About TEDx
x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today's leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED's annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available, free, on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.
TED's open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from thousands of volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; the annual million-dollar TED Prize, which funds exceptional individuals with a "wish," or idea, to create change in the world; TEDx, which provides licenses to thousands of individuals and groups who host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.
Follow TED on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TEDTalks, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TED or Instagram at https://instagram.com/ted.
Event details
Location: Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa Commons
Date and Time: 14th January, 2017
Private: AKA,M Senior School event
Theme: Decrypting Fantasy: tales of the unseen
Contact information: tedxakam@gmail.com
https://tedxyouthakamombasa.com/
AGA KHAN ACADEMY MOMBASA
Aga Khan Academy Mombasa Students
Organize School’s First Official TEDx Event
Coastweek-- This Saturday 14 January 2017, 100 participants from the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa community gathered together to share ideas and be inspired by an amazing line-up of speakers of different ages and backgrounds at the TEDx Youth@AKAMombasa event, writes ALEESHA SULEMAN.
Firstly, what is TEDx?
“TEDx is a program of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.
“At a TEDx event, TED Talk videos and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection.
“These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event.
“The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.”
The event is the Academy’s first official TEDx event and is one of the first of its kind hosted in Mombasa.
Licensee and Lead Organiser Aalia Visram said “Events such as TEDxYouth@AKAMombasa are important for youth to be able to connect and participate in TED’s vision of ‘ideas worth spreading’.
It was incredible to see the hard-work and amazing organisational skills of all the student volunteers and team members culminate in such an exceptional event.”
The theme of the event was “Decrypting Fantasy: Tales of the Unseen” and the topics covered by the speakers ranged from the power of a vision to the relevance of social media to farming.
Joining 13 student speakers from the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, were 5 guest-speakers from around Kenya.
Famous hip-hop artist Juliani, Olympic Kenyan archer Shehzana Anwar, filmmaker and producer Hatim Hassanali, Head of External Affairs at the Aga Khan Academy Gulam Juma, and Naheed Hirji, Head of Growth and Mobile Partnerships at Facebook, were all part of the inspiring speaker line-up.
In the opening address, the audience was told that they were “the key to change”.
http://www.coastweek.com/4004-extra-03.htm
Organize School’s First Official TEDx Event
Coastweek-- This Saturday 14 January 2017, 100 participants from the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa community gathered together to share ideas and be inspired by an amazing line-up of speakers of different ages and backgrounds at the TEDx Youth@AKAMombasa event, writes ALEESHA SULEMAN.
Firstly, what is TEDx?
“TEDx is a program of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.
“At a TEDx event, TED Talk videos and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection.
“These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event.
“The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.”
The event is the Academy’s first official TEDx event and is one of the first of its kind hosted in Mombasa.
Licensee and Lead Organiser Aalia Visram said “Events such as TEDxYouth@AKAMombasa are important for youth to be able to connect and participate in TED’s vision of ‘ideas worth spreading’.
It was incredible to see the hard-work and amazing organisational skills of all the student volunteers and team members culminate in such an exceptional event.”
The theme of the event was “Decrypting Fantasy: Tales of the Unseen” and the topics covered by the speakers ranged from the power of a vision to the relevance of social media to farming.
Joining 13 student speakers from the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, were 5 guest-speakers from around Kenya.
Famous hip-hop artist Juliani, Olympic Kenyan archer Shehzana Anwar, filmmaker and producer Hatim Hassanali, Head of External Affairs at the Aga Khan Academy Gulam Juma, and Naheed Hirji, Head of Growth and Mobile Partnerships at Facebook, were all part of the inspiring speaker line-up.
In the opening address, the audience was told that they were “the key to change”.
http://www.coastweek.com/4004-extra-03.htm
Aga Khan Academy Mombasa students showcase projects to address key challenges in Kenya
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa last week held an exhibition to showcase some of the innovate projects by their students. The Annual Personal Projects Exhibition of the Academy’s Year 10 students was a culmination of intensive year-long projects. Under this projects, the students identify areas of need, backed up by intensive research which is then developed into a viable product or outcome.
The projects are also part of the school’s curricular programme aimed at creating outstanding young entrepreneurs, scientists and future leaders.
This year’s exhibition featured about 80 innovative projects, with Shashank Arvindan presenting a model for a solar-powered airport for Mombasa, Suleiman Mwachizi unveiling an electrostatic precipitator to control air pollution and Telvin Kameta showcasing a bump detector gadget that aims to reduce road accidents
These projects are particularly relevant considering the issues affecting Kenya like the heavy cost of electricity, elevated pollution levels and an exceptionally high record of road deaths, with 3,057 people killed in road crashes in the country in 2015.
More...
http://techtrendske.co.ke/aga-khan-acad ... -projects/
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa last week held an exhibition to showcase some of the innovate projects by their students. The Annual Personal Projects Exhibition of the Academy’s Year 10 students was a culmination of intensive year-long projects. Under this projects, the students identify areas of need, backed up by intensive research which is then developed into a viable product or outcome.
The projects are also part of the school’s curricular programme aimed at creating outstanding young entrepreneurs, scientists and future leaders.
This year’s exhibition featured about 80 innovative projects, with Shashank Arvindan presenting a model for a solar-powered airport for Mombasa, Suleiman Mwachizi unveiling an electrostatic precipitator to control air pollution and Telvin Kameta showcasing a bump detector gadget that aims to reduce road accidents
These projects are particularly relevant considering the issues affecting Kenya like the heavy cost of electricity, elevated pollution levels and an exceptionally high record of road deaths, with 3,057 people killed in road crashes in the country in 2015.
More...
http://techtrendske.co.ke/aga-khan-acad ... -projects/
Christine Robertson: From Canada to Kenya
Christine Robertson is a veteran Ontario teacher who began a secondment to the Aga Khan Academy (AKA) Mombasa in April 2016. She talks about her experience of coming to Kenya and her first days of getting to know the Academy.
Extract:
This would be a chance to work with both students and teachers; a great opportunity for learning, as well as for sharing from my own experience and training. At the time, though, I was unfamiliar with the PYP [Primary Years Programme]. I’ve known about the IB [International Baccalaureate] programme for some time, but only as an option for high school students interested and motivated to pursue an alternative curriculum. However, once I began to understand the PYP, I realised it aligned with the project-based and inquiry learning that had already been a part of my own practise. This comes from my background in experiential education.
More...
http://www.agakhanacademies.org/mombasa ... nada-kenya
Christine Robertson is a veteran Ontario teacher who began a secondment to the Aga Khan Academy (AKA) Mombasa in April 2016. She talks about her experience of coming to Kenya and her first days of getting to know the Academy.
Extract:
This would be a chance to work with both students and teachers; a great opportunity for learning, as well as for sharing from my own experience and training. At the time, though, I was unfamiliar with the PYP [Primary Years Programme]. I’ve known about the IB [International Baccalaureate] programme for some time, but only as an option for high school students interested and motivated to pursue an alternative curriculum. However, once I began to understand the PYP, I realised it aligned with the project-based and inquiry learning that had already been a part of my own practise. This comes from my background in experiential education.
More...
http://www.agakhanacademies.org/mombasa ... nada-kenya
A better world through education: The Aga Khan Academies
VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi-Et9Laiok
The International Baccalaureate featured the Aga Khan Academies and its approach to creating home-grown leaders. Watch to learn how the Academies work to transform the communities in which they are located.
www.agakhanacademies.org
VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi-Et9Laiok
The International Baccalaureate featured the Aga Khan Academies and its approach to creating home-grown leaders. Watch to learn how the Academies work to transform the communities in which they are located.
www.agakhanacademies.org
Aga Khan Academy students hold an event to bring together the 44 tribes of Kenya
Video
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox ... 031f7fa134
Video
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox ... 031f7fa134
76 graduate from Aga Khan Academy
Seventy six International Baccalaureate students were Saturday awarded with diplomas at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa during its 12th graduation ceremony.
The students have been offered more than USD 6 million (Sh600 million) in scholarships and financial aid to study in some of the top universities such as Yale, Brown, University College of London, University of Melbourne, University of Toronto and McGill.
