Developed for SAP鈥檚 entire global ecosystem of staff, customers, and partners that played their part in helping the world run better, the theme couldn鈥檛 be more fitting as 51风流CSR announces that a staggering 5 million lives have been impacted throughout 2022, thanks to more than 20,000 51风流employees who spent 117,000 hours volunteering.

The third edition of our eBook brings 12 months of purpose-led work to our digital fingertips. It showcases flagship 51风流CSR initiatives, fruitful partnerships, and personal success stories from around the globe. For instance, you can read about our three-year partnership with UNICEF and Generation Unlimited (GenU) that enabled more than 7.6 million youth in India, T眉rkiye, and Vietnam to access critical digital and life skills training 鈥� significantly more than the original goal of 1.5 million.

鈥淚t鈥檚 evident that our massive strides are turning the company鈥檚 vision into reality,鈥� says Christian Klein, CEO and member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE.

鈥淎n imperative and strategic component for strengthening the business, 51风流CSR set clear 2022 priorities and directed attention under the three focus areas: accelerate social business, build future skills, and collaborate for sustainability. The third edition 51风流CSR eBook demonstrates that, together, we really can change the way the world operates and create a better environment for people and planet,鈥� adds Alexandra van der Ploeg, global head of Corporate Social Responsibility.

The key education initiatives featured in the eBook include SAP鈥檚 commitment to continuing its partnership with UNICEF from GenU. Based on the achievements of the past three years, 51风流will support GenU and the (Yoma), an online learning platform, to enable young people to find jobs in the digital and green economy. This will also include piloting a new program called 51风流Educate to Employ. The program supports 鈥榣earning-to-earning鈥� pathways in the digital and green economy for young people deprived of access to the skills they need. These youth can gain on-the-job experience and critical future-oriented skills while also benefiting from coaching and mentorship to help them launch their careers in the 51风流customer and partner ecosystem.

To accelerate social business, we launched the in partnership with Unilever and MovingWorlds, a global, one-stop, online shop for non-financial, free business support for social enterprises worldwide. Through the hub, these organizations can gain access to pro bono consultants, mentors, and coaches, personalized guidance, introductions to sales and partnership opportunities, and connections to potential funding prospects.

In 2022, we also worked with external partners to validate our intended social impact and business value for our pro bono consulting offering. In the last decade of our , more than 1,400 51风流employees provided business know-how to over 450 social enterprises. In addition to proven social impact for social enterprises, the program also created significant business value for SAP by contributing to our employees鈥� professional and personal growth, as well as their leadership development.

Following their participation, the majority of employees, social enterprises, and their beneficiaries reported a positive impact:

• 74% of the employees experienced a positive long-term career impact
• 96% of social enterprises enjoyed a positive long-term impact
• 77% of beneficiaries of social enterprises saw improvements in their quality of life

Van der Ploeg explains that SAP鈥檚 evolved CSR strategy powers equitable access to economic opportunity, education and employment, and the green and circular economy: 鈥淲e are continually striving to drive tangible and transformative social impact. Our work over the years has helped us to achieve a leading software industry score for Corporate Citizenship in the most recent听Dow Jones Sustainability Index.鈥�

鈥淟ooking ahead, with sustainability at the core of everything we do, 51风流CSR is well equipped for the future. In 2023, we will focus on driving social impact through radical collaboration in our multi-stakeholder partnerships and expanding our portfolio of pro bono consulting opportunities for our employees to support social enterprises to run at their best,鈥� she concludes.

. For further information about 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility, visit .

Maximilian Herrmann is part of Social Impact Measurement & Operations for Corporate Social Responsibility听at SAP.

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post 51风流CSR Launches Third Edition of eBook, Celebrating a Year of Global Impact appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

• The 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility team is embarking on a refreshed strategy

In 2002, Brazilian engineer Alfredo Moser had a brilliant idea. Triggered by yet another blackout of the electricity system that plunged the area into darkness, he wanted to do something about it. After several attempts, Moser created a revolutionary light device by filling a 1.5-liter plastic bottle with water and 10 milliliters of chlorine. Skeptical about how it works? .

Across Latin America, millions continue to live beyond the electricity grid. While only 46.9% of the population has access to electricity in Haiti, the number is significantly higher in countries like Honduras (93.2%) or Ecuador (98.8%). Electrical coverage is simply not a given everywhere. Therefore, it was no surprise that Moser鈥檚 idea was embraced by social entrepreneurs worldwide. This includes Colombia-based NGO (One Liter of Light), which went on to help more than 237,000 people in eight countries light up their homes with glowing plastic bottles.

