The CSC Alumni Team are pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 CSC Alumni Community Engagement Fund (ACEF). Over the next nine months, they will plan and deliver community-focused engagement activities to raise awareness across one of five chosen themes. Keep reading to find out more about their activities.
Small changes for big impact
The Alumni Community Engagement Fund’s (ACEF) aims to champion small changes implemented at the community level which can lead to a big impact over time. ACEF enables Commonwealth Alumni to deliver engaging activities designed to raise awareness and support individuals in implementing meaningful changes in their communities.
This year’s activity themes are:
- Gender and sexuality – for Commonwealth Professional Fellows
- Building resilient societies through Talanoa
- Youth for sustainable development
- Save our oceans
- Disability inclusion in institutions
To read more about the ACEF themes, please visit the CSC website.
Learn more about the organisers and their activities
Gender and sexuality 
Chukwuemeka Charles Okolie (2023 Commonwealth Professional Fellow from Nigeria) will deliver a training programme for healthcare professionals on providing inclusive health services for sexual and gender minority groups in public hospitals in Abia State, Nigeria.
Azenath Okemwa (2023 Commonwealth Professional Fellow from Kenya) will deliver a workshop to raise awareness about the inequalities experienced by the LGBT+ community in accessing health, legal, and social services. The workshop will be conducted for community leaders, and LGBT+ groups and their families.
Princi Verma (2023 Commonwealth Professional Fellow from India) will organise a sensitisation workshop and training for healthcare providers and NGO workers on LGBT+ rights within communities.
Building resilient societies through Talanoa
This theme was open exclusively for Commonwealth Alumni residing in Large Ocean States.
Milika Naqasima-Sobey (2000 Commonwealth Scholar from Fiji) will apply the principles of Talanoa to promote awareness about the impact of climate change on Lawai Village in Nadroga, Fiji, and how to build a resilient community in the face of relocation challenges.
Youth for sustainable development
Manzil Maqsood (2007 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Pakistan) will deliver a model Conference of Parties (COP) activity for youth aged 14 to 18 years to encourage students to develop skills such as critical thinking, negotiation, and leadership. The activity will also aim to promote discussion about the solutions to climate challenges.
Monika Gupta (2019 Commonwealth Split-site Scholar from India) will engage young people in a series of socio-political and environmental activities in India. This will include training young women in how to deliver sexual and menstrual health awareness campaigns aimed at young girls in urban slums in Delhi; a parliamentary visit to promote governance amongst young people; and a workshop on green commerce to enable young people to develop innovative, green business ideas.
Dr Kerissa Nelson (2018 Commonwealth Scholar from Jamaica) will conduct a training workshop on youth unemployment strategies aimed at reducing youth at risk in Jamaica. Through the workshop, Kerissa will provide insights on the causes of unemployment, and how young people can overcome social challenges by gaining employability skills and becoming productive members of society.
Laurent Joel Nelson (2022 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Cameroon) will deliver a workshop with people in the Mfoundi 3, Yaoundé to raise awareness about the role of young people in sustainable development. Laurent will engage young people to become eco-youth champions and participate in activities to foster a cleaner and healthier environment.
Albert Banunle (2020 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Ghana) will engage young people on the importance of activism and behavioural solutions to tackle environmental problems and increase sustainable development. Albert will deliver a one-day workshop for high school students to encourage green consumption behaviour such as minimising waste, travelling by green transport where possible, and employing sustainable methods to reuse and manage waste.
Save our oceans
Fredrick Juma Syanya (2016 Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholar from Kenya) will deliver a field school project on mangrove restoration and ocean clean-up for fishing communities in Kerala, India. Through a series of educational workshops and hands-on fieldwork, the project will enhance local capacity for environmental stewardship, restore depleted mangrove coastal ecosystems, and promote sustainable fishing practices in the local communities.
Bunty Sharma and Shikha Aery (both 2019 Commonwealth Split-site Scholars from India) will deliver a workshop on microplastic and nanoplastic pollution. Attendees will learn about the analytical tools for detection and remediation techniques to address plastic pollution as well as identifying effective strategies for mitigating its impact. The workshop will be open to scientists, researchers, policymakers, environmentalists, educators, students, industry professionals, and community members from across India.
Disability inclusion in institutions
Stephen Ojwang (2021 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Kenya) will conduct a one-day sensitisation workshop on promoting social inclusion through Special Olympics Unified Sports (SOUS) for primary schools in Kenya. Through the workshop, school administrators and sports teachers will be informed about SOUS and how to incorporate Unified Sports training skills as part of ongoing activities taking place in schools.
Ifeoma Nwakama (2008 Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholar from Nigeria) will deliver a two-day workshop on strengthening national mechanisms to promote access to education for children with disabilities. Ifeoma, the former Director of Research at the National Human Rights Commission in Nigeria, will use her connections with national level stakeholders to address human rights challenges faced by children with disabilities and improve their access to education.
Gilbert Mugeni (2012 Commonwealth Professional Fellow from Kena) will organise an open day at the Communications Authority of Kenya’s specialised library to promote awareness about accessible library resources. Library members and stakeholders as well as people from the local community will be invited to the open day to learn about e-resources and accessible services available to people with disabilities.
Afeez Shittu (2021 Commonwealth Split-site Scholar from Nigeria) will conduct a workshop on the political rights of people with disabilities in Nigeria. The workshop will be delivered to high school students, both abled and disabled, to encourage political participation among young people with the aim of strengthening youth capacity in governance and encouraging equal representation in society.
Stanslaus Saria (2023 Commonwealth Professional Fellow) and Sardina Zabron Tinkasimile (2020 Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholar) from Tanzania will conduct a one-day workshop on promoting awareness and support for students with disabilities in higher education in Moshi, Tanzania.
Andrew Sentoogo Ssemata (2011 Commonwealth Shared Scholar and 2016 Split-site Scholar) and Ronald Kiyemba (2018 Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholar) from Uganda will deliver a workshop on how to involve people with disabilities in research and provide training for health researchers on disability culture and inclusion. The workshops will be conducted at the Uganda Virus Research Institute campus.
Michael Ntodie (2012 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Ghana) will conduct a two-day eye health training workshop for teachers at the Aboom Special Needs School in Cape Coast, Ghana. The training will focus on visual hygiene practices, advocacy for visual correction among those with a visual impairment and promoting the use of glasses for children with a visual impairment.