Dr Mahmoud Eboo, the Aga Khan Development Network Representative to Canada, urged the students to use their knowledge and opportunity to mentor their communities.
https://www.nation.co.ke/news/education ... index.html
******
“We are becoming the world’s citizens!” – Johnson Monari, Kenya
Johnson Monari
Teacher of English Language & Literature and Theory of Knowledge
Aga Khan Academy Mombasa
Kenya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEQmGAEZ4Tg
Just a year into his teaching profession, MIE Expert Johnson Monari was feeling bored. He had heard about the Microsoft Educator Community as an online educators’ platform, so he signed up with the intention of making strides toward transformative teaching.
“I started using online collaborative tools, and at first things did not work out,” Monari tells us. “At one time, my lesson was being observed by the vice principal and I wanted to really show that I was using technology. Students were working online and they unfortunately lacked netiquette and kept deleting their colleagues’ work. This made the class chaotic and the lesson fell apart.”
But that experience didn’t dissuade Monari from his dream of becoming a more innovative educator. Instead, he gradually learned how to make tasks more authentic and to create more meaningful and smaller task-oriented groups.
More...
http://dailyedventures.com/index.php/20 ... ari-kenya/
Seventy six International Baccalaureate students were Saturday awarded with diplomas at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa during its 12th graduation ceremony.
The students have been offered more than USD 6 million (Sh600 million) in scholarships and financial aid to study in some of the top universities such as Yale, Brown, University College of London, University of Melbourne, University of Toronto and McGill.
Dr Mahmoud Eboo, the Aga Khan Development Network Representative to Canada, urged the students to use their knowledge and opportunity to mentor their communities.
https://www.nation.co.ke/news/education ... index.html
******
“We are becoming the world’s citizens!” – Johnson Monari, Kenya
Johnson Monari
Teacher of English Language & Literature and Theory of Knowledge
Aga Khan Academy Mombasa
Kenya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEQmGAEZ4Tg
Just a year into his teaching profession, MIE Expert Johnson Monari was feeling bored. He had heard about the Microsoft Educator Community as an online educators’ platform, so he signed up with the intention of making strides toward transformative teaching.
“I started using online collaborative tools, and at first things did not work out,” Monari tells us. “At one time, my lesson was being observed by the vice principal and I wanted to really show that I was using technology. Students were working online and they unfortunately lacked netiquette and kept deleting their colleagues’ work. This made the class chaotic and the lesson fell apart.”
But that experience didn’t dissuade Monari from his dream of becoming a more innovative educator. Instead, he gradually learned how to make tasks more authentic and to create more meaningful and smaller task-oriented groups.
More...
http://dailyedventures.com/index.php/20 ... ari-kenya/
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa welcomed 22 new staff members from around the world to its community for the 2018 – 2019 academic year. Throughout the next few weeks, profiles of the new staff will be shown, introducing who they are and how they want to bring change to the Academy.
Alison Hampshire, Head of Academy:
Alison Hampshire was born in the United Kingdom and is the new Head of Academy. Alison has worked in various schools in the UK for 12 years, the Bishop Mackenzie School in Malawi for three years, the Nexus International School in Malaysia for six years and the South Island School in Hong Kong for eight years. With the new academic term, Alison said she hopes to have an open door policy with everyone.
“I am planning on listening to the views of as many people who are willing to share them in order to develop a better understanding of the strengths and areas of development of the Academy,” Alison said. “By the end of the year I hope that I will have supported the staff and students to work together on moving the Academy forward in its pursuit of excellence.”
Alison said the vision and mission of the Academy is a big part of her role that impacts her actions and decision-making.
More...
http://www.agakhanacademies.org/mombasa ... -hampshire
Alison Hampshire, Head of Academy:
Alison Hampshire was born in the United Kingdom and is the new Head of Academy. Alison has worked in various schools in the UK for 12 years, the Bishop Mackenzie School in Malawi for three years, the Nexus International School in Malaysia for six years and the South Island School in Hong Kong for eight years. With the new academic term, Alison said she hopes to have an open door policy with everyone.
“I am planning on listening to the views of as many people who are willing to share them in order to develop a better understanding of the strengths and areas of development of the Academy,” Alison said. “By the end of the year I hope that I will have supported the staff and students to work together on moving the Academy forward in its pursuit of excellence.”
Alison said the vision and mission of the Academy is a big part of her role that impacts her actions and decision-making.
More...
http://www.agakhanacademies.org/mombasa ... -hampshire
From Khorog to Mombasa: The transformative power of education
For each of the past several years, a group of students about to enter secondary school have travelled from their home country of Tajikistan in Central Asia pursue their secondary education at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. At the Academy, these talented students have received an international standard of education they would not otherwise have been able to access, and their presence on campus has helped enhance the cultural and geographic diversity of the student body.
The first group of eight Tajik students graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa on 20 May 2017 this year, marking the conclusion of a six-year journey that began with a rigorous selection process in Tajikistan and ended in an emotional graduation ceremony. Aleesha Suleman spoke with two of these students, Nafisa Rahimjonova and Alisher Abdumamadov, about their experiences in Mombasa, the transformation they’ve undergone as a result of their unique educational opportunity and their future aspirations.
More...
http://www.agakhanacademies.org/general ... -education
For each of the past several years, a group of students about to enter secondary school have travelled from their home country of Tajikistan in Central Asia pursue their secondary education at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. At the Academy, these talented students have received an international standard of education they would not otherwise have been able to access, and their presence on campus has helped enhance the cultural and geographic diversity of the student body.
The first group of eight Tajik students graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa on 20 May 2017 this year, marking the conclusion of a six-year journey that began with a rigorous selection process in Tajikistan and ended in an emotional graduation ceremony. Aleesha Suleman spoke with two of these students, Nafisa Rahimjonova and Alisher Abdumamadov, about their experiences in Mombasa, the transformation they’ve undergone as a result of their unique educational opportunity and their future aspirations.
More...
http://www.agakhanacademies.org/general ... -education
Prudence and William: Creators of destiny
Prudence Hainga from Kisumu and William Baiya from the Ganze area of rural Kenya both graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa in 2018. Both come from humble backgrounds and are the first in their families to be able to attend university abroad.
Referring to his vision for the Aga Khan Academies, His Highness the Aga Khan has explained: “I believe deeply that if developing countries are to be successful in their aim of becoming modern economies with living standards comparable to the West, we must focus not only on universal access to education for the majority or even all of the population. We must also make available educational opportunities at the top international standard for the exceptional students who stand out from the rest. The reality is that not all students are created equal intellectually. And exceptional individuals are as abundant in the developing world as anywhere else, from the cities and from the countryside. The pity is that too many in the developing world are never given the opportunity to have their minds challenged and stretched and developed to their full potential. Therefore we must strive to create institutions of learning that can help them maximise the potential to study, to learn and to function at the highest international intellectual levels.”
Paul Davis, the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, has enthusiastically led the Academy’s Talent Identification Programme for the past ten years. This programme identifies “creators of destiny” – students in Year 6 at government schools, from less-fortunate socio-economic and educational areas of Kenya, who are academically able and show leadership potential - and provides them with full financial support to attend the Academy. The Academy then guides and nurtures them throughout their secondary school years to become “creators of destiny” in their own lives and communities.
Photo and more...
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/pruden ... rs-destiny
Prudence Hainga from Kisumu and William Baiya from the Ganze area of rural Kenya both graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa in 2018. Both come from humble backgrounds and are the first in their families to be able to attend university abroad.
Referring to his vision for the Aga Khan Academies, His Highness the Aga Khan has explained: “I believe deeply that if developing countries are to be successful in their aim of becoming modern economies with living standards comparable to the West, we must focus not only on universal access to education for the majority or even all of the population. We must also make available educational opportunities at the top international standard for the exceptional students who stand out from the rest. The reality is that not all students are created equal intellectually. And exceptional individuals are as abundant in the developing world as anywhere else, from the cities and from the countryside. The pity is that too many in the developing world are never given the opportunity to have their minds challenged and stretched and developed to their full potential. Therefore we must strive to create institutions of learning that can help them maximise the potential to study, to learn and to function at the highest international intellectual levels.”
