for every
person in need of a transplant, regardless of their ethnicity.
Our Birmingham City campaign provides the perfect opportunity
to register a large number of potential donors, from a mix of
backgrounds, heritages and communities.”

About Marrow
Marrow, formed in 1998, is a UK wide student volunteering
network in over 50 universities which supports blood cancer
charity Anthony Nolan. Marrow has recruited over 100,000
potential donors onto the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register
since 1998. To date, of those recruited, over 1000 people have
gone on to donate. That’s over 1000 lives potentially saved.

What is a stem cell transplant?
If a patient has a condition that affects their bone marrow or
blood, then a stem cell transplant may be their best chance of
survival. Doctors will give new, healthy stem cells to the
patient via their bloodstream, where they begin to grow and
create healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and
platelets.

Key statistics
     About 2,000 people in the UK need a stem cell transplant
     from a stranger every year
     90% of donors donate through PBSC (peripheral blood stem
     cell collection). This is a simple, outpatient procedure
     similar to giving blood
     We need more young men to sign up, as they are most
     likely to be chosen to donate but make up just 18% of
     the register
     We need more people from Black, Asian and minority
     ethnic (BAME) backgrounds to sign up. Only 60% of
     transplant recipients receive the best match. This drops
     dramatically to around 20% (one in five of transplant
     recipients) if you’re from a Black, Asian or ethnic
     minority background.
     It costs £40 to add each new donor to the register so we
     always need financial support
     To join the Anthony Nolan register, you must be 16-30
     and healthy. Anthony Nolan’s world-leading Research
     Institute has shown younger donors offer better survival
     rates for patients.

About Anthony Nolan
Anthony Nolan saves the lives of people with blood cancer. The
charity uses its register to match potential stem cell donors
to blood cancer and blood disorder patients in need of stem
cell transplants. It also carries out pioneering research to
increase stem cell transplant success, and supports patients

through their transplant journeys. Every day Anthony      Nolan
gives three people a second chance at life. Anyone aged   16-30
and in relatively good health can join the Anthony        Nolan
register. To find out more about Anthony Nolan            visit
www.anthonynolan.org

Penny Appeal secures up to £2
million UK Aid Match funding
Humanitarian charity Penny Appeal has secured UK Aid Match
funding for its new Fragile Lives appeal to support some of
the most vulnerable mothers and babies in Pakistan and Kenya.
UK Aid Match is a grant from the government whereby every
donation is matched pound for pound, up to £2 million. For
Penny Appeal, this means every donation for the upcoming
Fragile Lives appeal will be doubled, up to £2 million, until
9th June 2019.

Public donations will be supporting a life-saving appeal in
Pakistan, providing essential medical care, maternal
healthcare and nutrition services for pregnant and lactating
women, and babies and small children. Donations will help
support over 200,000 vulnerable mothers and babies living in
rural Sindh, Pakistan. Match-funding from the UK government
will be contributing to a similar project in rural Wajir in
Kenya, supporting over 400,000 people access better medical
services, maternal healthcare, child nutrition and screening
services.

In Pakistan, almost 1 in every 10 babies born die before their
first birthday, and 14,000 Pakistani women die during
childbirth every year. In Kenya, over 1 in every 20 children

die before they turn 5 years old. Kenya also has one of the
worst Maternal Mortality Rates in the world. Many of these
deaths are preventable with the help of good education,
medicine and support.

Sitara Begum, a young woman from rural Tharparkar in Sindh is
testament to why such a project is necessary and life-changing
in the region. Since Sitara lives in such a remote area, it’s
almost impossible for her to get to a hospital as there are no
medical facilities nearby. She has had to give birth in
dangerous and unsanitary conditions at home.

Sanitation is one of the most important factors in keeping
mums and babies safe – the Fragile Lives Home Delivery Kits
include vital basic equipment, fresh towels, female sanitation
items, and baby wraps. This would dramatically reduce the risk
of poor sanitation. Both of Sitara’s births have been
premature, and without any medical facilities, her babies have
just not been able to survive.

Through the Fragile Lives Centres, Sitara would be able to
receive quality medical care with specialists on hand to help
nurse premature and fragile babies back to health. The hope is
that Sitara will never has to go through the heartbreak of
losing a baby again.

