Africa Day Awards 2013 - The Winners
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Brian MacCormaic: Brian MacCormaic is honoured for assisting local children in Mukuru – one of the largest slums in Nairobi, Kenya – to further their education into secondary school. MacCormaic does this through the Harambee Education Project in Kenya of which he led development 10 years ago. Harambee, like the Irish word meitheal, means working together for the common good. Countless students have benefited from MacCormaic’s initiative, and he visits the project every with his family. His award will be presented at a later date.
Sylvia Katete Gavigan: Sylvia Gavigan is honoured for founding The Children's Education Development Fund, which supports Irish volunteers to travel to Uganda and work with the Lwannunda Community Development Initiative on its different local partnership projects. The projects are community-owned and supported by Gavigan with the “aim of devising solutions to the numerous socio economic problems facing the people of Masaka”. Projects include a vocational and secondary school with more than 200 pupils, a piggery farm with over 250 piglets, a women's microcredit facility that involves over 120 women, as well as the Moloney Medical Centre and various poultry rearing schemes. Her award will be presented at a later date.
DJ Spaqz: Spaqz Tshiakatumba – AKA DJ Spaqz – is honoured for being a leader in promoting African music in Ireland. African music was not very popular in Ireland in 2003, so DJ Spaqz started an African themed night called Moto Sana (meaning 'very hot' in Swahili), which has been credited with its growing popularity among all communities here. DJ Spaqz is also very active in the promotion and celebration of cultural diversity in Ireland through his work and collaboration with NGOs, corporate organisations and individuals. Most recently he has set up Radio2Hot.com, an online radio station.
Tendai Madondo: Tendai Madondo is recognised for being a leading voice in promoting political participation of developing world nationals in Ireland, and has designed a mentorship programme for prospective candidates for upcoming elections. Madondo herself was a local election candidate for the Green Party in 2009, and is a former vice chair of the Africa Centre's board. The Zimbabwean national works as a technical advisor on gender and power for Christian Aid's global programme, providing technical assistance in more than 20 countries and travelling extensively as part of this role.
APPRECIATION AWARD
Ceemex and Company: The Appreciation Award goes to Ceemex and Company, the Nigerian-founded solicitors’ firm and Ireland’s first ethnic-minority-led practice, which opened in Ireland in April 2002. Although the firm ceased operations last December due to the current economic downturn, Ceemex – owned by Matthew Emeka Ezeani, with fellow solicitor Celia Otubu – was involved in a number of high profile immigration cases. Ceemex’s legal challenge hugely contributed to the opening of the Irish Born Child (IBC) 2005 Scheme.
NOT FOR PROFIT AWARD
Friends of Londiani: Friends of Londiani is recognised for its continued sustainable development work in health, education and clean water provision which also has strong impact on the lives of the communities where the organisation works in Kenya. Mention must be made of Friends of Lodiani’s economic empowerment project in Kenya, which enables communities to generate more income and improve their standard of living. This is done through a variety of projects from banking to basic business training, social entrepreneurship and sustainable tourism.
EDUCATION AWARD
Kimmage Development Studies Centre: The Kimmage Development Studies Centre (KDSC) is honoured for its consistency in the education and training for development of Africa and its people. Since 1994, the KDSC had collaborated with the Training Centre for Development Co-operation (MS-TCDC) based in Arusha in northern Tanzania to offer a certificate course for programme officers. In 2004, the collaboration started a BA degree in Development Studies. In addition to that, the KDSC also has a partnership with The Grail Centre in Kleinmond in South Africa’s Western Cape province, which provides a quality assurance service and accreditation to certificate and diploma level ‘Training for Transformation’ capacity-building programmes that attract participants from NGOs, fixed-base operators (FBOs) and civil society organisations from all over Africa.
PRIVATE SECTOR AWARD
Value Added In Africa: Value Added In Africa is honoured for its ongoing work to identify African companies in Africa that are producing high quality, competitively priced and export-ready goods, and introduce them to Irish and European businesses, thereby helping them to exercise corporate social responsibility in the supply chain. So far, Value Added In Africa has visited and assessed the products of some 170 companies in across a number of African countries.
PUBLIC SECTOR AWARD
National Transport Authority: The National Transport Authority is recognised for its involvement in the ‘Transport Links, Racism Divides’ campaign in partnership with Dublin Bus, Irish Rail, Veolia Transport Dublin Light Rail Ltd (operator of the Luas) and the Immigrant Council of Ireland. Specifically, the award recognises an e-mail sent to all taxi driver licence holders on 21 March to mark the International Day Against Racism and the European Week Against Racism. Taxi drivers of African extraction have reported to us that they no longer feel on their own when it comes to reporting incidents of racism against them and their co-workers. Not that the problem has gone away, but any step in the right direction is a step worth noting.
SPECIAL JUDGES’ AWARD
Irish Aid: Irish Aid has been consistent in its message in relation to sustaining development aid, notwithstanding the current economic difficulties Ireland faces. Irish Aid has developed important forms of aid transfers based on partnership with recipient states and supporting locally led development. Irish Aid is also one of the few organisations in the developed world that is supporting Africa Day. Moreover, while the response of members of the African diaspora to this support is by and large positive, it’s hoped that they can be encouraged to play a more active role in organising future Africa Day activities in Ireland.