Paul Davis, the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, has enthusiastically led the Academy’s Talent Identification Programme for the past ten years. This programme identifies “creators of destiny” – students in Year 6 at government schools, from less-fortunate socio-economic and educational areas of Kenya, who are academically able and show leadership potential - and provides them with full financial support to attend the Academy. The Academy then guides and nurtures them throughout their secondary school years to become “creators of destiny” in their own lives and communities.
Photo and more...
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/pruden ... rs-destiny
Student at Aga Khan Academy in Kenya receives Diana Award
Mombasa, Kenya, 13 August 2019 - Ziyaan Virji, 17, a student at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya, has received the Diana Award for going above and beyond his everyday life to create and sustain positive change. The Diana Award, which is given in memory of Princess Diana, is considered one of the highest accolades for social action or humanitarian efforts that a young person can receive.
Mr. Virji received the Award for launching Affordable and Accessible Sanitation for Women (AASW), which has helped almost 300 girls to acquire access to menstrual hygiene across six different countries. Countries includes Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan, India, Nigeria and the UAE. In the next 12 months, AASW aims to continue expanding to provide over 1,000 girls with access to sanitation.
The story of the creation of AASW starts in 2017. While working on his ”Personal Project” – an in-depth research-based project – for his International Baccalaureate studies at the Academy, Ziyaan was surprised to learn that 500 million girls across the world do not have access to the necessary menstrual health resources they require.
In response, and to ensure the sustainability of his project beyond academics, he launched AASW. AASW is now a voluntary youth initiative that is comprised of high school students between the ages of 13-18. Run with support from staff at the Academy, AASW works with local organisations to produce and distribute reusable sanitary packages and equip girls with the necessary skills to give themselves and their communities access to menstrual hygiene.
AASW has been working in close collaboration with community partners Tunaweza Women with Disabilities to produce and distribute sanitary packages that are washable (therefore reusable), cost effective, environmentally friendly and embarrassment-free. These packages last for up to three years, are 100% biodegradable and cost between US$ 3 to US$ 5. Additionally, the pads are made from colourful African fabric (leso/kitenge) with a removable felt lining, so they do not look like a typical menstruation product. In the longer term, AASW aims to create entrepreneurial opportunities to empower girls to take themselves out of the vicious poverty and help the rest of their community to access menstrual hygiene.
Ziyaan believes that “period poverty” should be a fight that all of humanity takes on because “no one would be alive if not for the reproductive cycle”. The initiative also provides educational sessions for both boys and girls in order to break the social stigma surrounding menstruation. AASW has been hosting such events both at the Academy and at Unity School in Bombolulu, which is the Academy’s main partner school. AASW also hosts sessions between the women at Tunaweza and the girls at Unity School so they can learn how to stitch their own reusable pads. In this way, the girls can be empowered to support other young women and girls in the community, while also providing an entrepreneurial avenue.
Upon receiving the award, Ziyaan commented: “I am truly honoured to be a recipient of this prestigious International Award and to be recognised for my work in the legacy of Princess Diana. I would like to thank my family, my close friends, my mentors and most importantly my school for their continuous support and guidance in helping me find and achieve my purpose: to help give girls access to menstrual hygiene around the world.”
Ziyaan is a student of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, where he is now in his final year of the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme. In a previous interview, Ziyaan expressed that, “The Academy has taught me a lot about the whole process of service, especially the idea of the service cycle and thinking sustainably when reaching out to communities. This knowledge guided me in creating my unique model of approach”.
Pluralism, Ethics and Civil Society are some of the unique elements woven into the Academies’ curriculum, which is designed to develop students into the leaders of tomorrow. The hope is that students develop an attitude of global citizenship and a desire to improve the quality of life of people amongst whom they live.
https://www.akdn.org/press-release/stud ... iana-award
Mombasa, Kenya, 13 August 2019 - Ziyaan Virji, 17, a student at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya, has received the Diana Award for going above and beyond his everyday life to create and sustain positive change. The Diana Award, which is given in memory of Princess Diana, is considered one of the highest accolades for social action or humanitarian efforts that a young person can receive.
Mr. Virji received the Award for launching Affordable and Accessible Sanitation for Women (AASW), which has helped almost 300 girls to acquire access to menstrual hygiene across six different countries. Countries includes Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan, India, Nigeria and the UAE. In the next 12 months, AASW aims to continue expanding to provide over 1,000 girls with access to sanitation.
The story of the creation of AASW starts in 2017. While working on his ”Personal Project” – an in-depth research-based project – for his International Baccalaureate studies at the Academy, Ziyaan was surprised to learn that 500 million girls across the world do not have access to the necessary menstrual health resources they require.
In response, and to ensure the sustainability of his project beyond academics, he launched AASW. AASW is now a voluntary youth initiative that is comprised of high school students between the ages of 13-18. Run with support from staff at the Academy, AASW works with local organisations to produce and distribute reusable sanitary packages and equip girls with the necessary skills to give themselves and their communities access to menstrual hygiene.
AASW has been working in close collaboration with community partners Tunaweza Women with Disabilities to produce and distribute sanitary packages that are washable (therefore reusable), cost effective, environmentally friendly and embarrassment-free. These packages last for up to three years, are 100% biodegradable and cost between US$ 3 to US$ 5. Additionally, the pads are made from colourful African fabric (leso/kitenge) with a removable felt lining, so they do not look like a typical menstruation product. In the longer term, AASW aims to create entrepreneurial opportunities to empower girls to take themselves out of the vicious poverty and help the rest of their community to access menstrual hygiene.
Ziyaan believes that “period poverty” should be a fight that all of humanity takes on because “no one would be alive if not for the reproductive cycle”. The initiative also provides educational sessions for both boys and girls in order to break the social stigma surrounding menstruation. AASW has been hosting such events both at the Academy and at Unity School in Bombolulu, which is the Academy’s main partner school. AASW also hosts sessions between the women at Tunaweza and the girls at Unity School so they can learn how to stitch their own reusable pads. In this way, the girls can be empowered to support other young women and girls in the community, while also providing an entrepreneurial avenue.
Upon receiving the award, Ziyaan commented: “I am truly honoured to be a recipient of this prestigious International Award and to be recognised for my work in the legacy of Princess Diana. I would like to thank my family, my close friends, my mentors and most importantly my school for their continuous support and guidance in helping me find and achieve my purpose: to help give girls access to menstrual hygiene around the world.”
Ziyaan is a student of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, where he is now in his final year of the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme. In a previous interview, Ziyaan expressed that, “The Academy has taught me a lot about the whole process of service, especially the idea of the service cycle and thinking sustainably when reaching out to communities. This knowledge guided me in creating my unique model of approach”.
Pluralism, Ethics and Civil Society are some of the unique elements woven into the Academies’ curriculum, which is designed to develop students into the leaders of tomorrow. The hope is that students develop an attitude of global citizenship and a desire to improve the quality of life of people amongst whom they live.
https://www.akdn.org/press-release/stud ... iana-award
BBC Africa profiles Aga Khan Academy Mombasa Student Ziyaan Virji
Did you know, over 500 million women worldwide do not have access to menstrual health resources? Aga Khan Academy Mombasa student Ziyaan Virji is working to help tackle this issue, and recently received The Diana Award for his efforts. Watch the BBCAfrica story on Ziyaan to learn more or read our article here
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... 0ooGcby54Q
Did you know, over 500 million women worldwide do not have access to menstrual health resources? Aga Khan Academy Mombasa student Ziyaan Virji is working to help tackle this issue, and recently received The Diana Award for his efforts. Watch the BBCAfrica story on Ziyaan to learn more or read our article here
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... 0ooGcby54Q
Raphael Mwachiti: Academy student uses haptic technology to help the visually impaired
Raphael Mwachiti, a student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, has won the Ryerson Sandbox Basecamp prize for his innovation to assist visually impaired people, awarding him a grant of $5,000 CAD and specialist professional advice to help advance his start-up.
Ryerson University, located in Toronto, Canada, runs an intensive boot camp for six weeks every year. Students are invited to submit their solutions to real life issues, and once they pass a rigorous application process, they are selected to attend the camp. Over the 6-week period, students attend intensive sessions to develop, market and accelerate their business ideas. Ryerson is providing 12 fellowships over three years for Academies students and faculty to attend the Sandbox Basecamp. The collaboration came about in 2017 following a visit by Mohamed Lachemi, president and vice-chancellor of Ryerson University, to the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. The 2019 Basecamp had 27 students, some working in pairs and others working alone. There were 19 projects in total with three winners.