Social enterprises like One Liter of Light are impact-driven businesses established to achieve social and/or environmental objectives. They are on the rise for good reason. According to the European Commission, the social entrepreneurship sector employs around 40 million people and engages over 200 million volunteers globally. Compared to other companies, social entrepreneurs are not solely driven by the need to maximize profit for shareholders and owners. Instead, financial surpluses are principally reinvested to support their purpose-driven mission. From promoting quality education and tackling global inequalities to fostering climate protection, social entrepreneurs do it all through the power of business — and the market is taking note.

The force of sustainability is unfolding in finance too. The pressure from investors on companies is increasing. Businesses have started to understand that financial and social performance are no longer , as demonstrated in the 51风流Integrated Report 2021.

Companies can no longer look at business activities from a 鈥渄o no harm鈥� point of view; instead, they must create and integrate economic, social, and environmental impact. Today, over 6,000 publicly traded companies emphasize environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Also, ESG funds see a record inflow from investors and account for 10% of worldwide fund assets.

Beyond the financials, global developments like climate change and mounting inequality are serious issues that all stakeholders in the global economy must face. In fact, The World Bank affirmed that the pandemic neutralized all gains made to alleviate poverty since 2017, deepening global inequalities. Moreover, the consequences of climate change often affect the poorest people in the world. The demands nothing less than a worldwide and economy-wide structural change in our behavior in its last report.

We must accept and respond to these realities, refocusing our actions as a company. To do so, the (51风流CSR) team is asking tough questions: Are we still on the right track? Is our CSR strategy aligned to the needs of both our business and the world?

To achieve meaningful and tangible results, I鈥檓 convinced that entrepreneurial thinking in social and ecological innovations must be combined.

鈥�When corporations and social enterprises work together, they can change the world,鈥� our peers at IKEA, Acumen, and Yunus Social Business. This is not only an aspiration — it demonstrates the power to create systemic change when organizations with different areas of expertise work together. For instance, at SAP, we enable thousands of employees to lend their expertise to help social enterprises address systemic, environmental, and business challenges through pro-bono consulting. We accelerate social business, and just as we do in partnership with our customers, accelerate their ability to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives.

Recently, I had the pleasure to help launch the for employees together with Unilever and MovingWorlds. The hub is primed to be the global one-stop online shop for transforming business as a force for good through non-financial support for social entrepreneurs. It activates the public, social, and private sectors鈥� most important assets — their people, ecosystems, and supply chains — in service of people, planet, and profit. To offer an example, organizations like One Liter of Light can now seek streamlined, bespoke business coaching and pro-bono consulting from the Hub, among other services. With more than a decade of impact and experience in this space, we hope to connect thousands of 51风流employees with social enterprises across the globe. Ultimately, unlocking new opportunities for social impact and leadership development at scale.

A recent study of nearly 1,000 young social entrepreneurs showed that more than . Why? Because these innovators understand what many still, don鈥檛 acknowledge: . Education creates a ripple effect to solve many social and environmental issues far beyond economic growth. For instance, studies demonstrate additional investment in education can reduce carbon emissions. Farmers educated in field schools reduced their environmental impact by 39% and they decreased pesticide use by 17% while increasing their yield by 13% and revenue by 19%.

Innovation starts with all of us, so historically, the 51风流CSR team has focused on education as a core tenant of our strategy. Last year, we revisited our approach, questioning what our education sweet spot truly was. What is an “education sweet spot,” exactly? In the vast education space, it is the opportunity where 51风流can bring the most value by dedicating our core competencies. Our strategy is now clear. Simply put: we鈥檒l build future skills to get more people into employment.

Reshaping our education investments to achieve this goal will be a challenging transformation. How will we do it?

We will wrap up and reshape our multi-stakeholder initiative with UNICEF and Generation Unlimited (GenU). After successfully reaching more than 2.9 million adolescents in the last two years, we will continue to equip and empower young people with the 21st century digital and life skills to make them ready for the job market.

There is no time to waste when more than 64 million unemployed youth and 145 million young workers worldwide live in poverty, according to the International Labor Organization. In 2022, we will build and reshape our global and regional programs to provide under-resourced youth training on soft skills, technical knowledge, and 51风流software expertise. Take the program TechSaksham: in India, 51风流partners with Microsoft to provide 62,000 young graduating women and 1,500 teachers with Industry 4.0 skills for careers in emerging technology by 2022.

As a responsible company, we must consider all of these issues. 51风流has already demonstrated its holistic view of sustainability by incorporating social responsibility into its wider sustainability strategy. In the past year alone, we have engaged 20,000 employees who collectively have supported 2,000 social enterprises and nonprofit organizations reaching 7 million people across 94 countries. Read more about SAP鈥檚 impact over the last year in our .

