Two Nigerian teenagers have been listed among the 2023 cohort of the 100 Rise Global Winners, Schmidt Futures and Rhodes Trust made this known in a statement.
The Rise challenge finds brilliant young people between the ages of 15 and 17 who need opportunity and support them for life as they work to serve others.
The two Nigerians are; Abigail Labija from Gboko who developed a prototype of a water purification system that can provide more access to clean drinking water for her community during drier months of the year.
And Orimoloye David from Oniru who created a mobile application for local supermarkets that offers consumers a chance to purchase goods remotely, thereby reducing in-store congestion and improving store marketing.
“We are excited to welcome a new cohort of 100 passionate young people to the Rise Global Winner community,” said Wendy Schmidt, who with her husband Eric is funding the Rise program.
“Their ideas—from helping rice farmers transition to renewable energy to creating a biodegradable plastic from cassava starch—are the sparks that we hope will ignite a lifelong commitment to each other and a better future for us all.”
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The Rise 2023 Global Winners include youths from 43 nationalities aiming to provide solutions such as an electrochemical pipe scale accelerator to decrease lead and copper corrosion in water, create a biodegradable plastic using corn or cassava starch, develop a functioning reusable glucose monitor applicator that reduces the environmental impact of people with diabetes and develop a wearable device for dementia patients among others.
“With a BUILD Nigeria alumnus as a Rise Global Winner, we have seen first-hand the impact that the Rise challenge has on building up young people and expanding access to the resources and network they need to make the world a better place,” said Claire Utomi, CEO at BUILD Nigeria – a Rise partner in Nigeria.
“BUILD Nigeria remains committed to supporting young leaders in achieving the fullness of their aspirations and firmly believes in the power of Rise to help young Nigerians do just that,” Utomi said.
Founded in 2019, Rise is the flagship program of a $1 billion commitment by Eric and Wendy Schmidt across their philanthropic organizations and initiatives to find and support global talent. Rise collaborates with more than 60 partners from around the globe to identify and nurture talent from communities worldwide.
With its global partners ranging from educational institutions to businesses and local governments, Rise identifies talented 15-17-year-olds and supports them as they leverage their ideas, energy, and initiative to solve the problems facing society and our natural world.
Rise aims to empower the next generation of leaders to realize their tremendous potential and commitment to serve others throughout their lives.
Elizabeth Kiss, CEO of the Rhodes Trust, said her organisation is passionate about the power of young people to lead transformational change.
“The latest cohort of Rise Global Winners shows that this confidence is well founded, and we look forward to welcoming them all to our intergenerational and international community of people who want to make a positive difference.”
The 2023-2024 Rise challenge application cycle has been launched and interested participants should visit the Rise website to apply.