More...
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/raphae ... y-impaired
Raphael Mwachiti, a student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, has won the Ryerson Sandbox Basecamp prize for his innovation to assist visually impaired people, awarding him a grant of $5,000 CAD and specialist professional advice to help advance his start-up.
Ryerson University, located in Toronto, Canada, runs an intensive boot camp for six weeks every year. Students are invited to submit their solutions to real life issues, and once they pass a rigorous application process, they are selected to attend the camp. Over the 6-week period, students attend intensive sessions to develop, market and accelerate their business ideas. Ryerson is providing 12 fellowships over three years for Academies students and faculty to attend the Sandbox Basecamp. The collaboration came about in 2017 following a visit by Mohamed Lachemi, president and vice-chancellor of Ryerson University, to the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. The 2019 Basecamp had 27 students, some working in pairs and others working alone. There were 19 projects in total with three winners.
More...
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/raphae ... y-impaired
Ham Serunjogi: Aga Khan Academy alum gains notice
I was born and bred in Uganda and, after graduating from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, moved to Iowa to study at Grinnell College. It was at Grinnell College that I met my co-founder, Maijid Moujaled. Like myself, Maijid was an international student and was born in Ghana.
At college, I studied economics, while Maijid studied computer science. During my junior year of college, I worked at Facebook in New York as an intern and returned to Facebook at their Dublin headquarters full-time after I graduated from Grinnell in May 2016.
During the summer of 2016, right before I moved to Ireland to work for Facebook, Maijid and I went on a road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles—stopping in Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz along the way. On the road, Maijid and I spent a lot of time talking about the cryptocurrency space and financial technology (or “fintech”), and listening to podcasts in the car.
Part of our excitement about cryptocurrencies and the fintech space came from our frustration over how hard and expensive it is to send money (especially across borders) from one person to another in Africa, given the many different currencies across the continent. This is how the idea of Chipper was born in our minds.
Chipper is somewhat analogous to Venmo in the United States, except that Chipper works across countries all over Africa, instead of just one country. What is most unique about Chipper is that instead of users using credit cards to credit and debit their Chipper wallets, as they do with Venmo, Chipper allows users to connect their Mobile Money accounts, the most common financial tool in sub-Saharan Africa.
Chipper has been selected by the Stellar Foundation, which develops a blockchain-based payments protocol, as a winner of their annual Stellar Build Competition. That award was a big step: in addition to being worth over $100,000 for developing the platform, it gained recognition for Chipper in a competitive global spotlight. Within less than a year Chipper has also raised an $8.4 million seed round by Deciens Capital, a venture capital firm.
With Chipper, we hope to reach a market that is large and very under-served. Chipper is ahead of most others in this space right now.
Chipper is available on Android, iOS, and the Web to people in a number of countries including Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Nigeria. More countries will be added in the near future.
Throughout this process, I continue to use and develop on the analytic and communications skills I first encountered at the Aga Khan Academy, along with a commitment to serving social needs. The foundation that I built for my career and myself with the Aga Khan Development Network still amazes me today.
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/ham-se ... ins-notice
I was born and bred in Uganda and, after graduating from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, moved to Iowa to study at Grinnell College. It was at Grinnell College that I met my co-founder, Maijid Moujaled. Like myself, Maijid was an international student and was born in Ghana.
At college, I studied economics, while Maijid studied computer science. During my junior year of college, I worked at Facebook in New York as an intern and returned to Facebook at their Dublin headquarters full-time after I graduated from Grinnell in May 2016.
During the summer of 2016, right before I moved to Ireland to work for Facebook, Maijid and I went on a road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles—stopping in Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz along the way. On the road, Maijid and I spent a lot of time talking about the cryptocurrency space and financial technology (or “fintech”), and listening to podcasts in the car.
Part of our excitement about cryptocurrencies and the fintech space came from our frustration over how hard and expensive it is to send money (especially across borders) from one person to another in Africa, given the many different currencies across the continent. This is how the idea of Chipper was born in our minds.
Chipper is somewhat analogous to Venmo in the United States, except that Chipper works across countries all over Africa, instead of just one country. What is most unique about Chipper is that instead of users using credit cards to credit and debit their Chipper wallets, as they do with Venmo, Chipper allows users to connect their Mobile Money accounts, the most common financial tool in sub-Saharan Africa.
Chipper has been selected by the Stellar Foundation, which develops a blockchain-based payments protocol, as a winner of their annual Stellar Build Competition. That award was a big step: in addition to being worth over $100,000 for developing the platform, it gained recognition for Chipper in a competitive global spotlight. Within less than a year Chipper has also raised an $8.4 million seed round by Deciens Capital, a venture capital firm.
With Chipper, we hope to reach a market that is large and very under-served. Chipper is ahead of most others in this space right now.
Chipper is available on Android, iOS, and the Web to people in a number of countries including Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Nigeria. More countries will be added in the near future.
Throughout this process, I continue to use and develop on the analytic and communications skills I first encountered at the Aga Khan Academy, along with a commitment to serving social needs. The foundation that I built for my career and myself with the Aga Khan Development Network still amazes me today.
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/ham-se ... ins-notice
Mahek Shah: Her dreams taking flight
Mahek Shah, a Diploma Programme 1 student at the Aga Khan Academy (AKA) Mombasa, has had a love of flying for as long as she can remember. As a young aviator, Mahek was driven to change the fact that aviation was a predominantly male industry. Through her Middle Years Programme (MYP) curriculum, a part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) at AKA Mombasa, Mahek was able to take her passion and turn it into Wings for Women – a project educating teenage girls in Kenya on becoming pilots.
Captain Irene Koki Mutungi – the first African female captain of the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” aircraft – is the main source of inspiration behind Mahek’s innovative project. Learning about Captain Koki’s accomplishments influenced Mahek to create Wings for Women.
“Captain Koki encourages women to break stereotypes and work hard to achieve their dreams,” Mahek said. “She has held several motivational sessions within Kenya and has played an important role in shaping careers of numerous women.”
Wings for Women has successfully been conducting workshops in Mombasa and Nairobi. At present, Mahek’s 14-member, student-led team is focusing on expanding its reach to females across Kenya.
Born in the United Kingdom and raised in Mombasa, Mahek looks forward to attending university in the UK next year. To further her ambition of becoming a pilot, Mahek attended a 12-day summer aviation camp at Brookfield Aviation International in England. The camp comprised of flight training courses consisting of three, one-hour flight lessons in a light aircraft (Piper A28). In addition, Mahek underwent ground school training in air law, navigation and communications. She also attended aerobatic flying and helicopter lessons.
For Mahek, practising on the Emirates full motion simulators was the most challenging and exhilarating aspect of her training.
“Flying two different simulators took some getting used to,” Mahek said. “The Airbus 380 simulator used a joystick, and it was only after two trials that I managed to land the plane. The Boeing 777, on the other hand, was much easier to fly using a yoke.”
Another important facet of her training was meeting airlines and touring headquarters, as well as taking part in Safety and Emergency Procedures (SEP) Training at British Airways and visiting the British Airways Heritage Centre.
aka-kenya-mahek_shah.jpg
Mahek Shah, fifth from the bottom, attended an aviation camp at Brookfield Aviation International in the United Kingdom.
AKDN / Mahek Shah
Mahek’s passion and ambition to become a pilot has naturally progressed to a bigger mission of advocating for gender equality in her chosen field. The time Mahek spent at the aviation camp reinforced her belief that women can succeed within the field of aviation – a message she envisions Wings for Women will continue sharing across Kenya today and Africa tomorrow.
By studying the IB curriculum at the Academy, Mahek believes she’s been given the confidence to take her project forward. She also attributes her teachers at the Academy for being one of her biggest support systems.
“The Aga Khan Academies Learner Profile attributes of being open-minded and caring helped me engage with people from the aviation industry during the camp,” Mahek said. “This whole experience has enabled me to become a more ethical decision-maker, who is also very tolerant and pluralistic.”
