Your Voice Matters Project

Fahamu works with like-minded social movements and organisations in order to politically inform and raise the conscience of African people. By focusing on PanAfricanism, Feminism and People-centeredness as its core values, Fahamu believes that solutions to Africa’s problems can be found by espousing Pan-African ideals of seeking for unity and solidarity among African people in order to achieve social cohesion and economic progress. In addition, solutions to Africa’s problems have to come from the involvement of all African people including both young women and men of all social categories and classes.

Fahamu acknowledges that initiatives that target the youth are not implemented in isolation because what affects young people also affects other members of the society. As such, it is critical that youth initiatives cultivate intergenerational linkages so that African young people get opportunities to dialogue with older generations including policymakers on issues that affect our continent. Further, it is important for young people, especially those in tertiary learning institutions and other organised groups to see themselves as capable leaders and actors on a whole set of issues impacting on their communities, wider societies and their countries.

Currently, Fahamu is implementing a youth-focused project titled “Your Voice Matters”, which proposes to contribute to solving some of Africa’s challenges by providing students with an opportunity to share their views and plans for Africa via Pambazuka News dialogues and lectures.

By introducing or reintroducing Pambazuka News to university students, Fahamu aspires to contribute to building a culture of reading, writing and the analysis of critical issues affecting Africa among young people. Fahamu therefore seeks to collaborate with universities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in the following ways:

1. Pambazuka News Essay Writing Competition:

The aim of these essays is to engage the students by holding essay-writing competitions. The students would select a theme from the list below that they identify with and offer solutions to address the underlying issues in their proposals.

The top three students in each university will be awarded $100 each during the Pambazuka News Dialogue event.

The ten themes include:

i.          Access to capital and starting small businesses

ii.         Agriculture and food sovereignty and security

iii.        Citizenship and right to nationality

iv.        Education and professional training

v.         Environmental conservation and climate change

vi.        Leadership and governance

vii.       Migration and Africans in the Diaspora

viii.      Religious fundamentalism and culture

ix.        Role of Peace and security in development

x.         Use of technology as a tool for innovation and employment creation

2. Pambazuka News Dialogue:

This dialogue will be an opportunity to award the top three winners from the essay writing competition. This would also serve as an opportunity for the winners to share their winning essays with invited stakeholders.

3. Organization of Pambazuka News Lectures:

Pambazuka News lectures will be led by visiting professors to give a special lecture on a relevant topic based on one of the ten themes. These lectures will also be an opportunity to further disseminate and discuss about the contents of the Pan-Africanism course that Fahamu is currently developing.

4. Publication of 10 best essays as a Special Issue on Pambazuka News

A synopsis of the top ten essays will be published on Pambazuka News, that currently has a yearly readership of over 600,000 individuals all over the globe. This will provide a unique opportunity for Pambazuka readers to engage the students on conversations based on the theme of their essays.

The project are collaborating with universities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. They include:

  • Univeristy of Nairobi (IDIS students only)
  • Kenyatta University
  • Daystar University
  • Catholic University of Eastern Africa
  • University of Bagamoyo
  • Kampala International University
The aim of these essays is to engage the students by holding essay-writing competitions. The students would select a theme from the list below that they identify with and offer solutions to address the underlying issues in their proposals. See application details below:
Univeristy of Nairobi (IDIS students only) – Application closed.
Kenyatta University: Application closed.
Daystar University: Application closed.
Catholic University of Eastern Africa: Application closed.
University of Bagamoyo – Application closed.
Kampala International Universit– Application closed.

View our updates for January to May 2019[PDF].