by lwang | Sep 29, 2011 | Award Ceremony, Education, Escuela Nueva, Kravis Prize, Vicky Colbert
We’re thrilled to share with you this great video that shows Vicky Colbert receiving the 2011 Kravis Prize in Leadership earlier this year. In her acceptance speech at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Vicky talks about Escuela Nueva and its impact on the lives of children through innovative education techniques. During his remarks at the award ceremony, Henry Kravis said he most respects and appreciates Vicky’s ability to “lead with innovation.” We also thoroughly enjoyed the interview with Vicky conducted by Henry and Marie-Josee Kravis, who established the Prize in 2006. During their conversation, Mrs. Kravis pointed out that education models such as Escuela Nueva rely on networks of parents, teachers and communities, and that these networks provide “hope that societies will move in the direction” of educating their children in a way that focuses on innovation. Vicky is a truly inspiring leader who sees the mission of Escuela Nueva in a broad context: “We want to learn how to build citizenship through education. We are working to establish affordable schools of excellent quality, where children, teachers, parents and the community are empowered to learn to learn and contribute to a culture of peace and economic development.” Enjoy the video below and let us know how Vicky and her work with Escuela Nueva inspires...
by lwang | Aug 24, 2011 | AIL, Education, Kravis Prize, Sakena Yacoobi
Here at the Kravis Prize, we are proud that our winners have noble aspirations that impact regions across the globe. This article in the Associated Press highlights our 2009 Prize winner, Sakena Yacoobi, and her tireless efforts to bring education to women and girls in Afghanistan. Yacoobi envisions the work of the Afghan Institute of Leadership (AIL) as a vehicle for peace in the region, although she admits that she is “no idealist” when it comes to large-scale change: “She said she hopes to one day have centers in every province of Afghanistan ‘and there wouldn’t be one single individual uneducated or not able to read and write,’ Yacoobi says. ‘But reality is reality. Fact is fact. Education takes time. It takes a lot of time.'” Part of Yacoobi’s approach to making AIL successful is recruiting employees who are “more dedicated to the cause than their paychecks.” “We have lots of students who are with the U.N. programs, the USAID program, they are making triple my salary,” Yacoobi explained. “I say go ahead, do a good job, go. I am proud of them.” Pragmatic Afghan woman educates thousands [Associated Press] To learn more about Sakena Yacoobi and AIL, click...
by lwang | Aug 10, 2011 | FAWE, Kravis Prize
What is it going to take to bring universal education to children in Africa? In a recent op-ed on the Africa.com blog, FAWE Executive Director Oley Dibba Wadda and Research, Communication and Advocacy Officer Irmin Durand argue for a renewed global commitment for action on education in developing countries. “The most urgent priority is to ensure access to, and improve the quality of, education for girls and women, and to remove every obstacle that hampers their active participation.” Wadda and Durand highlight FAWE’s advocacy efforts on behalf of the 54 percent of girls in sub-Saharan Africa who are out of school “to ensure that girls and women enjoy the same opportunities as their male counterparts, opportunities to learn, thrive, be productive and autonomous, and participate in every aspect of development of their societies.” To achieve their goals, Wadda and Durand write that “all those with a stake in education, empowerment, and gender equality must work in synergy,” which is why FAWE “engages with governments and decision-makers across sub-Saharan Africa to encourage policy reform” and “encourages communities to act for enduring and positive change in their attitudes and practices.” We’re thrilled that FAWE, the recipient of the 2008 Kravis Prize, is working so diligently and creatively toward instituting educational initiatives for women and girls in...
by lwang | Jul 21, 2011 | Kravis Prize, Pratham
Absolute silence reigned over the cavernous hall in MoMA – New York’s Museum of Modern Art – which plays host to the Kravis Prize award ceremony. A mass of people waited to listen. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Henry Kravis made his comments, handed me the check and stepped off the dais. Now it was my turn. It was only at that moment, as I stood facing crowd, that the enormity and the significance of the award hit me. I was here representing Pratham, a vast network of young leaders throughout India who unselfishly strive to provide the country’s children with high quality education. The momentum generated from the strength of these individuals working together brought me to this stage in New York City, and thinking of all of their earnest faces, suddenly I no longer felt alone. It was around this time last year that I went to New York City to receive the 2010 Kravis Prize in Leadership on behalf of Pratham. We had learned that we won the Prize some weeks in advance and recognized the experience as a big honor. But, many thousands of miles away in another part of the world, the Kravis Prize seemed distant and unreal. After spending 16 hours on a plane, I arrived in the U.S. and had the opportunity to meet with Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis. We discussed our respective interests in a conversation that moved easily between anecdotes and identifying approaches to create change. Although I had never previously met Mr. and Mrs. Kravis, it was clear they both thoroughly understand and support our work...
by lwang | Jun 27, 2011 | BRAC, BRAC UK, BRAC USA, Escuela Nueva, Fazle Abed, Kravis Prize, Vicky Colbert
Congratulations to Vicky Colbert from Escuela Nueva Foundation! We are so happy that Vicky is being honored with this tremendous award. It is a well-deserved and hard-earned recognition. This year’s award announcement brought back memories of my own experience in 2007. When I was awarded the second annual Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership, the news brought a whirlwind of excitement, gratitude, inspiration and exhilaration for all of us at the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). The Prize’s financial award had an immediate impact as it helped BRAC establish offices in the United States and United Kingdom. These offices have helped to support and grow BRAC’s programs beyond Bangladesh. Since 2002, BRAC has expanded to nine other countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Uganda and recently Haiti. The Prize helped not only to begin our work in the U.S. through BRAC USA, but also to give our new institution credibility in the U.S. Though BRAC began in 1972 and is today one of the biggest development organizations in the world, not many people living in the U.S. had ever heard of it and even fewer were aware of its remarkable history and successful track record. The recognition we received from the Kravis Prize allowed us to establish BRAC USA and begin telling our story to a new audience in America and the U.K. Throughout 2010, BRAC USA has been working to tell the story of our organization’s successful approach to development. Members of the BRAC USA team have attended and participated in several conferences and panels in the last year. We also have...
by lwang | Jun 7, 2011 | AIL, Education, Kravis Prize, Sakena Yacoobi
Kravis Prize winner Sakena Yacoobi is working to establish a mentoring partnership in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. How did the founder of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) end up working in Canada? In an interview with the Star Pheonix, Yacoobi spoke about the importance of mentors to professional growth and her partnership with Betty-Ann Heggie, a former vice president of Potash Corp., to create a mentorship program for six Afghani women at Saskatoon’s Edwards School of Business. While discussing the business school’s “womentorship” program, Yacoobi said AIL’s students “are doing a wonderful job right now in Afghanistan … but if they come here and they are exposed to a different system and different environment, they will be able to be very creative and innovative … and will have a great impact in the society of Afghanistan.” Yacoobi believes the program will build a bridge between Canada and Afghanistan, creating a better sense of understanding between both countries. “The women of Afghanistan are very strong; they are very intelligent,” said Yacoobi. “If the environment is given to them they are very fast learners.”...