Mahek is a student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, a programme of the Aga Khan Development Network, and the first school in a network that plans to include 18 Academies across 14 countries around the world. The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, offering an IB curriculum that is locally rooted and globally relevant. Admission to the Academy is needs-blind and based upon merit. For further information on the Academy, visit: http://www.agakhanacademies.org/mombasa
Photo at:
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/mahek- ... ing-flight
Mahek Shah, a Diploma Programme 1 student at the Aga Khan Academy (AKA) Mombasa, has had a love of flying for as long as she can remember. As a young aviator, Mahek was driven to change the fact that aviation was a predominantly male industry. Through her Middle Years Programme (MYP) curriculum, a part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) at AKA Mombasa, Mahek was able to take her passion and turn it into Wings for Women – a project educating teenage girls in Kenya on becoming pilots.
Captain Irene Koki Mutungi – the first African female captain of the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” aircraft – is the main source of inspiration behind Mahek’s innovative project. Learning about Captain Koki’s accomplishments influenced Mahek to create Wings for Women.
“Captain Koki encourages women to break stereotypes and work hard to achieve their dreams,” Mahek said. “She has held several motivational sessions within Kenya and has played an important role in shaping careers of numerous women.”
Wings for Women has successfully been conducting workshops in Mombasa and Nairobi. At present, Mahek’s 14-member, student-led team is focusing on expanding its reach to females across Kenya.
Born in the United Kingdom and raised in Mombasa, Mahek looks forward to attending university in the UK next year. To further her ambition of becoming a pilot, Mahek attended a 12-day summer aviation camp at Brookfield Aviation International in England. The camp comprised of flight training courses consisting of three, one-hour flight lessons in a light aircraft (Piper A28). In addition, Mahek underwent ground school training in air law, navigation and communications. She also attended aerobatic flying and helicopter lessons.
For Mahek, practising on the Emirates full motion simulators was the most challenging and exhilarating aspect of her training.
“Flying two different simulators took some getting used to,” Mahek said. “The Airbus 380 simulator used a joystick, and it was only after two trials that I managed to land the plane. The Boeing 777, on the other hand, was much easier to fly using a yoke.”
Another important facet of her training was meeting airlines and touring headquarters, as well as taking part in Safety and Emergency Procedures (SEP) Training at British Airways and visiting the British Airways Heritage Centre.
aka-kenya-mahek_shah.jpg
Mahek Shah, fifth from the bottom, attended an aviation camp at Brookfield Aviation International in the United Kingdom.
AKDN / Mahek Shah
Mahek’s passion and ambition to become a pilot has naturally progressed to a bigger mission of advocating for gender equality in her chosen field. The time Mahek spent at the aviation camp reinforced her belief that women can succeed within the field of aviation – a message she envisions Wings for Women will continue sharing across Kenya today and Africa tomorrow.
By studying the IB curriculum at the Academy, Mahek believes she’s been given the confidence to take her project forward. She also attributes her teachers at the Academy for being one of her biggest support systems.
“The Aga Khan Academies Learner Profile attributes of being open-minded and caring helped me engage with people from the aviation industry during the camp,” Mahek said. “This whole experience has enabled me to become a more ethical decision-maker, who is also very tolerant and pluralistic.”
Mahek is a student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, a programme of the Aga Khan Development Network, and the first school in a network that plans to include 18 Academies across 14 countries around the world. The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, offering an IB curriculum that is locally rooted and globally relevant. Admission to the Academy is needs-blind and based upon merit. For further information on the Academy, visit: http://www.agakhanacademies.org/mombasa
Photo at:
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/mahek- ... ing-flight
Cinzia Torriani: An environmentalist at Aga Khan Academy
“I saw the aquatic life in the bay that surrounded a part of the Funzi island deteriorate over time,” said Cinzia Torriani, a Diploma Programme 1 student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. “Fish disappeared from the easy view of the waters; dolphins, which would appear annually, stopped appearing; and I would even hear stories of animals that were once inhabitants of the bay as now a distant memory.
“Contrary to this, the number of fishermen stayed the same, and at some point, every small fish in the ocean was being caught to feed a fisherman’s family. I realised that a majority of the motives put in place on the island for helping the environment served little purpose towards establishing a feasible way forward to ensure locals, who depend on the ocean, would remain economically stable.”
The disappearance of the fish, as well as her parents’ personal environmental initiatives, brought her to environmental activism. She focused her energy on ways that would improve the environment but also keep the local community of fishermen in mind.
aka-kenya-20200404_164103_0-bis.jpg
Cinzia Torriani, a Diploma Programme 1 student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, has channeled her energy into becoming an environmental activist, focusing on ways to better her environment while also keeping in mind the local community.
AKA
One of the first initiatives Cinzia undertook was her Year 10 personal project, a part of the Academy’s curriculum that allows students to collaborate with individuals in their local community in order to address an issue or challenge. Cinzia created an integrated farming system, combining a fish farm, chicken farm and maize farm, which was self-sufficient. Human efficiency would be maximised; the harvest timeline would be eradicated, and locals would be provided with an alternative – and more productive – way to get fish from the ocean.
Following the completion of her personal project, Cinzia was able to spread her message about the environment even further by speaking at the 2019 TEDxYouth event held at the Academy. In her talk, Cinzia spoke about the importance of fighting complacency in order for action to be taken toward the environment, while also discussing her personal project as a way of implementing a new agricultural system.
“This was one of the most thrilling and greatest memories I hold,” Cinzia said. “I was able to use my voice as a way to spread my opinions and ideas on what mattered to me to a group of people who were interested in listening. From this, my story was published in one of the nation’s newspapers, Business Daily, about my project, my TEDx talk and my future goals. This provided me with the opportunity to convey my message about environmental sustainability to a larger audience.”
Cinzia has taken steps to further her goal and spread awareness about the environment. During the Academy’s annual Peace Summit, a two-day event that brought together students from the Academy and around Mombasa to discuss peace and conflict resolution, Cinzia was selected as the female student lead for the event. As it happened, the theme for this year’s Summit was “Climate Action for Peace”.
“The aim of the Summit was to take students through several thought-provoking and interactive activities to question their stand as activists for peace, linking this directly to the environment’s state,” Cinzia said. “From discussions on the dangers of rising sea levels, to water scarcity, to the impacts of desertification and drought, the students promoted the value of being environmentally conscious and reflecting on the actions of mankind.”
Spreading awareness about the environment through community service was also part of Cinzia’s activities. As part of the International Baccalaureate, Diploma Programme students have to create a community service group or be a part of an existing one.
“My friend and I created a community service project at the Academy called iSEAyou,” Cinzia said. “Our current goals include making use of polluted materials to create purchasable furniture and art, as well as promoting sustainable environmental development,” she says. Her goals include selling the furniture and art in ways that do not impinge on the economic standards of society.
As Cinzia decides what she wants to study when she goes to university, she said she would always be an environmental activist wherever she goes. She is forever grateful for those who have guided her to get to where she is, including the Academy. “I feel that no matter what career path I go into, it has become a joy to raise awareness on the environment and work towards more environmentally friendly systems in society,” Cinzia said.
This text was adapted from an article published on the Aga Khan Academy website.
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/cinzia ... an-academy
“I saw the aquatic life in the bay that surrounded a part of the Funzi island deteriorate over time,” said Cinzia Torriani, a Diploma Programme 1 student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. “Fish disappeared from the easy view of the waters; dolphins, which would appear annually, stopped appearing; and I would even hear stories of animals that were once inhabitants of the bay as now a distant memory.
“Contrary to this, the number of fishermen stayed the same, and at some point, every small fish in the ocean was being caught to feed a fisherman’s family. I realised that a majority of the motives put in place on the island for helping the environment served little purpose towards establishing a feasible way forward to ensure locals, who depend on the ocean, would remain economically stable.”
The disappearance of the fish, as well as her parents’ personal environmental initiatives, brought her to environmental activism. She focused her energy on ways that would improve the environment but also keep the local community of fishermen in mind.
aka-kenya-20200404_164103_0-bis.jpg
Cinzia Torriani, a Diploma Programme 1 student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, has channeled her energy into becoming an environmental activist, focusing on ways to better her environment while also keeping in mind the local community.