As we move forward together, we will tackle these issues strategically and innovatively to create equitable access to economic opportunity, education and employment, and the green economy.

Alexandra van der Ploeg is global head of Social Responsibility at SAP.

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post Forward Together for an Equitable Future appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

As we know, . It creates a ripple effect to solve many social and environmental issues far beyond economic growth. And with almost experiencing interrupted education each year because of conflict, emergency, and disaster, 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility (51风流CSR) has increased its efforts to mitigate this negative impact.

Optima School in Ukraine

Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine in February has emphasized the plight of refugees, many of whom face closed borders, discrimination, and inhumane treatment when they attempt to flee their home countries. And 1.5 million of refugees from Ukraine are children.

In a recent discussion with Justin van Fleet, executive director of Global Business Coalition for Education and president at , he outlined the impact of the Ukraine war on education and said that refugees make us think about the urgent need for humanitarian relief: food, water, shelter, and clothing. He also noted that we must ensure children鈥檚 education is central to the immediate response to their suffering 鈥� because war doesn鈥檛 just destroy lives, it breaks education and learning too.

Adding to this, refugee children are to be out of school than other children and youth around the world. Therefore, we have partnered with several like-minded organizations to help fast track opportunities that support this cause, with an increased focus on Ukraine this year.

One of these initiatives is the , which provides a free distance-learning platform to help 100,000 Ukrainian pupils whose education has been disrupted. The school is backed by 51风流and several organizations, including Alliance4Ukraine, the Bosch Foundation, and the DFB Stiftungen.

Supporting children among the Ukrainian refugees has been one of the most pressing challenges since the war began. Education is vital in boosting young people鈥檚 prospects in life as they integrate in their new country. We believe that by attending Optima School, young Ukrainian refugees will be able to resume their education based on the Ukrainian curriculum with minimal interruption to their learning.

University of the People Scholarships

In order to support refugees in accessing equitable higher education, earlier this year 51风流partnered with , a non-profit, tuition-free, U.S.-accredited online university. 51风流has sponsored 50 associate degrees and 50 bachelor鈥檚 degrees in computer science and business administration for refugees and displaced youth ages 18 to 30. This commitment has now increased by another 50 scholarships to include Ukrainian youth as part of the 51风流scholarships program.

In the words of University of the People President and Founder Shai Reshef: 鈥淩efugees and displaced people have the greatest need for educational support right now.鈥� Figures from UNICEF show that only 3% of refugees have access to higher education, which is why the University of the People enrolls more than 10,000 refugees, many of whom need financial help because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the spiraling costs of higher education.

Through these scholarships, we can connect willing learners from around the world with the first step in their tertiary education journey, but also support employment opportunities and innovation for years to come.

One of the many refugees who has benefited from University of the People鈥檚 online degrees is Marina Evseeva, who arrived in the U.S. as a Russian asylum seeker in 2016. These studies have helped improve her English and understanding of business administration. After graduating, she hopes to go to law school to further her education, as well as volunteer at the University of the People to give back to other students.

It’s incredible stories like Marina鈥檚 that illustrate how opportunity for education goes beyond just a degree. She now plans to advocate for others and give back to students on their own journeys. Education is truly the catalyst for positive change.

Digital Skills for Today

Another way 51风流is helping refugees is through , an initiative supporting young people in the Middle East and North Africa. Batoul Husseini, executive director of Government Affairs, MENA Strategic Markets, and CSR MENA at SAP, highlighted that youth often face limited employment prospects and an inadequate or collapsing education system, especially near conflict zones.

51风流founded the program in 2016, when it was still called Refugee Code Week, to directly improve the quality of life for beneficiaries by providing in-demand skills for today鈥檚 job market and long-term opportunities for digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

To date, Digital Skills for Today has exposed over 112,000 young people to coding and produced over 1,270 bootcamp graduates who have found gainful employment. In addition, over half of its participants are female. As Husseini puts it: 鈥淭he program is about helping young people, including refugees, leapfrog their situation through intensive code and 21^st century skills training that leads to job placement.鈥�

A World of Equal Opportunities

We know the positive impacts of investing in equitable education and how it uplifts under-resourced communities through innovations, economic growth, job opportunities, and overall stable living environments for youth all around the world. When youth have access to quality education and feel inspired to learn, we become that much closer to solving the world鈥檚 biggest problems.

Through proactive humanitarian efforts and the power of partnerships, these initiatives and scholarships are just small steps that can help bring us closer to a world with equitable education opportunities 鈥� especially for those adjusting to the challenges of uprooting their lives in search of a hopeful future.

