"Harambe" - Swahili for "come together as one" - is the theme of a new organization working to implement technology and business proposals to further develop the economies of 10 sub-Saharan African countries.
The Harambe Endeavor - an alliance of 60 students studying at colleges and universities across the country, including Penn, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University - will create partnerships with students and future leaders in Africa.
Ultimately, they hope to spark entrepreneurial energy and activity in several of the regions' economies.
"We want to be able to take this long debate about the future of Africa and start putting things in action," said Okendo Lewis-Gayle, a Southern New Hampshire University student who founded the group and serves as its president.
This summer, 40 of the students will take a 10-week tour of 10 African countries including Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria.
Together with the U.S. State Department, the students will host a business conference in each of the countries.
They hope to unite business leaders with young professionals and students to stimulate Africa's economy by seeking and implementing innovative, sustainable, and entrepreneurial solutions to the challenges and opportunities in Africa, according to project organizers.
Students will divide into teams and partner with African students in major universities and both private and public non-profit organizations to create and implement their ideas in each country they visit.
"We really want to encourage continental integration and get students reacquainted with Africa," College senior Sathish Subramanian said.
Subramanian, born and raised in Zambia, is the only Penn student involved in the Harambe Endeavor.
The Endeavor began last summer when Lewis-Gayle worked with fellow SNHU student Prince Soko, who is from Zimbabwe, to send about 100 computers to South Africa. They wanted to continue their work, so they created the Harambe Endeavor.
On April 19, members of the group gathered for their first symposium in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. There they revealed their plan to "lead African development" by using a "pan-African network of business incubators geared towards Africa's youth," Lewis-Gayle said.
Students from Penn's African Students Association have already expressed interest in the project, Subramanian said, and he encouraged any other students interested in Africa to get involved.