Aamer Naeem, Penny Appeal CEO says: “We are delighted to be
launching such a powerful and impactful programme that will
provide long-term, life-changing support to communities in
Pakistan and Kenya. We are overjoyed to be working closely
with the UK government to facilitate real and positive change
for mothers and babies, which will help determine the strength
and success of future generations. With UK Aid Match, our
donor’s support will be making double the impact.”

International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt MP says:
“This is a great example of the sort of development approach
that changes lives for the better. It is very important to

work closely with local and national governments across the
globe to enhance capacity and skills, as well as reaching out
deep inside communities to make lasting change. Supporting
mothers and babies will affect entire communities for
generations to come.”

Project Activities for the Fragile Lives Appeal

     Training 120 health workers on maternal, newborn and
     nutrition services
     Health Worker Supervision – On the job training
     Outreach Activities – 2 integrated outreach activities
     per sub-county per month
     Improved access to technology
     Establishment of health centres where pregnant women and
     mothers can receive quality medical care with
     specialists on hand to help nurse premature and fragile
     babies back to health.
     Over 600,000 potential      beneficiaries    across   both
     projects in Pakistan and Kenya

About Penny Appeal
Penny Appeal, the award winning international humanitarian
charity, was set up in 2009 by entrepreneur Adeem Younis, to
provide a range of life-saving solutions in over 30-crisis hit
countries. As one of the fastest growing charities in the
sector, Penny Appeal has transformed countless number of lives
and empowered communities around the globe, helping to break
the poverty cycle through their simple vision; taking your
small change and making a big difference. Penny Appeal is a
twice Guinness-World-Record holder and works closely with
leading celebrities and globally renowned institutions in the
UK and beyond in the fight against poverty.

Click here to donate to the Penny Appeal Fragile Lives
campaign.

High Commissioner of India on
International Women’s Day
2019
H.E Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam, High Commissioner of India to the
UK, hosted an International Women’s Day celebration at the
High Commission of India on 8th March 2019. The programme
included a panel discussion on “Balancing Parenting and
Career” which was based on this year’s International Women’s
Day theme: #BalanceforBetter. The High Commissioner of
Bangladesh, HE Ms Saida Muna Tasneem was the Guest of Honour
and the opening remarks were delivered by HE Mrs Ruchi
Ghanashyam, High Commissioner of India who spoke about the
increasing women representation in Indian Foreign Services
especially as Heads of Missions around the world.

Mrs Ghanashyam shared her own personal journey in her career
around the world, saying “It is important for women to stand
up for themselves and call out injustice when they see it.
Most of us are victims of our own inability to speak up when
we can.” She commended women standing up for other women and
welcomed the High Commissioner of Bangladesh, HE Ms Saida Muna
Tasneem who congratulated Mrs Ghanashyam on her appointment
and thanked her for the invitation to be a part of the IWD2019
celebrations. Recalling her own journey as a woman Ambassador
she recognised the importance of solidarity, support and
community of women for women.

Panellists at the International Women’s Day 2019 celebration
at the High Commission of India.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organised a set of
panel discussions that were moderated by Ms Lakshmi Kaul, Head
& Representative – UK, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
with an esteemed panel of guests. The panel examined the
theme: #BalanceforBetter and examined Parenthood as a factor
in gender gap on the professional front. “The premise of the
discussion was that the prime of an individual’s career and
his/her early parenting age coincides (25-40 years). This is
also the age when career is at a fast growth trajectory for
most individuals. The panellists shared their wide ranging
perspectives including parenting, non-parenting, career
progression, achievement targets are facilitated by not only
implementing workplace changes but also involving families in
the process“, said Lakshmi.

The guests on the first panel, “Parenthood and Career: How to
strike the balance” included Avnish Goyal, Managing Director,

Hallmark Care Homes, Vinati Sukhdev, Executive Director,
Pratham UK, Maithreyi Seetharaman, Director, Fortune (Live
Media Content), Co-Chair, Fortune Most Powerful Women Network
and Philip D’Costa, Partner, Pennington Maches. The panellists
spoke about their career and parenting paths reflecting on
good practices that helped strike a balance.