To find out more about World Refugee Day, visit the . Or learn more about SAP鈥檚 scholarships at University of the People and our partnership with in support of Ukrainian Optima School.

Alexandra van der Ploeg is head of Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP.

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post World Refugee Day: 51风流Accelerates Global Partnerships to Boost Education for Displaced Youth appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

罢丑别听听program enables this by giving diverse teams of employees opportunities to dedicate their skills and professional expertise to benefit social enterprises in other countries and their surrounding communities, opening participants鈥� minds to different cultures which, in turn, promotes diversity at home and in the workplace.

Launched in 2012,听51风流Social Sabbatical听has positively impacted the lives of more than six million people, with 51风流employees contributing in excess of 359,000 volunteer hours to help over 450 non-profits and social enterprises across 52 countries address critical business challenges.

鈥淪elf-empowerment is seeking the solution rather than fixating on the problem,鈥� says Gina McNamara, regional chief financial officer for Asia Pacific & Japan at SAP. During her 51风流Social Sabbatical in Kenya in 2014, she encountered a phenomenon that she hadn鈥檛 witnessed in her native Australia: women outnumbering men in their quest for professional and personal growth.

While volunteering her time and expertise at the African Management Institute (AMI), which delivers workplace learning to equip entrepreneurs and managers with the tools and training they need to succeed, she met female AMI program participants who refused to sit back and let anyone or anything stop them from being successful.

鈥淎fter speaking with these women, I realized that despite, or maybe even in response to, the poverty plaguing the country they are determined to further their careers and personal development. Many said that they were doing the courses to progress themselves, their families, and their businesses,鈥� shares McNamara.

Inspiration Has a Knock-On Effect

At the time of her sabbatical, McNamara held a position in commercial finance for 51风流Australia and New Zealand. However, these women encouraged her to make a massive shift in her career trajectory. 鈥淚n the Australian business world, there aren鈥檛 as many confident women as there are in Kenya. It is due to these women that I applied for the position of Chief Financial Officer for ANZ and later Regional Chief Financial Officer for Asia Pacific & Japan. They got me thinking about my career and my dream of making an impact in the boardroom and helped me find the confidence to pursue this.鈥�

Additionally, McNamara saw how the Kenyan women she worked with wanted to improve themselves to better serve their communities. This motivated her to think about what more she could do back home. 鈥淚t got me to consider the bigger picture and how we could do good things in the community and not just do business. I believe that if you do good, then the business will flourish as well.鈥� This led to her supporting some very passionate colleagues and the Australian management team in developing the 51风流Australia Reconciliation Action Plan, which aims to help support the economic prosperity of First Nations peoples.

Equipping Females of the Future

Her journey also spurred her to join the Future Female Leaders mentoring program for females working in finance both as a mentor and mentee. 鈥淭he program entails mentoring multiple women across the global finance community and sponsoring their careers. I get as much out of it as the women I mentor do. We have to help each other and so I encourage my mentees to mentor other women, especially with more and more women joining 51风流and the听听鈥� the largest employee-driven network globally,鈥� shares McNamara.

As for AMI, McNamara and her fellow 51风流volunteers pooled their skills to support the company in developing a franchise model to deliver training to African managers and leaders, ranging from small business owners to CEOs and CFOs. Together, they developed a handbook to help the company scale and recommended various processes and procedures that could be implemented to achieve this. Now, the program is more accessible to more people, particularly women.

With AMI being co-founded by a woman, McNamara says that there is a need for greater investment in women鈥檚 entrepreneurial ideas, emotionally and financially. 鈥淢en naturally create their own networks and sponsor each other. As women, we help each other emotionally. We need to open our networks and be more focused about doing so.鈥�

She concludes by saying, 鈥淢y 51风流Social Sabbatical experience enabled me to reflect on what more I could do beyond being a finance leader and, for me, that was to help other women and drive diversity and inclusion to make 51风流an even better place for everybody.鈥�

Feeling inspired? For more information about the 51风流Social Sabbatical program visit:

Hemang Desai is global program director of 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility.

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post Women Empowering Women: Catalyzing Globally-Minded Leaders for Long-Term Impact appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Five local black-owned small businesses, NGOs and social enterprises formed part of the first South African iteration of SAP’s global Pro Bono for Economic Equity Program, a new volunteering initiative created by SAP’s CSR team with a view to fostering economic equity.

