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News
from African Leadership Academy: World-Class Campus Secured for 2008
Launch!
Letter
from the Founder and CEO
Dear
Friends,
It
is great to reach out to you once again after another exciting
quarter at ALA. Our biggest news is that we have secured a
beautiful, fully built campus as our official home for our launch in
September 2008. In case you were wondering what our campus will look
like, I urge you to click
here to view the slideshow. Our campus is situated 30 minutes
northwest of Johannesburg.
We have also made excellent
fundraising progress this quarter. Most importantly, the Industrial
Development Corporation (IDC) of South
Africa approved a $1 million USD (R7.2 million)
low-interest loan to ALA on April 24. This is one of
the first loans to be granted to a nonprofit organization by the
IDC, and is a tremendous vote of confidence in our
organization.
With our campus secure
and our exceptional Dean Chris Khaemba on board, we have launched
our student recruitment drive. One year from now, our first class of
100 promising young leaders from across Africa will be joining us at ALA. Our
extensive recruitment network has just begun to identify some
amazing prospective students, and we have included two examples in
this newsletter. If you know of an exceptional young leader who
would benefit from the ALA experience, we would love to
hear from you.
Finally, I would like to
thank everyone who made our launch event in New York a
resounding success. We were thrilled to see so many new and old
faces in the crowd of over 400 who attended the event hosted by
African Leadership Foundation, which raised over $40,000 for the
Academy. We look forward to making it an annual event – and to
seeing the rest of you at similar events at other cities around the
world.
Warm regards,
Fred K. Swaniker
Founder &
CEO
African Leadership Academy
fswaniker@africanleadershipacademy.org
ALA secures World-Class Campus For 2008
Launch
On May 2, ALA signed an agreement to lease an amazing,
fully built campus 30 minutes northwest of Johannesburg
for our launch in September 2008. The campus includes a 350 seat
auditorium, comfortable dormitories for over 200 students, playing
fields, classrooms, computer laboratories, and a beautiful house for
the Dean and his family. Click
here for
the campus slideshow.
This news comes one year
after ALA signed an agreement to build
its long term campus in the Cradle of Humankind, which is only 15
minutes away from our initial home. We decided to open ALA in this
leased facility after we experienced delays in zoning and
construction for the long-term campus. One key advantage of opening
in this leased facility is that we can focus all of our energy on
developing an amazing curriculum, finding outstanding students, and
hiring fantastic teachers – instead of managing a construction
project with potential delays and cost overruns.
IDC approves $1 Million Dollar Loan to
ALA
After a year-long due
diligence process, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of
South Africa has
approved a $1 Million USD (R7.2 million) low-interest loan to
ALA to finance equipment purchases
and operating costs. ALA is one of
the first nonprofit organizations ever approved for such a loan by
the IDC, a financial institution established to promote economic
growth in South
Africa. The IDC loan is a long term
investment which gives credence to our organizational governance and
operating model. We are thrilled to have the support of
South
Africa’s premier development
finance institution.
ALF New York Launch A Huge
Success
On
April 14, African Leadership Foundation hosted a launch party that
sold out the popular New
York nightclub Cain. The event exceeded
expectations by bringing together over 400 people and raising over
$40,000. Guests danced to music from acclaimed DJs Tommy Walker and
Stuart Rogers and MC Merafe Moloto auctioned beautiful African art
and a luxury grand prize trip for two to South
Africa. For pictures taken at
the event please click
here.We are grateful to our sponsors, including South
Africa Tourism, Sankaranka Gallery, Starr African Rum, and Ten
Thousand Villages for helping us host a great evening. We look
forward to seeing everyone again next year and to having
similar events in cities around the
world!
Run the New York marathon for
ALA!
Do you
want to run the 2007 ING New York City Marathon with Team ALA? We are interested in putting
together a team of 20 individuals to support African
Leadership Academy at the marathon on
November 4, 2007. An experienced marathon runner, personal trainer,
and Academy supporter has graciously agreed to host weekly runs for
the 5 months leading up to the event. Each runner would have a
fundraising goal of approximately $1000, and the proceeds would be
pooled to provide a scholarship for a talented student to attend the
Academy. Please note that we are unable to guarantee entry into the
race, and individuals will be required to enter the official ING New
York City Marathon lottery to gain admittance. If interested please
contact Julia Unger at junger@africanleadershipfoundation.org by May 28,
2007.
Student Recruitment
Launched
In
May, we officially launched our student recruitment campaign, and we
have already had the opportunity to meet some exceptional young
people from across the continent. Two examples of prospective
students identified by our recruiting network are given
below.
Fungai
*
Fungai
is a sixteen year old orphan living in Harare, Zimbabwe. She is
responsible for raising two younger siblings, and despite these
hardships is the outstanding student at her government high school
and a leader in her community. Fungai has just completed her O-level
examinations, and she achieved seven A’s in accounting, biology,
geography, history, mathematics, English literature, and Bible
studies. We are excited to give such an amazing individual the
opportunity to apply for a scholarship at ALA.
Emmanuel
*
There
are not many thirteen year olds who are summoned to meet their
President – but this is exactly what happened to young Emmanuel last
year. As a grade eight student in Rwanda, Emmanuel placed
first in his country’s national examinations and was personally
commended by President Kagame and profiled in the national
newspapers. Emmanuel is involved in student government and also
serves in his community. His teachers praise Emmanuel’s maturity and
curiosity about the world.
*
Names have been changed.
You can make a
Difference
- Share
your ideas and contacts!
Are
there schools, companies, government officials, or nonprofit
organizations that we should be in contact with? Do you have
thoughts on leaders or stories we could highlight in case studies
in our curriculum?
Let us know!
-
- Support African Leadership Academy with your shopping!
If you shop
online, do so through our new-and-improved Freepledge portal and
ALA will receive up to 15% of
the value of your purchases! Whether you intend to shop on Amazon,
eBay, Target, Expedia, or elsewhere, you can support us by
starting your shopping from http://alf.freepledge.com.
- Refer a
candidate. Know an
admissions officer or teacher looking for a unique challenge? A
business school student looking for a rewarding internship? We’ll
be hiring a number of new faces in 2007, beginning with an
admissions team that will recruit the finest 15-18 year old
students from across the African continent. We are always
accepting resumes and inquiries at info@africanleadershipacademy.org
To unsubscribe, send an email
to info@africanleadershipacademy.org
ABOUT THE
ACADEMY:
Our
Mission
African Leadership Academy (ALA) seeks to transform
Africa by developing and supporting
future generations of African leaders. Opening in 2008, African
Leadership Academy will bring together 250 of the most promising
15-18 year old leaders from all 54 African nations for an innovative
two-year program designed to prepare each student for a lifetime of
leadership on the continent. Students will be selected to attend the
Academy based on merit alone and will complete an innovative
curriculum with a focus on leadership, entrepreneurship, and African
studies. ALA graduates will attend
the world’s finest universities and will return to lead Africa toward a peaceful and prosperous
future. ALA is a nonprofit
institution located in Johannesburg, South
Africa.
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