AKA
One of the first initiatives Cinzia undertook was her Year 10 personal project, a part of the Academy’s curriculum that allows students to collaborate with individuals in their local community in order to address an issue or challenge. Cinzia created an integrated farming system, combining a fish farm, chicken farm and maize farm, which was self-sufficient. Human efficiency would be maximised; the harvest timeline would be eradicated, and locals would be provided with an alternative – and more productive – way to get fish from the ocean.
Following the completion of her personal project, Cinzia was able to spread her message about the environment even further by speaking at the 2019 TEDxYouth event held at the Academy. In her talk, Cinzia spoke about the importance of fighting complacency in order for action to be taken toward the environment, while also discussing her personal project as a way of implementing a new agricultural system.
“This was one of the most thrilling and greatest memories I hold,” Cinzia said. “I was able to use my voice as a way to spread my opinions and ideas on what mattered to me to a group of people who were interested in listening. From this, my story was published in one of the nation’s newspapers, Business Daily, about my project, my TEDx talk and my future goals. This provided me with the opportunity to convey my message about environmental sustainability to a larger audience.”
Cinzia has taken steps to further her goal and spread awareness about the environment. During the Academy’s annual Peace Summit, a two-day event that brought together students from the Academy and around Mombasa to discuss peace and conflict resolution, Cinzia was selected as the female student lead for the event. As it happened, the theme for this year’s Summit was “Climate Action for Peace”.
“The aim of the Summit was to take students through several thought-provoking and interactive activities to question their stand as activists for peace, linking this directly to the environment’s state,” Cinzia said. “From discussions on the dangers of rising sea levels, to water scarcity, to the impacts of desertification and drought, the students promoted the value of being environmentally conscious and reflecting on the actions of mankind.”
Spreading awareness about the environment through community service was also part of Cinzia’s activities. As part of the International Baccalaureate, Diploma Programme students have to create a community service group or be a part of an existing one.
“My friend and I created a community service project at the Academy called iSEAyou,” Cinzia said. “Our current goals include making use of polluted materials to create purchasable furniture and art, as well as promoting sustainable environmental development,” she says. Her goals include selling the furniture and art in ways that do not impinge on the economic standards of society.
As Cinzia decides what she wants to study when she goes to university, she said she would always be an environmental activist wherever she goes. She is forever grateful for those who have guided her to get to where she is, including the Academy. “I feel that no matter what career path I go into, it has become a joy to raise awareness on the environment and work towards more environmentally friendly systems in society,” Cinzia said.
This text was adapted from an article published on the Aga Khan Academy website.
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/cinzia ... an-academy
Raphael Mwachiti: A spotlight on the Aga Khan Academy Talent Identification Programme
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noq8-BV9LR0
“When I first joined the Academy, I was a closed thinker. I never got the support to act out what I thought. But when I came to the Academy, I was shown how to be open-minded, how to be adventurous, creative, how to not just be confined into that comfort zone that limits me and what I could achieve.”
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noq8-BV9LR0
“When I first joined the Academy, I was a closed thinker. I never got the support to act out what I thought. But when I came to the Academy, I was shown how to be open-minded, how to be adventurous, creative, how to not just be confined into that comfort zone that limits me and what I could achieve.”
Service learning at the Aga Khan Academies
Core to the vision and mission of the Aga Khan Academies is that students should be developed in terms of their values of giving back and contributing to the communities in which they live. This short film follows a group of students from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, who formed the group STEM for Growth (STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), to mentor younger students at a local school and help them gain higher achievement levels and greater confidence through hands-on experiments and activities.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9QK6f7GTf4
Core to the vision and mission of the Aga Khan Academies is that students should be developed in terms of their values of giving back and contributing to the communities in which they live. This short film follows a group of students from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, who formed the group STEM for Growth (STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), to mentor younger students at a local school and help them gain higher achievement levels and greater confidence through hands-on experiments and activities.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9QK6f7GTf4
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa raises the bar once more with best IB results to date
Following in the footsteps of previous cohorts, the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa’s Class of 2020 received record-breaking results in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) this year. In addition to the Academy once again scoring highly, the percentage of top scorers was also above the global average– with nine students scoring an outstanding 40 points and above. Of these, two students Muskaan Bhaidani and Alisha Doshi scored an impressive 44 points out of a possible 45.
Alisha Doshi, one of two students who scored 44 out of 45.The cohort of 67 students achieved an average score of 34.9, well above last year’s global average of 29.7. These results represent a particularly remarkable achievement, considering the rapidly-changing global circumstances as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Class of 2020 completed their DP coursework through an online learning platform, along with the encouragement and support of their teachers.
Muskaan BhaidaniMuskaan Bhaidani, one of two students who scored 44 out of 45 points.Adapting to change and rising to challenges comes naturally to Academies students. “The intentionally rigorous environment at the Academy forced me to step out of my comfort zone, every day. To choose courage over comfort, always. To not just go with the flow, but to be the flow,” said Muskaan Bhaidani, one of the top-scoring students of the cohort.
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa strives to develop home-grown, ethical leaders working towards a shared goal of sustainable development to improve the lives of those living not only in Kenya, but across the globe. The IB programme aims to develop critical thinkers and inquirers who are courageous, principled, and open-minded. Throughout their time at the school, the Academy’s Class of 2020 have exhibited these qualities and much more. Top scorers have received admissions to a number of prestigious universities including offers at Yale and Cambridge.
Ms Alison with a few of the Class of 2020 students.Head of Academy Alison Hampshire highlighted the students’ resilience and success, saying, “We are immensely proud of this year’s class and their accomplishments during what has become a difficult and unsettling time for the global community. They had to deal with an unprecedented and unforeseen challenge, yet met it head-on, showing bravery and strength to perform well in their final assignments, which bodes well for their futures.”
Another top scorer at the Academy, Ohad Mutua, is a beneficiary of our Talent Identification Programme (TID). This programme is developed in line with the Academy’s vision to provide exceptional students with an international-standard education and leadership opportunities, regardless of their ability to pay. “I am grateful for the amazing opportunity to study at this school. The Academy made each and every learning experience one to cherish. Through the TID programme, the Academy helped me to nurture my leadership skills, and to hone them inside and outside the classroom setting, and it really equipped me with all the necessary tools to take on any challenge in the next phase of my education,” said Ohad. “I would like to express my gratitude to all my teachers and peers for their tremendous support, I could not have done it without them.” Talent ID students are selected based on academic merit and leadership potential, and receive full scholarships to attend the Academy from Year 6 onwards.
As part of its aim to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and motivated young people, the IB programme opens doors for students to attend the top institutions of higher learning around the world. Owing to their remarkable academic achievements, students from the Class of 2020 received over USD 7 million in university scholarships. Three were awarded the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow award at the University of British Columbia, which acknowledges students with superior academic achievement, leadership skills, and involvement in community service. Another student received the Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship at the University of Toronto, which recognises student leaders with exceptional academic achievements and the potential to contribute positively to the global community.
We wish the Class of 2020 success in all their future endeavours and hope they will be back to visit soon!
https://www.agakhanacademies.org/mombas ... sults-date
Following in the footsteps of previous cohorts, the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa’s Class of 2020 received record-breaking results in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) this year. In addition to the Academy once again scoring highly, the percentage of top scorers was also above the global average– with nine students scoring an outstanding 40 points and above. Of these, two students Muskaan Bhaidani and Alisha Doshi scored an impressive 44 points out of a possible 45.
Alisha Doshi, one of two students who scored 44 out of 45.The cohort of 67 students achieved an average score of 34.9, well above last year’s global average of 29.7. These results represent a particularly remarkable achievement, considering the rapidly-changing global circumstances as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Class of 2020 completed their DP coursework through an online learning platform, along with the encouragement and support of their teachers.
Muskaan BhaidaniMuskaan Bhaidani, one of two students who scored 44 out of 45 points.Adapting to change and rising to challenges comes naturally to Academies students. “The intentionally rigorous environment at the Academy forced me to step out of my comfort zone, every day. To choose courage over comfort, always. To not just go with the flow, but to be the flow,” said Muskaan Bhaidani, one of the top-scoring students of the cohort.