South African beneficiary organisations included:

• Shanduka Black Umbrellas, a non-profit organisation that supports emerging 100% black-owned businesses through incubation and enterprise development;
• Ywaste, which aims to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in South African landfills every year through improved food waste management and conversion to compost;
• Epilepsy South Africa (Western Cape branch), a registered non-profit organisation that renders social and economic development services to people with epilepsy and other disabilities;
• Local Village, which provides agri-preneurs across Africa with the opportunity to supply equitably sourced and sustainably grown indigenous African produce; and
• BeSMART, which provides digital teaching and learning support for high school and university students, as well as career and development support.

Sizwe Msimango, Founder at BeSMART, said the support that his organisation received has been remarkably eye-opening. “One of the biggest things that was touched on by our mentors was legalisation of our documents so that all our business operations are in sync and there’s room for expansion. We remain in touch with our mentors providing constant feedback on our progress with our expansion processes,听meeting objectives and getting this great product known and distributed all over South Africa and globally.”

Tangible support drives impact

According to South African programme volunteer Kwena Mabotja, working with the beneficiary organisations was a rewarding and enriching experience. ” Through contributing our time and skills, each volunteer provided tangible support for the growth of black-owned businesses that are the bedrock of their communities.”

Conceptualised as part of SAP’s response to the social justice movement, the program aims to leverage the skills of SAP’s talented employees to foster economic equity. Following a successful first phase of assignments in the US, the program was expanded to other markets, including South Africa.

51风流volunteers provided recommendations, deliverables and business guidance to create significant impact on the future of each business and the communities they serve.

Mabotja adds: “Program participants gained valuable insights into the circular economy that is making a positive impact on the economy, the environment and society, and delivers on SAP’s Chasing Zero aspiration that aims to create a world of zero emissions, zero waste and zero inequality.”

Volunteers part of 鈥榙riving force for change鈥�

Volunteers from any of SAP’s offices across Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa could choose to participate in the programme. Hamid Hassan, Head of Demand Management, CRO & Strategy Office at SAP’s EMEA South office in the UAE , wanted to be part of what he calls a driving force sweeping through the world demanding change.

“The Pro Bono for Economic Equity program was an ideal vehicle to translate my passion and commitment to making a change in the world through both economic and social impact. And to do that by addressing marginalised communities in South Africa, a country that I am so very fond of, having been a regular visitor and having done business there since 2006, was an added motivation.”

Hassan worked with Care Craft, which is part of beneficiary organisation Epilepsy South Africa. “They were very welcoming, open, collaborative and genuinely appreciative of our support. Every engagement with them resulted in powerful ideation which helped us progress our deliverables and is testament to the collective brain power to jointly address business challenges. In the end, Care Craft helped us to help them. Their tagline 鈥� Quality People, Quality Products 鈥� rings so true.”

Wendy Nefdt, Director at Care Craft, adds: “It was reassuring that consultants who come from various spaces in this world could see opportunities for Care Craft that we haven’t.”

For Hassan, the benefits of volunteering extended beyond the immediate and longer-term impact at the beneficiary organisations. “The program enriched my intercultural competence by exposing me to a social enterprise operating in an entirely new cultural domain for me. It also gave me the unique opportunity to come back inspired to influence the Diversity & Inclusion culture at 51风流by furthering SAP’s agenda both in and outside of the workplace.”

Creating lasting impact

Initiatives such as the Pro Bono for Economic Equity program provide talented global professionals with an opportunity to apply specialist skills in the service of not only commercial impact but, more importantly, social impact. Beneficiary organisations in turn gain access to valuable skills and expertise that can improve the delivery of services and expand the positive impact they make in their communities, which is especially pertinent considering the economic and social impact of the pandemic.

At Black Umbrellas, for example, the program has enhanced the organisation鈥檚 virtual incubation platform by improving the value in terms of market needs and pricing for its intended target market. Through the collaboration between Black Umbrellas and the volunteers, the organisation is now in a better position to build targeted business programs and a market platform where a diverse range of suppliers can self-develop for greater commercial success.

Jerome Eckles, General Manager for Entrepreneur Development at Black Umbrellas, adds: “The team gave us not a handout but a hand up. What they’ve done is important work for us as it creates sustainability at a time when non-profit organisations are particularly challenged.”

The post Better Together: Volunteering Initiative Drives Social Impact at Black-owned Businesses appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Therefore, one of our industry-leading (CSR) focus areas is powering equitable access to education and employment, in alignment with SAP鈥檚 vision of helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives.

51风流recognizes the positive ripple effect when all people have equitable access to education. An investment in education — particularly in under-resourced communities — is an investment in future innovation and economic growth. UNESCO estimates that if every child in low-income countries completed secondary school by 2030, income per capita would increase 75% by 2050. Further, according to data from UNICEF, the median value of one additional year of schooling is linked to an 18% increase in GDP per capita. Take a look at the for even more.

