There is an enormous amount of good happening on the ground in Kibera. Many extraordinarily talented, deeply engaged people are developing ingenious responses to poverty and poor health.

In this event, we’ll come together to explore the dynamism and potential of Kibera. First, we’ll hear short talks from people around the community. Then, we’ll engage in a candid discussion about what we all can do, individually and collectively, to highlight the important successes in communities like Kibera and inspire further work.

We’ll leave with commitments to take action toward our shared goals.

Nairobi
Kenya

Melinda French Gates

Melinda Gates serves as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She helps to shape and approve foundation strategies, review results, advocate for the foundation’s issues, and help set the overall direction of the organization. She received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University in 1986 and a master’s in business administration from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business in 1987. Since retiring from Microsoft in 1996, she has dedicated her energy toward the nonprofit world.

Dorah Nyanja

Dorah is a clinical officer cum social entrepreneur, changing lives for the better in the sprawling slum of Kibera. Having worked in Nairobi Hospital and other national referral hospitals, it came to her realization that many critical cases were carried forward from Kibera. She acquired a loan from Jamii Bora and rented a home, and with only three beds and one other nurse, she began Senye Clinic in 2004. Today, she provide both pre and post-natal care and has expanded it to another medical facility that houses six patients.

Raphael Omondi

Passionate about social advocacy and activism, Raphael has taken part in various campaigns to enhance the lives of youth living in informal settlements in Rio de Janiero, Bogota and Nairobi, among other cities. He has served in various capacities as a community organizer, and media and social activist ─ working and volunteering with various organizations such as Help International and Every Child Counts to address issues such as environmental degradation and HIV/AIDS among youth.

George Kevin Otieno (Host)

Kevin is one of the original founders of TEDxKibera. He is a film/stage/documentary script writer and director. He has served as casting director for two major feature films: Soul Boy and Togetherness Supreme and has worked as a project manager at Hot Sun Foundation.

Salim Mohamed

Salim co-founded and served as the Executive Director of Carolina for Kibera for eight years. Named a TIME Magazine and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “Hero of Global Health” in 2005, Carolina for Kibera (CFK) fights abject poverty and helps prevent violence through sports, young women's empowerment, and community development in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya and beyond.

Julie Gichuru (Moderator)

Julie hosts the prime time news magazine program Sunday Live with Julie Gichuru as well as Fist to Five for Change, a search for common ground in Kenya. Previously Julie was with NTV, Nation Media Group where she hosted one of Kenya’s leading talk shows, On the Spot. Julie is the first African woman to receive the Martin Luther King Salute to Greatness Award for Advocacy of Active Non-Violence and Peace. She is a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative, which is part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Julie has been declared a Young Global Leader under the World Economic Forum. She also serves on the Africa Advisory Board for MYC4.