This was followed by another panel discussion, “HR Policies:
Are they inclusive, gender sensitive and adequate to bridge
the gender gap?” The panellists included Cllr Pinder Chauhan,
County Councillor, Sixfields, Northamptonshire, Rozy
Contractor, General Manager, Topcoder at Wipro, T N Giridhar,
Head of Investment Banking, Axis Bank, and Punam Birly,
Partner, KPMG. The discussion in second panel was more pointed
and laid out the perceived gender gap and how policies as well
as infrastructural facilities help a young parent in pursuing
a career path with active progression. Both the panels
concluded in a set of “calls to action” that saw strong
support from audience:

     Family First: actively involve families especially
     children to strike a balance in parenting & career;
     children are key stakeholders. Ensure work life
     integration as opposed to trying to balance work and
     life independent of each other.
     Encourage women to pursue male dominant career streams.
     Boardroom Composition: Go back to your boardrooms and
     review what might need to change. More women ought to be
     in Boardrooms and senior leadership roles.
     Make HR Policies effective: Paternal leave ought to be
     compulsory however, it is important that fathers avail
     parental leave. Reduce the gender pay gap by
     incorporating fair professional assessments.
     Be Inclusive. Stop feeling the discrimination in
     thought. Be conscious of the inadvertent bias at
     workplace and home – be sensitive and compassionate.
     Relook at recruitment (selection) and promotion policies

within HR to ensure inclusivity and opportunity.
     Celebrate womanhood instead of trying to be a man at
     workplace
     Support women out of work to get back into work by
     offering reskilling opportunities; offering adequate
     career goals and equal opportunity.

The “calls to action” as part of the #IWD2019 are being
followed up by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) via
its members (Indian Companies in the UK) at the India Business
Forum (IBF) as a formal ‘Working Group on Inclusivity in the
Workplace”.

Jain APPG Celebrates Mahaveer
Jayanti at the House of
Commons
The Institute of Jainology (IoJ), the international Jain
organisation promoting Jainism in government and inter-
religious affairs, held its Jain All Party Parliamentary Group
(APPG) meeting today at the House of Commons (HoC) to
celebrate the birth anniversary of its 24th and last
enlightened teacher, Lord Mahaveer. The Jain APPG was
organised as part of the IoJ led ‘One Jain’, representing the
30 Jain community organisations.

Harrow West MP, Gareth Thomas, Chair of the All-Party Group,
welcomed everyone and launched the petition for a Jain tick
box on the 2021 census by Navin Shah, GLA Member for Brent and
Harrow, which was supported by all parties in the GLA and all
major faiths. Deputy Chair Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East,
confirmed that the APPG had met with the Cabinet Office, and

would continue to meet with ministers to ensure that Jains
were properly represented in public service policy and funding
decisions. Lord Dholakia of Waltham Brooks, added his support
to the campaign.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Minister for Faith, added his
welcome and noted how his department had played a major role
in ensuring that Jains were represented at the Cenotaph on
Remembrance Sunday. He then awarded the 2019 OneJAIN Lifetime
Achievement Award to Dr Harshad Sanghrajka MBE, for 50 years
of service to the Jain community worldwide.

Mr Nemu Chandaria OBE, IoJ Chair commented; “We were grateful
to have had the opportunity to pay our respects at the
Cenotaph to those that made the ultimate sacrifice for our
nation. We are now seeking to ensure that the Jain community,
that shares the values of modern Briton, is fully represented
in the 2021 Census.” Other awards in the evening went to Mrs
Sushila Shah (Winner – 2019 OneJAIN Community Award) and Mrs
Shakuben Sheth (Highly Commended – 2019 OneJAIN Community
Award). Mr Navin Sanghrajka and Mr Niles Shah presented, on
behalf of the Jain community, a cheque for £5,001 to Ms Norma
Marshall, Head Teacher at Earlsmead Primary School in South
Harrow for improvements to the school’s library and ICT suite.

« ‹ 1 of 20   ›   »

There were other speeches from Mr Samveg Lalbhai, Chair of the
400-year old Anandji Kalyanji Trust, that manages over 1,800
major Jain pilgrimage sites. He commented on the Trust’s work
in managing and restoring these sites, as well as receiving
over 2m visitors. Lopa Patel MBE, Founder and CEO of Diversity
UK, spoke eloquently on how corporates and public bodies were
still under-represented in BAME numbers, and how current
legislation had highlighted the gender pay gap.