But this isn鈥檛 just about 51风流or economic growth. This is about connecting willing learners everywhere with competitive and secure job opportunities, ultimately leading to poverty alleviation, higher income potential, and stable living environments for themselves and their families.

UNESCO estimates that by 2025, there will be nearly 100 million learners internationally seeking seats that don’t exist at universities. This is because the traditional higher education system simply does not have the capacity or capability to provide quality academic degree programs accessible to many students at an affordable cost.

Investing in education is about finding solutions for these learners. Solving for the next software solution, poverty, climate change: it all starts with education. That is where we partner up with .

University of the People is the first nonprofit, tuition-free, American-accredited online university dedicated to global access to higher education. The university was established in 2009 on the belief that higher education is a fundamental right for all. Through virtual learning, the institution supports more than 117,000 high school graduates from 200 countries worldwide in overcoming financial, geographic, political, and personal constraints keeping them from college studies. Its curriculum and course offerings allow students to earn accredited degrees taught by faculty that include scholars from the best universities in the world.

This year is SAP鈥檚 50th anniversary. That鈥檚 why we’re celebrating this moment in 2022 and are ready to support young people who seek a brighter future in times of change. To do so, we couldn鈥檛 imagine a better partner than the University of the People.

Today, we are excited to announce a new scholarship program for refugees and displaced youth aged between 18 and 30. In total, 51风流will fund 50 associate degrees and 50 bachelor鈥檚 degrees in computer science or business administration. This demographic has the greatest need for scholarships according to University of the People, with data from UNICEF showing that only three percent of refugees have access to higher education. University of the People currently enrolls more than 10,000 refugees — more than all other U.S. colleges and universities combined.

鈥淩efugees and displaced peoples have the greatest need for educational support right now,鈥� says University of the People President and Founder Shai Reshef. 鈥淭his partnership with 51风流will help to alleviate the financial burden on our students who are seeking support. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the spiraling costs of higher education, a growing number of students are flocking to our online education model because it provides flexible, affordable, and equitable opportunities to earn a college degree. We have expanded our enrollment significantly over the past few years with the support of over 29,000 volunteer faculty members and administrators — many of whom are from some of the leading universities around the world.鈥�

This scholarship opportunity for students at University of the People is a small contribution toward alleviating these educational pressures. It will bring us a bit closer to a world with equitable education opportunities and future innovation, especially for those adjusting to the challenges of uprooting their lives in search of a hopeful future. 51风流is committed to supporting the leaders of tomorrow, and access to higher education is a significant first step to equip them with the right skills for the future.

Offering a , University of the People students pay a one-time application fee and an assessment fee for each course completed toward their degree. They are not charged to enroll or pay for course materials. The scholarships provided will cover the application and degree assessment fees for 100 students seeking higher education.

鈥淎fter spending more than 30 years in the international education field, I realized that traditional colleges and universities were not meeting the educational needs of millions of people across the globe desperately seeking affordable and accessible higher education,鈥� Reshef says. 鈥淭hat is why I decided to create an entirely new kind of university that would swing the gates of higher education open to help as many people around the world as possible achieve their educational dreams. With 51风流as our partner, our worlds align with our shared commitment to education through the means of technology. We are in the midst of unprecedented times, but we know that for these students their educational dreams will become a reality thanks to SAP鈥檚 generous support.鈥�

For interested students who meet the scholarship criteria of being a refugee or displaced person aged 18 to 30, . Students can apply for cohorts that matriculate in either April 2022 or June 2022, and all virtual classes are taught in English, with the exception of the associate and bachelor鈥檚 of business administration degrees, which are also available entirely in Arabic.

For more information, visit the scholarship site on the and .

Julia White is chief marketing and solutions officer and member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE.

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post 51风流and University of the People: Educate the Leaders of Tomorrow appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

In the 1940s, Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian biochemist Albert鈥疭zent-Gyoergyi wrote: 鈥淭he future will be like the schools are today.鈥� In 2021, these words still ring true, even more so for the winners of the European Code League competition, Dr. Corina Toma and Mihaela Giurgea, along with their students from Tiberiu Popoviciu High School of Computer Science in Romania. Second and third place went to teams from Turkey and Greece.

Change Is the Only Constant, but Changemakers Are Ever Changing

The pandemic has been quite a revelation in this aspect, with unexpected and seemingly limitless opportunities presenting themselves and youth grabbing them with both hands.

According to a report by the World Economic Forum, around 65% of children who start primary school today will work in professions that do not even exist yet: their future lies in the hands of educators. To date, Science on Stage reaches about 100,000 teachers and teacher trainers in over 30 countries, providing a necessary network to exchange ideas and to scale them across Europe. And with 79% of participating teachers implementing the teaching ideas they鈥檝e seen at Science on Stage festivals over the years, European Code League has proven that it鈥檚 possible for teachers and students to work together — even in the midst of a pandemic — to create inspiring, real-world science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects.