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa strives to develop home-grown, ethical leaders working towards a shared goal of sustainable development to improve the lives of those living not only in Kenya, but across the globe. The IB programme aims to develop critical thinkers and inquirers who are courageous, principled, and open-minded. Throughout their time at the school, the Academy’s Class of 2020 have exhibited these qualities and much more. Top scorers have received admissions to a number of prestigious universities including offers at Yale and Cambridge.
Ms Alison with a few of the Class of 2020 students.Head of Academy Alison Hampshire highlighted the students’ resilience and success, saying, “We are immensely proud of this year’s class and their accomplishments during what has become a difficult and unsettling time for the global community. They had to deal with an unprecedented and unforeseen challenge, yet met it head-on, showing bravery and strength to perform well in their final assignments, which bodes well for their futures.”
Another top scorer at the Academy, Ohad Mutua, is a beneficiary of our Talent Identification Programme (TID). This programme is developed in line with the Academy’s vision to provide exceptional students with an international-standard education and leadership opportunities, regardless of their ability to pay. “I am grateful for the amazing opportunity to study at this school. The Academy made each and every learning experience one to cherish. Through the TID programme, the Academy helped me to nurture my leadership skills, and to hone them inside and outside the classroom setting, and it really equipped me with all the necessary tools to take on any challenge in the next phase of my education,” said Ohad. “I would like to express my gratitude to all my teachers and peers for their tremendous support, I could not have done it without them.” Talent ID students are selected based on academic merit and leadership potential, and receive full scholarships to attend the Academy from Year 6 onwards.
As part of its aim to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and motivated young people, the IB programme opens doors for students to attend the top institutions of higher learning around the world. Owing to their remarkable academic achievements, students from the Class of 2020 received over USD 7 million in university scholarships. Three were awarded the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow award at the University of British Columbia, which acknowledges students with superior academic achievement, leadership skills, and involvement in community service. Another student received the Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship at the University of Toronto, which recognises student leaders with exceptional academic achievements and the potential to contribute positively to the global community.
We wish the Class of 2020 success in all their future endeavours and hope they will be back to visit soon!
https://www.agakhanacademies.org/mombas ... sults-date
Mwanapwani Said Suleiman: A spotlight on the Aga Khan Academy Talent Identification Programme
“When I first came to this school…I was really confused of how to fit in because I came from a whole different place of different things.”
Mwanapwani Said Suleiman is amongst a diverse group of students attending the Aga Khan Academies through a full scholarship Talent Identification Programme. In this short film, she talks about how studying and living on campus at the Academy in Mombasa has helped her grown into a more confident and open-minded person. She aspires to be a doctor and work with underserved youth back in her hometown.
video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzdYRHSylWs
“When I first came to this school…I was really confused of how to fit in because I came from a whole different place of different things.”
Mwanapwani Said Suleiman is amongst a diverse group of students attending the Aga Khan Academies through a full scholarship Talent Identification Programme. In this short film, she talks about how studying and living on campus at the Academy in Mombasa has helped her grown into a more confident and open-minded person. She aspires to be a doctor and work with underserved youth back in her hometown.
video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzdYRHSylWs
AGA KHAN ACADEMY MOMBASA ACHIEVEMENT
As received:
Repost from: @akamombasa
Our next university spotlight features Afra Ndassiwa who will be attending @unioncollege in the United States to study biochemistry. Union College is part of the “Hidden Ivies”, a group of liberal arts universities and colleges identified for their academic rigour and extremely competitive acceptance rates. Afra was offered the Presidential Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship recognising academic and personal achievement.
Join us in congratulating Afra and the rest of the Class of 2022 for their remarkable achievements! We are so proud of them and wish them the best of luck in all of their future endeavours.
#AKDN #AgaKhanAcademies #ExcellenceInEducation #IBTogether #Classof2022 @iborganization @ibalumni @akaalumni @akacademies
Repost from: @akamombasa
Our next university spotlight features Afra Ndassiwa who will be attending @unioncollege in the United States to study biochemistry. Union College is part of the “Hidden Ivies”, a group of liberal arts universities and colleges identified for their academic rigour and extremely competitive acceptance rates. Afra was offered the Presidential Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship recognising academic and personal achievement. Join us in congratulating Afra and the rest of the Class of 2022 for their remarkable achievements! We are so proud of them and wish them the best of luck in all of their future endeavours.
#AKDN #AgaKhanAcademies #ExcellenceInEducation #IBTogether #Classof2022 @iborganization @ibalumni @akaalumni @akacademies
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa’s Class of 2022 achieve exceptional IB results
Citizen Witness can report that despite being a cohort that started their International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) journey online, the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa’s Class of 2022 has received exceptional results in their IB DP examinations.
The class’s average score of 34.8 is once more well above the world average of 31.98 with two students scoring an impressive 44 out of 45, a feat achieved by less than 3% of students worldwide last year.
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“I am truly grateful for the great support and guidance from the Academy community that has helped me continue to persevere and achieve all my ambitions,” said Mishal Lalani who will be attending Middlebury College and is one of two top-scoring students.
“Spending 12 years at the Academy with such an enriching, pluralistic community helped open my eyes to many different ways of thinking and helped me become the pluralistic and open-minded individual I am today. I will always remember and continue to practice this passion and drive in life.”
The Class of 2022 have been offered over $7.5 million in scholarships to attend prestigious universities around the world including Dartmouth College, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, Cardiff University, the University College London and Monash University amongst many others.
“At the Academy, I met outstanding faculty and like-minded peers who were not only ambitious and talented but also approachable in times of need,” said Jeremy Michoma, the second student to score 44 out of 45 and who will be attending Princeton University this fall.
“The intrinsically collaborative environment made it conducive for me to do way more than I had imagined was possible.
The Academy instilled in me a spirit of compassion that I will carry with me into the future.”
The Aga Khan Academies’ mission and the IB’s mission resonate in their aspirations to nurture ethical young leaders who will help create a better and more peaceful world marked by empathy and pluralism.
To this end, the Academies implement a dual-language programme to develop linguistic and cultural pluralism. For this year’s graduating class, 19 students were awarded a bilingual diploma, which is awarded to candidates who completed two DP language and literature courses.
Furuzon Atobekova, one of the students who graduated with a bilingual diploma and received a 42 on her exams, attributes her success to the resources and support she received at the
Academy. “Having graduated the IB with a bilingual diploma has enabled me to express the complex opinions one forms during the programme in multiple contexts,” Furzon said.
“The Academy supported me and other students through creative and interactive lessons as well as a provided me with a diverse library which supported me in receiving this kind of diploma.”
This year’s results represented many successes. All students in the Academy’s Talent Identification Programmes achieved the IB Diploma, with several receiving scholarships to universities around the world.
The programme is developed in line with the Academy’s vision to provide exceptional students with an international-standard education and leadership opportunities, regardless of their ability to pay.
Head of Academy Alison Hampshire describes the class as resilient and dedicated. “You are all potential changemakers, and as you leave the Academy you will be joining a global network of leaders who have graduated from the Academies.
Each of you with your special attributes bring possibility to the future.”
These accomplishments would not be possible without the hard work, dedication and support of the staff, who have accompanied these students each step of the way during their journey.
On behalf of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, we would like to offer our congratulations to every student within the Class of 2022 for their impressive accomplishments and wish them the best of luck in all their future endeavours.
About the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, a programme of the Aga Khan Development Network, is the first of a network of 18 planned academies to be established across Africa, Europe, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East to provide a world-class education to exceptional students who possess strong leadership potential.
Admission to the Academy is based on merit, and financial aid is available to ensure access for students with demonstrated need. Pluralism and ethics are core values of the educational programme at the Aga Khan Academy, and the student body reflects the full diversity of East Africa, including students from all socio-economic backgrounds.
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, offering an IB curriculum that is locally rooted and globally relevant. Academy graduates consistently earn places and scholarships at the world’s top universities.
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AGA KHAN ACADEMY MOMBASA 2024, February 19: 20th Anniversary Celebration
2024, February 19: 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa.
