This week’s edition of African Voices Changemakers on CNN International will showcase the story of two social re-orientation activists: Kennedy Odede, a Kenyan social entrepreneur and canvasser for free education; and Stephen Asante, a mental health advocacy campaigner.
A statement yesterday by the sponsors of the programme, Globacom, read: “In collaboration with the government of Ghana and local organisations, Asante tries to ensure care is provided for mental health patients and that the stigma associated with the illness is reduced through education and advocacy for the mentally challenged and their families.
“The second guest, 37-year-old Odede, is a multi-linguist who speaks six languages effortlessly.
“He set up the Shining Hope for Communities organization to make potable water and healthcare available to people in urban slums in his country.
“He also runs a free education programme for girls in the highly populated areas of Kenya and offers assistance to small scale business people.
The change agent is a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and an Obama Foundation Africa Leader. He is also a New York Times Bestselling author and a winner of the 2010 Echoing Green Fellowship.
Odede was also in 2014 named among Forbes’ Under-30 Top Social Entrepreneurs.”