Organized by Science on Stage with the鈥痵upport of the 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility (51风流CSR) team in Middle Eastern Europe, the European鈥疌ode League鈥痠s a鈥痗ompetition鈥痶o which teacher-student teams with innovative鈥痗oding鈥痯roject scan apply. It was launched in 2020 as a follow up to Science on Stage鈥檚 .

鈥淪cience on Stage gave me the opportunity to find new ways to motivate my students to learn physics using ICT,鈥� says Dr. Toma, who became a teacher after 10 years working as a physicist. 鈥淧hysics is everywhere and happens at any time. In the classroom, I am at home. I like to talk with my students and explain all kinds of topics.鈥�

Science on Stage Europe is a network for STEM teachers focusing on the exchange of best practice teaching ideas. The ultimate goal is to improve STEM teaching by supporting educators in their professional development and growth.

鈥淭eachers are often the ideas, the starting point. Students who finish high school do not know what their role in the world will be,鈥� Dr Toma adds. “These projects show how important it is to code, and also to learn STEM subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology.”

CaeliBox, the winning coding project, used sensors to measure different air parameters such as concentration of CO2, humidity, pressure, temperature, noise, and other noxious substances in the studennts’ town. The data was transferred to a server so the students could access and work with it at any time.

鈥淢y town in Romania used to be small but now it is very big. As a result, the air is polluted because we have so many cars. CaeliBox is a useful device for STEM education and our students were happy to combine coding with physics and technology,鈥� explains Dr. Toma, who adds that she faced many challenges trying to complete the project, from broken sensors to realizing they needed more space and swapping out their Arduino Uno for an Arduino Mega.

For Dr. Toma, Science on Stage is far more than a networking opportunity for teachers, it鈥檚 a community of like-minded educators: 鈥淎t first, I saw that the education in Romania is very different from other countries, but then I realized that as teachers we have the same goals and can make the same activities. Science on Stage is a community to challenge our ideas and to understand that we are in the same place. 51风流can be very proud for supporting STEM teaching training in Europe.鈥�

There is no one way to make the world a better place. By helping discover and promote innovative teaching concepts among Europe鈥檚 science teachers, Science on Stage and the European Code League enable more students to gain the digital skills they need for a challenging future and encourage them to consider a career in science, ICT or engineering to help the positively change the world.

In a world shaped increasingly by technology and digitalization, teachers make the difference and the youth of today have so many more opportunities to learn and be the change.

The 12th European Science on Stage festival takes place March 24-27, 2022, in鈥疨rague, Czech Republic. Stay tuned to see amazing youth in action, redefining how a career in science, ICT, or engineering can help make a positive change in the world.

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post De-Coding the Classroom appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

“Despite the Covid-disruption for schools which impacted hundreds of millions of youth across Africa, children from more than 54 countries stepped-up to share their vision of the future of education,鈥� says Africa Code Week鈥檚 Global Coordinator, Olajide Ademola Ajayi.

Ajayi continues to say that the youth engagement throughout the challenge was incredibly inspiring, 鈥淲hile there can ultimately be only one winner, the quality of entries at the inaugural AfriCAN Code Challenge encouraged hope and confidence for Africa’s future, shaped by the largest youth population in the world.”

Launched by and partners , , the Association for the Development of Education in Africa () and Jokkolabs in September 2020, the AfriCAN Code Challenge is a pan-African coding competition where youth aged 8 – 16 were tasked with coding a game using the programming language to answer the question: “How will your tech change the future of education?”

During the AfriCAN Code Challenge youth were able to enter alone or in teams of up to five people, and entries featured a two-minute YouTube clip showcasing how their game works and why it should be considered a winning entry. The unique initiative and entry mechanism called upon the children鈥檚 ability to design a project that would solve a community-issue, code it, and communicate it.

During the opening rounds of the challenge, participation reached across 40 countries and featured 100 project video clips, only the top three entries from 36 countries made it into the continental final, followed by 22 countries in the final judging stage.

