COVID-19: MWFAAN mentors Students on Innovative Solutions for Nigeria
Dec 6, 2020
PRESS STATEMENT
MWFAAN Mentors Secondary School Pupils to Provide Innovative Solutions for the country during and post Covid-19
Every Nigerian has a role to play in ensuring the nation gets back on its feet during and post Covid-19 pandemic, especially during the economic recession that has brought the nation to it’s kneels.
And that is why The Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria organised the year 2020 Beyond School Community Challenge Virtual Hackathon for secondary school pupils.
The beyond school community challenge is a national community development and entrepreneurship program for students from ages 13 to 17, which aims to engage young people in Nigeria for the purpose of creating impact within their community and developing critical entrepreneurial skills.
This is an initiative of the Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria (MWFAAN), with support from the U.S mission in Nigeria.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria (MWFAAN) is a body of young persons with its membership drawn from all sectors of the economy, as beneficiaries of the US State Department’s Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
The BSCC provides a platform for outstanding secondary school students to provide solutions to problems around their environment by creating community development projects.
Guided by mentors, the students identify the challenge and proffer viable entrepreneurial concepts to address the challenge.
The Challenge identifies top finalists annually from the pool of applications received across Nigeria. These top finalists are then invited to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas after which the winning teams are awarded prizes in form of project and educational grants.
The 2020 Beyond School Community Challenge is a web and STEM-based hackathon on solutions to help Nigerian communities survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hackathon topics will be based on cases revolving around Medicine/ Health and Wellness, Education, Agriculture, Women and Girls’ Development, Entrepreneurship, and Sports for communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These prospective social entrepreneurs who will be providing solutions to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and also the post- COVID era, will receive support through funding and mentorship.
This year’s theme is :Leveraging Innovation and Technology To Promote Equitable and Quality Education.
The 2020 BSCC Virtual Hackathon Winners Are
Team Dauntless – 2nd runner up
Team Surge- 1st runner up
Team Artechubs – 1st Position
Team Dauntless of Niger State proffered a Covid-19 solution to medicine health and wellness through a computer application (App) that can make adequate health care accessible to all where there is no doctor.
Team Surge of Zamfara State proffered a Covid-19 solution in education through an computer application that can make distance learning easy and accessible to all.
Team Artechubs proffered a Covid-19 solution in education with a virtual learning space that allows students conduct science experiments interactively via their mobile phones, laptops and other devices.
– First Prize – N350,000
– Second Prize – N250,000
– Third Prize – STATEMENT
– 4th-10th – Certificates of Recognition.
The Beyond School Community challenge is an initiative of the Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria and it has impacted over 1000 students since inception in 2016.