Monday, 19 February 2024 at 10 am (East Africa Time) commemoration of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa’s 20th anniversary. Watch the event live on ismaili.net or any of the following links:
• Facebook: https://fb.me/e/hauT91wy9
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/h23O0QT2Ydk?feature=share
• The Ismaili: https://tv.ismaili
For more pics, speech, videos of Princess Zahra at the event, please see this link: viewtopic.php?p=77235#p77235
Monday, 19 February 2024 at 10 am (East Africa Time) commemoration of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa’s 20th anniversary. Watch the event live on ismaili.net or any of the following links:
• Facebook: https://fb.me/e/hauT91wy9
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/h23O0QT2Ydk?feature=share
• The Ismaili: https://tv.ismaili
For more pics, speech, videos of Princess Zahra at the event, please see this link: viewtopic.php?p=77235#p77235
Princess Zahra at 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa 2024-02-19
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Aga Khan Academy Mombasa celebrates 20 years of excellence
Kenya · 19 February 2024
Photo: AKDN / Shama Hakim Manji
Mombasa, Kenya, 19 February 2024 - The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa celebrated its 20th anniversary today in the presence of Princess Zahra Aga Khan. Established in 2003, the Academy was inaugurated by His Highness the Aga Khan, the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), and the former late president of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki. It is the first in an integrated, global network of residential schools known as the Aga Khan Academies, with other campuses located in Hyderabad, India, Maputo, Mozambique and Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The event was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education - Kenya and the Mombasa County Department of Education, AKDN leadership, donors, students and staff. It featured student performances, speeches, long service awards, staff and faculty recognitions, a cake cutting and a film viewing showcasing the Academy’s journey over the past 20 years. Following the event, guests were invited for a tour of the 18-acre campus, followed by lunch.
“Schools are optimistic places,” said Princess Zahra. “Although young people go through many challenging transitions in their lives, we aim to make the Academy a positive and memorable experience for all, one that helps young people to set the right course for their lives and build their character and attributes as leaders. The purpose of schooling here then, is not merely to support students to pass exams to enable them to enter the next phase of their education. Of course, exams are important, but the Academy embarked on a broader ambition, one that is at the heart of AKDN’s work for the betterment of society.”
“Although young people go through many challenging transitions in their lives, we aim to make the Academy a positive and memorable experience for all, one that helps young people to set the right course for their lives and build their character and attributes as leaders,” said Princess Zahra.
AKDN / Akbar Hakim
For the past 20 years, the Academy has been an integral part of the community and beyond by providing high-quality education and developing homegrown, ethical leaders. With a curriculum based on the globally recognised International Baccalaureate (IB), graduates have progressed to prestigious universities around the world, such as Yale University, African Leadership University, Tufts University, Georgetown University in Qatar and more, and have been awarded over $48 million in scholarships since 2016.
The Academies have a strong service-learning programme and encourage students to continue supporting positive changes in their communities beyond graduation. Amongst the many alumni who are contributing: Samara Visram, Class of 2014, who is building a school in Kikambala, Kenya; and Ham Serunjogi, Class of 2012, Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree who has been appointed to serve as an advisor to the US President on African diaspora engagement.
“From the beginning, the Academy has asked students not just to be leaders but to be ethical leaders,” said Head of Academy Colin Webster. “This is something the world often feels in short supply of. More than anything we prepare our students to go out and live in a pluralistic world.”
The Academy admits students based on merit, regardless of their ability to pay, with about 50 percent of the students receiving some form of financial assistance. This enables students from various socio-economic backgrounds to study at the Academy, with some joining the residential programme, which has students from Kenya, Uganda, Tajikistan, the US, Tanzania, Canada and more.
“When I came to the Academy, I was shown how to be open-minded, how to be adventurous, creative, how to not just be confined into that comfort zone that limits me and what I could achieve,” said Raphael Mwachiti, Class of 2021, who received a full scholarship for seven years through its Talent Identification Programme and is studying at the University of British Columbia.
The Academy also invests in its teachers. Weekly training on up-to-date teaching practices is provided to the faculty, 90 percent of whom are Kenyan. To have a wider impact in the country, it houses a Professional Development Centre (PDC) that invests substantially in professional learning for teachers at local government schools. Since its establishment in 2010, the PDC has partnered with over 1,500 schools in Kenya, with more than 11,150 external educators completing its programmes.
“The Academy has offered me a challenging and exciting environment,” said Mary Nyandieka, an integrated humanities and geography teacher, who has been teaching at the Academy since it was established. “Professional development has been a part of my weekly routine, which has helped me improve my teaching. The ability to be a learner, along with my students, is wonderful. The Academy is an excellent place to grow as a teacher, and a place where I have seen the most talented young men and women come through. I am happy and grateful that I have been a part of this incredible journey.”
Aga Khan Academy Mombasa celebrates 20 years of excellence
Kenya · 19 February 2024
Photo: AKDN / Shama Hakim Manji
Mombasa, Kenya, 19 February 2024 - The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa celebrated its 20th anniversary today in the presence of Princess Zahra Aga Khan. Established in 2003, the Academy was inaugurated by His Highness the Aga Khan, the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), and the former late president of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki. It is the first in an integrated, global network of residential schools known as the Aga Khan Academies, with other campuses located in Hyderabad, India, Maputo, Mozambique and Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The event was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education - Kenya and the Mombasa County Department of Education, AKDN leadership, donors, students and staff. It featured student performances, speeches, long service awards, staff and faculty recognitions, a cake cutting and a film viewing showcasing the Academy’s journey over the past 20 years. Following the event, guests were invited for a tour of the 18-acre campus, followed by lunch.
“Schools are optimistic places,” said Princess Zahra. “Although young people go through many challenging transitions in their lives, we aim to make the Academy a positive and memorable experience for all, one that helps young people to set the right course for their lives and build their character and attributes as leaders. The purpose of schooling here then, is not merely to support students to pass exams to enable them to enter the next phase of their education. Of course, exams are important, but the Academy embarked on a broader ambition, one that is at the heart of AKDN’s work for the betterment of society.”
“Although young people go through many challenging transitions in their lives, we aim to make the Academy a positive and memorable experience for all, one that helps young people to set the right course for their lives and build their character and attributes as leaders,” said Princess Zahra.
AKDN / Akbar Hakim
For the past 20 years, the Academy has been an integral part of the community and beyond by providing high-quality education and developing homegrown, ethical leaders. With a curriculum based on the globally recognised International Baccalaureate (IB), graduates have progressed to prestigious universities around the world, such as Yale University, African Leadership University, Tufts University, Georgetown University in Qatar and more, and have been awarded over $48 million in scholarships since 2016.
The Academies have a strong service-learning programme and encourage students to continue supporting positive changes in their communities beyond graduation. Amongst the many alumni who are contributing: Samara Visram, Class of 2014, who is building a school in Kikambala, Kenya; and Ham Serunjogi, Class of 2012, Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree who has been appointed to serve as an advisor to the US President on African diaspora engagement.
“From the beginning, the Academy has asked students not just to be leaders but to be ethical leaders,” said Head of Academy Colin Webster. “This is something the world often feels in short supply of. More than anything we prepare our students to go out and live in a pluralistic world.”
The Academy admits students based on merit, regardless of their ability to pay, with about 50 percent of the students receiving some form of financial assistance. This enables students from various socio-economic backgrounds to study at the Academy, with some joining the residential programme, which has students from Kenya, Uganda, Tajikistan, the US, Tanzania, Canada and more.
“When I came to the Academy, I was shown how to be open-minded, how to be adventurous, creative, how to not just be confined into that comfort zone that limits me and what I could achieve,” said Raphael Mwachiti, Class of 2021, who received a full scholarship for seven years through its Talent Identification Programme and is studying at the University of British Columbia.
The Academy also invests in its teachers. Weekly training on up-to-date teaching practices is provided to the faculty, 90 percent of whom are Kenyan. To have a wider impact in the country, it houses a Professional Development Centre (PDC) that invests substantially in professional learning for teachers at local government schools. Since its establishment in 2010, the PDC has partnered with over 1,500 schools in Kenya, with more than 11,150 external educators completing its programmes.
“The Academy has offered me a challenging and exciting environment,” said Mary Nyandieka, an integrated humanities and geography teacher, who has been teaching at the Academy since it was established. “Professional development has been a part of my weekly routine, which has helped me improve my teaching. The ability to be a learner, along with my students, is wonderful. The Academy is an excellent place to grow as a teacher, and a place where I have seen the most talented young men and women come through. I am happy and grateful that I have been a part of this incredible journey.”