About the Institute of Jainology
The Institute of Jainology (IoJ) was founded in 1986 and is an
international organisation promoting Jain philosophy and
values through the disciplines of art, culture and education.
It represents the Jain faith in government and inter-faith
matters in the UK and elsewhere. Over its 25 year history, the
IoJ has co-hosted the Peaceful Liberators exhibition at the
Victoria and Albert Museum London, published the Catalogue of
the Jain Collection at the British Library, and launched the
Jainpedia.org encyclopaedia. On 28th September 2014, the
thirty or so UK Jain Organisations voted for the Institute of
Jainology to form ‘One Jain’ and to lead them in matters of

government and community.

For  more   information      see    www.jainology.org     and
www.jainpedia.org

Asian Women of Achievement
Awards    2019   Shortlist
Announced
The Asian Women of Achievement Awards, in association with
NatWest, today (26th February 2019) announced the full
shortlist for 2019. From a composer, comedian and cardiologist
to CEOs of big businesses, a GB wheelchair basketball player
and a professor whose groundbreaking work has uncovered a new
universal influenza vaccine, the nominees are a shining
example of the trailblazing work of Asian women in Britain
today. This year’s Asian Women of Achievement Awards will take
place on Monday April 29, 2019, at the London Hilton on Park
Lane.

Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2019
Shortlist
ARTS & CULTURE
Nainita Desai, Film & TV Composer
Shobna Gulati, Actor, Dancer, Choreographer
Chetna Makan, Author, Food Writer
Sara Shamma, Artist
Sindhu Vee, Comedian

BUSINESS
Rajinder Bassi, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis International LLP
June Felix, CEO, IG Group
Ava Lau, Group Pensions Manager, London Stock Exchange Group
Manju Malhotra, Co-Chief Operating Officer, Harvey Nichols
Hemlata Narasimhan, Senior Vice President, Merchant Sales and
Acquiring, Europe, Visa inc
Anna Sofat, CEO, Addidi
Wincie Wong, Head of Innovation for Supply Chain Services,
Royal Bank of Scotland

ENTREPRENEUR
Harri Dhokia, Director, Black Interiors
Yang Liu, Founder & CEO, JustWears
Shazia Mustafa, Co-founder and Managing Director, Third Door
(Co-working & Nursery)
Dr Yoge Patel, CEO, Blue Bear Group
Shermeena Rabbi, Founder, Consultant       Speech    &   Language
Therapist, Unlocking Language
Sania Shah, Director, Care Avenues

MEDIA
Anu Anand, Presenter, Marketplace Morning Report, BBC World
Service
Leyla Boulton, Special Reports Editor and Executive Editor,
Financial Times
Layla Haidrani, Journalist
Ruby Lovell, Children’s Author, TV & Film Producer
Bidisha, Broadcaster, journalist, filmmaker
Manjinder Virk, Actor, Film maker

PROFESSIONS
Pragya Agarwal, Director, KPMG
Shruti Ajitsaria, Head of Fuse, Allen & Overy
Professor King Kuok (Mimi) Hii, Professor of Catalysis,

Imperial College London
Ranjani Kearsley, Global Head of HR, Fidelity International
Dr Nitha Naqvi, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist, Royal
Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
Prini Pithouse, Company Secretary and Deputy General Counsel,
Legal Regulatory & Compliance, Visa Europe
Stella Vig, Consultant Vascular and General Surgeon, Croydon
University Hospital

PUBLIC SERVICE
Aditi Banerjee, Co-founder, SkilIndiGlo
Parpinder K. Dhatt, CEO, Sandwell Asian Family Support (SAFS)
Nadia Khan, Co-founder, The Delicate Mind
Dr Duleeka Knipe, Vice Chancellor’s Research Fellow,
University of Bristol
Dr Mimi Zou, Fangda Fellow in Chinese Commercial Law,
University of Oxford

REAL ESTATE, INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION
Sherin Aminossehe FRICS, Head of Offices, Lendlease
Vidhya Issac-Langford, Senior Project Manager, Arcadis
Doris Lam, Senior Project Manager, Far East Consortium
Hana Sicander, Cost Manager, Turner & Townsend
Judy Zhu, Associate Director, CBRE

