Championing African Visionaries: The African Visionary Fellowship (AVF), founded by the Segal Family Foundation, supports African leaders of grassroots organizations to enhance their leadership skills and the impact of their work. The fellowship focuses on those who devise innovative, sustainable solutions for local challenges, offering mentorship, capacity building, and a network of like-minded changemakers.
Jackie Odhiambo (Nyanam) and Ojok Okello (Okere City)
In today's episode, we're honored to feature two visionary leaders who are restoring dignity and rebuilding communities across East Africa.
Jackie founded Nyanam Widows Rising, a restorative justice organisation in Kenya that prepares widows to lead positive social transformation in their communities. Through integrated programmes spanning leadership, health, livelihoods, and justice, Nyanam supports widows across Africa. By restoring their dignity and amplifying their voices, Nyanam is helping widows move from the margins to the center of community leadership.
Jackie is in conversation with Ojok from Okere City, a community-based social enterprise in Uganda on a mission to build the first sustainable rural city in Africa. Using a holistic and participatory development approach rooted in local and indigenous knowledge, Okere City is transforming a community still rebuilding itself after decades of conflict into a model for what locally-led, sustainable development can look like.
In this episode, Jackie and Ojok will share their journeys, the challenges they've faced, and the innovative ways they are working to restore dignity, rebuild communities, and reimagine what justice and development can look like when rooted in local leadership.
In today’s episode, we’re honored to feature two visionary leaders who are breaking new ground in the fields of mental health and healthcare access across Africa.
Bright Shitemi is the founder and Executive Director of Mental 360, a youth-led organization in Kenya that is focused on promoting mental health awareness and creating support systems for young people aged 15 to 35. Through Mental 360, Bright and his team are working to increase mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and advocate for better access to mental health services. The organization has created safe spaces for youth to discuss their mental health challenges, empowering them to seek the support they need. With partnerships across the country, Mental 360 is making a tangible impact on improving mental health care for young Kenyans.
Joining Bright is Nasser Diallo, the founder and Executive Director of Clinic+O, a pioneering healthcare organization in Guinea. Clinic+O is expanding access to affordable primary care services by offering subsidized medical visits with discounts ranging from 50% to 100%. Nasser’s hybrid care model includes telemedicine, home care visits, and free mass consultations through a network of community health workers. By making healthcare more accessible and affordable, Clinic+O is helping to prevent severe illnesses by ensuring timely medical attention and support for underserved populations in Guinea.
In this episode, Bright and Nasser will share their journeys, the challenges they’ve faced, and the innovative solutions they are implementing to make healthcare and mental health services more accessible and equitable across Africa.
17 Feb 2025
Victoria Heilman (TAWAH) & Dineo Mkwezalamba (Dzuka Africa)
In today’s episode, we’re excited to feature two visionary leaders who are dedicated to creating lasting change through their work in empowering marginalized communities and emerging entrepreneurs.
Victoria is the founder and Executive Director of Tanzania Women Architects for Humanity (TAWAH). TAWAH brings together female architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, and economists to provide affordable and sustainable shelter for vulnerable groups in Tanzania. By focusing on marginalized communities—including the elderly, people with disabilities, women, and children—Victoria and her team are using their expertise in construction to create quality housing and generate income opportunities, particularly in the rural Coast region, with the ultimate goal of alleviating poverty and empowering women in the process.
Joining Victoria is Dineo, the founder and Executive Director of Dzuka Africa. Dzuka Africa is a non-profit organization that empowers emerging youth and women entrepreneurs with both life and professional skills. Through their Startup Hubs Dzuka Africa provides infrastructure, business acumen, and access to tools and equipment to help young entrepreneurs build resilient startups. Dineo is giving young entrepreneurs the tools they need to not only become employable but also to build self-sustaining businesses that thrive.
In this conversation, Victoria and Dineo will share their journeys, discuss the challenges they’ve overcome, and highlight the innovative solutions they’re implementing to empower marginalized communities and foster a new generation of entrepreneurs across Africa.
13 Feb 2025
Doris Mollel (Doris Mollel Foundation) & Norman Manzi (Dream Village Rwanda)
In today’s episode, we’re honored to feature two incredible African visionaries who are making a profound difference in the lives of vulnerable communities.
Doris Mollel is the founder and Executive Director of the Doris Mollel Foundation (DMF) in Tanzania. After being born a 900-gram premature baby, Doris turned her personal experience into a powerful mission: raising awareness about the challenges of pre-term birth. DMF works to improve neonatal care by equipping hospitals with essential equipment, supporting research, and advocating for policies to reduce pre-term baby mortality in Tanzania. Doris’s dream is to extend this life-saving impact across East Africa, ensuring more babies get the care they need to survive and thrive.
Joining Doris is Manzi, the founder and Executive Director of Dream Village in Rwanda. Dream Village is dedicated to supporting children and young adults living with HIV, empowering them to nurture their dreams and live fulfilling lives. Through hands-on HIV treatment, peer counseling, career guidance, and skills training, Dream Village equips young people with the tools they need to overcome stigma and build healthier futures. They also partner with the Ministry of Health and local authorities to drive advocacy campaigns around HIV prevention, testing, and stigma eradication.
In this episode, Doris and Manzi will discuss their journeys, the challenges they’ve encountered, and the innovative work they’re doing to create sustainable change in Tanzania and Rwanda.
In today’s episode, we’re thrilled to be joined by two remarkable African visionaries for a conversation about one of the most pressing issues of our time: water conservation and management.
Murendeni (or Murendi, as we affectionately call him) is the founder and Executive Director of Kusini Water, based in Johannesburg and serving communities in South Africa and Lesotho. He’s joined by Muthi, the founder and Executive Director of BASEflow, which works to improve water access and quality across Malawi.
In this conversation, Murendi and Muthi will be exchanging stories about their work, the challenges they’ve faced, and the innovative solutions they’re implementing to address water scarcity and broader sustainability issues in Africa.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
88,801
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 65 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
84
Social presence
0
YouTube
85
Engagement
32
Contact African Visionary Fellows (AVF)
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of African Visionary Fellows (AVF)?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
