Nairobi — Schmidt Futures, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust, on Friday announced the second cohort of 100 Rise Global Winners, five of whom are Kenyans.
Rise is a program that finds brilliant people who need opportunity and supports them for life as they work to serve others.
It is the flagship program of Schmidt Futures and the anchor of a broader USD1 billion philanthropic commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt to talent development across their initiatives.
The five Kenya winners are: Edith Chemutai from Thika who started a movement on water conservation and created a water filtration system that reduced the dirty water swamp behind her school.
The others are James Nyaga Ngatia from Nairobi working to create an app called iGuide, which aims to eradicate pornography, Marietta Halima Kazungu from Kilifi, she developed the Rapidcovix Breathalyzer to help those in rural areas who cannot afford the expensive costs of testing better detect infectious diseases.
Natasha Njoki created an environmentalist's club that aims to show people that cleaning and taking care of the environment is not a punishment; rather it can encourage teamwork and create awareness as well as be enjoyable.
Wema Wambugo Marandu from Nairobi with a project aims to develop a reading culture by using storybooks and stocking up libraries in underprivileged communities in Kenya.
"We are looking for extraordinarily bright people everywhere because genius can have an outsized impact on improving the world when applied to its hardest problems," said Eric Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Futures.
"This announcement of the Rise Winners is not the conclusion of a process, but rather the starting point for the young people in the program. They will have continuing opportunities to change the world for the better as they continue their education and find ways to collaborate," said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Futures and president of The Schmidt Family Foundation.
With over 22 new countries represented this year, the global program continues to further expand its network with a broader range of talented young leaders from diverse backgrounds, including applicants from over 170 countries.