SCIENCE
Yasmin Ali, Technical Energy Specialist, BEIS
Professor Sunetra Gupta, Professor of Theoretical
Epidemiology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford
Manisha Nair, Senior Epidemiologist and Research Fellow,
University of Oxford
Professor Sonia Saxena, Professor of Child Health, Imperial
College London
Dr Tara Swart, Neuroscientist and Author

SOCIAL AND HUMANITARIAN
Leesa Gazi, Co-Artistic Director, Komola Collective
Geethika Jayatilaka, CEO, Chance UK
Bhavna Keane-Rao, Founder and Managing Director, BKR Care
Consultancy
Deeyah Khan, Documentary Filmmaker/Founder, Fuuse
Salma Zulfiqar, Artist, Activist

SPORT
Naomi Dattani, Women’s One Day Middlesex Cricket Captain
Joy Haizelden, Wheelchair Basketball Player, BWB
Archie Kalyana, Producer & Director, Sport Production
Rashida Salloo, Founder and Director, Ready Steady Active
Nabila Tejpar, Rally Driver

TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL
Agnes   Hoffmann,   Manager,   Programme   Management,   Publicis
Sapient
Payal Jain, Managing Director, JCURV and Chair of Women in
Data
Minal Mehta, Digital Strategy Consultant, IBM iX
Jacqueline de Rojas CBE, President, techUK
Sarika Soni, Senior Manager, HSBC

YOUNG ACHIEVER
Sonia Adesara, Medical Doctor, NHS
Monika Plaha, Broadcast Journalist, BBC
Geetha Sathi, Electrical Engineer, Arcadis
Shruthi Vijayakumar, Associate, Skoll Centre for Social
Entrepreneurship
Anika Walia, Founder, Anika Food Charity

About the Asian Women of Achievement Awards
The Asian Women of Achievement Awards, founded by Pinky Lilani
CBE DL in 1999, celebrate

multicultural Britain and the contribution of diverse cultures
and talents to UK society. The awards play a key role in
redefining the contribution of Asian women; and informing a
new, positive, pro-diversity debate.

The awards have led to the creation of numerous initiatives
and projects designed to help women and improve opportunities
for the next generation. The Women of the Future Programme,
enables opportunities through the Women of the Future Network
and Women of the Future Ambassadors Programme. Women of the
Future Network is an active network of high-achieving women
bringing members together to share experiences and build their
own
networks. Membership of over 1000 continues to grow each year
with the inclusion of the AWA shortlisted candidates and Women
of the Future Awards candidates. Women of the Future
Ambassadors Programme connects students with role models and
strengthening the pipeline of talent among Britain’s younger
women.

For further information visit https://www.awaawards.com/

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall
visits    Barnardo’s     in
Redbridge
Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall visited Barnardo’s
innovative Wellbeing Hub in Ilford today (Thursday, 21
February) and saw first-hand how the lives of vulnerable
children and young people are being transformed. During her
visit, The Duchess of Cornwall, a Royal Patron of the charity,
cut a celebratory ribbon marking the opening of a new

therapeutic sensory space at the Hub, funded by businessman
and Barnardo’s supporter Asif Ansari and his wife Sarah.

She also met a group of care leavers who described how they
are being supported by the charity. They showed The Duchess
their proposed designs for a colourful drop-in space at the
Hub on Granville Road over a cup of tea and slice of cake to
celebrate the royal visit baked by 19-year-old care leaver
Zhane Decembre.

Zhane, from East London, who now runs her own bakery business,
said, “It was amazing to meet The Duchess and she was very
impressed by the cake. She said it was ‘outstanding’ and that
she was hoping to see me on the Great British Bake Off.
Barnardo’s has been so supportive in helping me start my
business and I’m so grateful for everything they have done for
me. I shall never forget meeting The Duchess and I hope today
is the start of a very bright future for me.”

Isaac Harvey, 23, from Ilford, who was previously supported by
Barnardo’s and is now a mentor and volunteer, said, “The
Duchess was really interested in the Wellbeing Hub and she
spent a lot of time speaking with the children and young
people who use the service. I also was impressed that The
Duchess wanted to know how we support children and young
people with disabilities. I myself have a disability and I
really appreciated her taking time to get to know me more.”

