Class speakers Peter Apaliwen and Mellisa Mazingi.
Nineteen leaders from 12 countries graduated from the inaugural offering of Social Enterprise for Inclusive Local Economies, Friday, June 21.
Coady staff designed the new program for development leaders who are grappling with questions of how to balance a social mission with the issue of sustainability.
True to Coady’s commitment toward advancing women in leadership positions, 78 per cent of the cohort was comprised of women leaders. As we become increasingly aware that ‘local is everywhere’, this cohort included participants from Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, plus five Canadian participants who developed a borderless network of shared learning and experience.
As graduating speakers Peter Apaliwen of Ghana and Mellisa Mazingi of Zimbabwe addressed their fellow participants and Coady staff, they emphasized their gratitude and the importance of the journey ahead as they each return to their home community.
“We look forward to greater hope of making our enterprises stronger,” Peter said.
“As citizens, we change our communities. Remember, you matter. You count. You can make a change. You are the change.”
Congratulations to the new graduates who now join Coady’s expansive global network.
