#mbadika

Returning from Boston after spending the weekend working with a few young ones in Mbadika's rapid product design and development workshop for the STEEMArts Youth Summit. Hopefully, I can continue doing stuff like this...this is my element.

So, when I was in Nairobi for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit a few weeks ago, I had just returned from a jam packed first day and decided to turn the television to Al Jazeera to catch up on World News. Instead, I find the "Innovate Africa" programming playing. Since I knew that one of my colleagues was featured on Al Jazeera's Innovate Africa, I decided to tune in and wait for the news program at the conclusion of the show. My colleagues start-up is featured and I feel goosebumps and pride for the progress she has made this far. Then I see the next segment features our South African partners, EduGreen, and their sponsors RLabs. Still amazed that I know these individuals and work alongside them. Then, I saw another familiar face; Dodji of WoeLabs in Lome, Togo. The previous Summer, we had sent our prototype DIY Kits to WoeLabs in order to obtain feedback on their practicality. Then before I could message Dodji a congratulations on the feature...I see some familiar components on the table. Then the segment began to show Dodji leading a workshop in which he was taking his students through our DIY Solar USB Charger kit. He was surrounded by curious young minds learning to put together my kit. I started crying. Sometimes, I feel that no matter how much I try...I'm just wasting my time and not making any impact. However, I've never been to Togo. I've never met Dodji in person. Yet, I was able to be artificially there and still introduce the boys and girls visiting WoeLabs to electronics and solar technology without even a foot on the ground. The fact someone felt my kits were good enough to use as a teaching tool and even use in their DEMO to a world leading news organization gave me so much hope. In fact, I waited until the next day for the rebroadcast of the feature in order to record proof that my kits were featured (see above). There must be some strange order to the universe, because I later found out that I would not be able to view the segment on YouTube while I was in the U.S...and yet when I was in Nairobi...it played on my television at the exact moment I was in the room. Sometimes you need little reminders in the universe that you are on the right path...this was such a reminder.

It's been a minute since I've been able to upload a video post. As usual, simply working on Mbadika on the ground here in SA and finally getting into a routine after a crushing week of jet lag and workshops. However, its nice to get out of the house and discover something new...it even has my creative juices flowing in terms of what else I can do in Cape Town in order to encourage young innovators and entrepreneurs...especially in such a beautiful location.

Learn more about MCC2015 here; http://mcc2015.org

A "MTV Cribs" style tour of our Manufacturing HQ in Cape Town, South Africa.

On a personal note, I either need to learn how to pose for the camera or minimize my awkward video thumbnails. >_<