The project to run and track our collective progress via an app first started as an effort to keep the GEMBA19 cohort together when physically apart, and to help get us into better shape (fit body, fit mind). We also wanted to showcase our diversity and lastly, but most importantly, to be a force for good. 

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Prior to INSEAD, I had worked for four years in financial markets advisories in the US, and by coming to INSEAD, I always hoped that I would be able to do something that I had never done and go somewhere that I had never been. A summer at African Leadership Finance Company (ALFC) in Nairobi, Kenya hit two birds with one stone with the help of the INSEAD Social Impact Award. The reason for doing this internship was threefold:

• Read more about A New Financing Option for African Students

It’s true that time flies when you’re having fun. Within the blink of an eye, I spent six weeks in Nairobi, Kenya, working at ALX, an education and talent development platform. I first came across this opportunity from an INSEAD classmate, Sue Xu, who like me, is keen on exploring a career in social impact. She had previously spoken to Victoria Peil, the head of ALX, and who happens to be the elder sister of another classmate, Christina. Sue then put me in touch with Victoria, and not long after, I was having a video interview with her.

• Read more about How to Be Comfortable With Uncertainty and Spontaneous Changes

Before I talk about my experience, I want to tell you about Ahmed (name changed). Ahmed graduated with a degree in hydraulic engineering from the UAE, before completing a traineeship with the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza. Unsure about his career goals, he decided to open a supermarket with his brother, where he was the general manager in charge of inventory management, customer service and financial record keeping.

• Read more about How Business Can Truly Be a Force for Good

This summer I had the wonderful and kind-of-unexpected opportunity to work in an impact investing company called Creas S.A. I say “unexpected” because to be honest, three months ago I wouldn’t have believed that I was going to be writing this post: one week before the summer break I still didn’t have any internship lined up!

• Read more about The Ideal Job: Putting Your Professional Knowledge to Use to Make a Positive Impact

I spent my summer in Nairobi, Kenya, interning at ALX, which I refer to as an education startup, but which is ultimately much more than just that. ALX is on a mission to transform Africa by developing and connecting a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders.

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Winnow is addressing a problem that weighs approximately 1.3 billion tonnes each year. That’s over four times heavier than the weight of every person on earth combined. What could possibly be that heavy? The food wasted every year, or about one-third of all food produced. It’s a $1 trillion problem globally and it costs $100 billion to the hospitality industry alone. 

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Interning at Almouneer has given me an opportunity to learn about a scaling a social-impact solution sustainably in an emerging market. Almouneer is a clinic chain that focuses on chronic eye diseases, especially diabetes-related eye disease in Egypt.

• Read more about Almouneer - A Vision for Egypt