Barnardo’s Redbridge Leaving Care service, run in partnership
with Redbridge Council, supported 238 care leavers last year.
Young people who leave care can struggle with mental health
issues as they are forced to be independent much younger than
their peers. In England 21% of young people leave care as
young as 16.

Barnardo’s Neglected Minds Report
A Barnardo’s study suggests that nearly half of England’s
26,340 care leavers may be suffering with mental health
problems and found that one in four had faced a mental health
crisis since leaving care.

During her visit, The Duchess of Cornwall also took part took
in an arts and crafts session with a group of young carers and
received a tour of the Wellbeing Hub’s new sensory room and
music room which will help provide therapeutic support to
children and young people with disabilities.

Barnardo’s Young Carers Service supported 152 young carers in
Redbridge last year. Research shows young carers undertake in
excess of 30 hours of caring a week for parents and siblings,
carrying out tasks including cleaning and shopping, providing
intimate personal care, administering medication and managing
household finances.

Ten-year-old Anton who helps care for his older sister said,
“The Duchess was really nice and I felt so happy when I met
her because it was a complete surprise! Barnardo’s really
helps me and other young carers with things like homework and
learning and we get to have fun and go on trips. I hope more
people can support Barnardo’s in anyway they can as it can
help young carers improve their life experience.”

Barnardo’s Wellbeing Hub
Barnardo’s Chief Executive, Javed Khan said, “It is a real
honour to show our Royal Patron, The Duchess of Cornwall how
our expert workers support some of the most vulnerable
children and young people in Ilford and around the UK.

“Some of these children have     huge responsibilities, spending
up to 30 hours a week caring    for a parent or sibling. Others
are adjusting to adult life     after being in local authority
care, and don’t have a family   of their own to support them.

“Services like Barnardo’s Wellbeing Hub and our new sensory
room help young people overcome past trauma and cope with
challenging circumstances, so they can go on to lead
successful adult lives.”

The Duchess was given a guided tour of the Wellbeing Hub by
the charity’s Chief Executive, Javed Khan and met Barnardo’s
London Director Lynn Gradwell, the Mayor of Redbridge,
Councillor Debbie Kaur-Thiara and Asif and Sarah Ansari who
donated funds for the new sensory room.

About Barnardo’s

Barnardo’s is the UK’s leading children’s charity. Last year
301,100 children, young people, parents and carers were
supported by Barnardo’s through more than 1,000 services
across the UK, such as young carers, care leavers, foster
carers and adoptive parents, training and skills or parenting
classes.

Barnardo’s Neglected Minds report was published in September
2017.

UN Women Executive Director
in    India,    calls   for
investment in women
UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka visited
India this week to meet with gender equality advocates, youth
and private sector partners to build momentum towards the
upcoming 63rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of
Women (11-22 March 2019), and to re-ignite public discourse
towards the full implementation of the visionary Beijing
Platform for Action.

P&G announces an investment of USD 100 million in
women-owned businesses
On Monday, 18 February, the Executive Director attended the
#WeSeeEqual Summit in Mumbai, India, a symposium co-hosted by
Procter & Gamble (P&G) and UN Women, which brought together
leading voices from business, media, government and civil
society to discuss ways to advance gender equality in the
workplace, the role of advertising and media to bust the myths
that hold women back and the importance of male champions of
gender equality. During the event, P&G announced an investment
of USD 100 million in women-owned businesses and to educate
more than 23 million adolescent girls on puberty and hygiene
across India, Middle East and Africa. Read the press release>

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka MET with key partners to promote women’s
economic empowerment, in line with the recommendations of UN
Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic
Empowerment and solicit commitments from the private sector to
sign on to Women’s Empowerment Principles, a set of seven
principles developed by UN Women and UN Global Compact that
guide companies to implement actions to promote gender
equality in the workplace, market and community.

SIDBI, World Bank India, and UN Women India’s Business Sector
Advisory Council signed a Declaration of Interest to float the
Women’s Livelihood Bond, aimed at helping India’s rural women
to achieve their economic rights. Photo: UN Women/Sarabjeet
Dhillon.

At 27 per cent, India has one of the lowest female labour
force participation and women constitute 94 per cent of the
informal sector. It’s also one of the fastest growing major
economies in the world. The Executive Director participated in
a number of meetings with key partners in the informal sector