Keneilwe is a social environmentalist with over 8 years of field experience. She works with communities to promote the implementation of sustainable nature-based livelihoods. The mobility contributed a lot to her professional and personal development and growth which enables her to passionately serve within environmental conservation and community development sector in her country. It also helped her to become part of a network with diverse expertise from other parts of the continent and be able to interact and exchange insights, ideas, and experiences.

Keneilwe became an ASAF Co-Ambassador because she would like to give back to her community and share the opportunities that exist between Africa and EU building towards achieving the Africa we need.

Languages: Setswana, English

Mobility Programme, country:
Intra-ACP Academic Mobility Scheme, Tanzania

Hi from the North-Eastern corner of Africa!  

This is Mariam and as a Co-Ambassador for ASAF, she aims to energetically work together for a better Africa through quality education, as well as to enhance employability and quality life strategies. Mariam believes that a better Africa is coming to rise. So: always remember to be proud of being an African descendant, warrior people with a beautiful story and an exciting happy ending!

Languages: Arabic, English

Mobility programme, country:
Intra-ACP Academic Mobility Scheme, Romania

Margaret is from Nairobi Kenya and a graduate from Kenyatta University, she holds a degree in Economics and Statistics and a professional qualification in Finance. She believes in impacting community through education and skills development.
Her mobility experience opened her up to various methods of learning and teaching. Particularly, the ability to integrate current affairs and the education curriculum through case studies in class stood out for her and challenged her to apply her learning to solve real economic issues. Her interaction with students from various parts of Europe and China opened her up to the cultural differences that exists between various people groups in the world and gave her an international cultural exposure.
Her motivation as the Co-Ambassador of Kenya is to see that majority of Kenyan students get to know of the existence of the scholarships and mobility programme funded by the EU and AU. She also desires to see that the Kenyans ASAF members form a community that is able to be drivers of change in the nation and impact the various places where they are locating. Margaret believes she is a change maker and in her current capacity she believes she will influence positive change in the entire ASAF community.

Languages: Swahili, English, basic French and Slovak

Mobility programme, country: Erasmus+ short-term mobility, Slovakia

Onyekachukwu is a straightforward person. She works very hard, and this makes her friends see her as a team leader. She is convinced that academic mobility allows access to information and culture across the globe, prepares graduate students and staff to live and work abroad.

Furthermore, she was motivated to become an ASAF Co-Ambassador because during her first mobility, she and some of her fellows were not properly guided but misled during their first 3 months, so there is need for proper orientation. Onyekachukwu really appreciates the concept of having ASAF Co-Ambassadors.

Languages: English, Igbo, French

Mobility programme, country:
Intra Africa Academic Mobility Scheme, Cameroon

Lerato Mogotsi is a Senior Laboratory Technician (Biology) at the Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein in South Africa. She is currently working on her PhD degree in Environmental Health at the same university and is planning to complete her degree by the end of 2021.
Her short- and long-term goal in education is to target underprivileged schools in South African communities that lack well established laboratories for studying and understanding Science. She is determined to use her skills, expertise, and research skills to assist them with laboratory practical, which in the end and with the necessary support from the government can lead to the development of well-resourced science laboratories.

Lerato describes her mobility experience as an excellent opportunity to meet various groups of people, spend quality time with them and get to know their habits, attitudes, and lifestyle.

Languages: English, Tswana

Mobility programme, country:
Erasmus+ short-term International Credit Mobility, France

Julius Opio holds MSc. in Forestry and Biodiversity Management and BSc. in Conservation Forestry and Products Technology both from Makerere University, My MSc research focused on Ecological Attributes of Semi-arid areas of Karamoja sub-region funded by Research and Innovation Fund (RIF) Makerere University through a one-year research project “From Relief to Sustainability: Fruit and Energy Trees for Improved Nutrition and Livelihoods for Karamoja Region (FeILN)”. Julius is a commercial forestry entrepreneur who founded a forest company known as Trust Forest Consult Group Limited in Uganda. Julius also participated in manuscript write-up in the University of Padova in Italy under a mobility project: "Interbiome exploration of invasive alien trees spread: novel ecosystem (dis)services in changing landscapes" - Lessons from the European conservation policy and implications for Uganda’s changing landscapes, Makerere University School of Forestry. Under Inter-institutional Agreement Research Programme 2016-2018 Interbiome Italy-Uganda 1.0 Coordinated by Prof. Tommaso Sitzia (Professor of ecology from the University of Padova, Italy) funded by Erasmus+ Mundus of the European Union. Julius possesses diverse experience and skills in restoration ecology, wildlife ecology and management, ecotourism and nature conservation, and plant biology. My research interest is in landscape ecology, forest biodiversity, plant ecology, ecosystem restoration, management of wildlife populations and taxonomy. Julius has profound interest in outreach and community development. He has practical interest in commercial forestry and production of high quality bamboo and tree planting materials in Uganda.

Languages: English, Luo

Mobility programme, country:
Erasmus+ mobility programme at the University of Padova, Italy

Danyeli Khanye is a social worker by profession in the ministry of public service labour and social welfare. The Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship scheme was instrumental in his academic progress as well in the development of networks with various individuals from different backgrounds.

As an ASAF Co-Ambassador he endeavour to help people from various walks of life to realise their potential through collaboration, networking and strong referral pathway.

Languages: English, Ndebele, Shona

Mobility programme, country: African Union’s Nyerere Scholarship and Academic Mobility Programme, Zimbabwe