Nine Programs that Let Kids Play and Innovate at School

I recently spoke with Lego Foundation CEO Hanne Rasmussen about how schools must do more to build soft skills and allow for playtime as well as focus on numerical and literacy skills. As a busy working mum herself, she personally sees the value in schools incorporating play in the learning process for her 13-year-old son.  …

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Use solar, save lives!

Only one in ten people in Africa have access to electric light. Yet light also means access to knowledge, the chance to learn when it’s dark outside, the opportunity to go on developing. Evans Wadongo from Kenya came up with an LED lamp powered by solar cells that brings light to the villages. And was …

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SA govt must face court for xenophobic violence, migration policy

The South African government will soon be in the country’s high court because petitioners from countries like Nigeria, Malawi and Zambia are displeased by the spate of xenophobic attacks and murders of migrants from their countries. These attacks and deaths have also sparked the #WeAreAfrica hashtag on social media, a 30 000 person march in Johannesburg, and a May Day march by the international …

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Africa Rising?

The notion of “Africa rising” is understandably alluring. The vision of hundreds of millions of Africans striding into the middle class, mobile phones in hand, is certainly a refreshing antidote to endless images of death and deprivation. But while there is no denying that economies are growing rapidly across the continent, this feel-good narrative risks …

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Evans Wadongo: Lighting the Way for Africa

Born in the Western part of Kenya, Evans, the youngest of 5 boys, attended Bisunu Primary School, a rural primary school that was a 10 km walk away. After completing his studies there, he attended Kakamega High School, where he graduated with top marks and was consequently listed as one of the top 100 best …

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