Selected by a high-level jury composed of key Africa Code Week delegates and STEM education experts, the top three of the AfriCAN Code Challenge was allocated to:

• First place: 鈥� Mathstainement by Soliyana, 10 years old
• Second place: 鈥� Space Quest by Kayla, 15 years old
• Third place: 鈥� ‘Welcome to the Best School’ by Sarah, 16 years old

Followed by:

• 4: 鈥� E-Bin
• 5: 鈥� I-Learn
• 6: 鈥� Warrior
• 7: 鈥� Abdelilah Hashas
• 8: 鈥� HeadStart Game
• 9: 鈥� Math Puzzles for Kids
• 10: 鈥� Easy Preterit

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The jury also awarded two superior prizes for 鈥極utstanding Government Support鈥� to Morocco and Nigeria, where the competition was implemented by the Ministries of Education, and received strong institutional support.

Claire Gillissen-Duval, Director of EMEA Corporate Social Responsibility and Co-founder of Africa Code Week at 51风流celebrates the joyous occasion, 鈥淭he all-female top three proves that the future of tech cannot be envisioned without girls. Once again, this year鈥檚 ACW initiative increased its female participation and these incredible achievements highlight the massive strides that SAP, partners and the ACW programme continue to make in closing gender gap and build an all-inclusive digital world.鈥�

鈥淚n addition to the winners, we also give thanks to the ongoing support from Government, who join us on our digital journey and believe in the importance and relevance of 21^st century learning for the development of native African excellence. The solid base of our partnership with the Moroccan and Nigerian Ministries of Education is the foundation of a successful model which we wish to replicate throughout Africa, to encourage governments to include computer coding in their national curricula.鈥�

For more information about 51风流Africa Code Week and the AfriCAN Code Challenge, visit

听About Africa Code Week

Since 2015, 51风流Africa Code Week (ACW) has been creating free opportunities for young Africans to learn coding skills and for teachers to be trained on digital learning curricula. Strong partnerships with the public, private and civil society sectors across听the continent are driving sustainable impact by building teaching capacity and supporting the adoption of coding into national curricula in support of UN Sustainable Development Goals 4, 5 and 17. Key partners include听听Youth Mobile,听,听the , Google and GIZ/BMZ.

In 2019 alone, the initiative saw 3.85M children participating in coding workshops and 39,000 teachers mobilized across 37 countries. In 2020, ACW increased the program鈥檚 reach to the entire continent to deepen impact and ensure no child was left behind. The online rollout took center stage across Africa with the launch of a smartphone App to facilitate accessible learning, the introduction of the 鈥� a competition themed, 鈥楬ow will your tech change the future of education鈥� engaging youth from 40 African countries, Virtual Train-the-Trainer (TTT) sessions for teachers and a second Women Empowerment Workshop engaging 70 teachers in a 8-week long online program. Join 51风流and partners by visiting听www.africacodeweek.org听to find out more.

The post AfriCAN Code Challenge, All Female TOP 3 use Tech to Change the Future of Education appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Did you know that more than half of the world鈥檚 25.9 million refugees are听under the age of 18? On World Refugee Day, June 20, 51风流honours the courage, strength, social justice and tolerance of those who have been forced to flee their homes under the threat of persecution, conflict and violence by empowering youth with coding skills inside Refugee Communities across the MENA region.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), education and work in the Middle East and North Africa region will determine the livelihoods of over 300 million people and drive growth and development for generations to come. However, the current reality in the job market is economically unsustainable.

Batoul Husseini, the Director of Government Affairs Middle East North, Corporate Social Responsibility Lead MENA at SAP. She is both ambitious and innovative, a digital inclusion trailblazer. Based in MENA, she is responsible for the strategic development of SAP鈥檚 government relations activities, promoting technological transformation in the public sector and the positive role played by digital technologies in addressing economic and societal challenges around the world.

Batoul launched Refugee Code Week at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016. Today it is known as Digital Skills for Today (DST), a corporate social responsibility (CSR) collaboration between SAP, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Injaz Al Arab, RBK, and Re:Coded. While providing digital skills and training for refugees and youths, DST also strives to train local nationals to meet the current market demand for skilled professionals in听information and communications technology, the fastest growing sector of the economy.

鈥淭he initiative took-off and during my visits to host coding workshops at different refugee camps I saw how little things can be everything, and beauty can be created from nothing. People used art to normalize the desert-like environment, they painted nature and water scenes on camp fences and discarded bottles were repurposed as flowerpots. Nothing was taken for granted,鈥� she says.

DST addresses several critical regional challenges, including youth unemployment, inadequate workforce readiness, social injustice and a lack of digital skills training. Among other youth, it provides training as they rebuild their lives with tolerance, courage and perseverance.

鈥淓specially in and around conflict zones, Middle East and North Africa, youth often face limited employment prospects and an inadequate or non-existent education system,鈥� explains Batoul, 鈥渢he initiative directly improves quality of life for beneficiaries by providing in-demand skills for the 21st-century job market. Furthermore, the initiative has valuable social outcomes, decreasing unemployment rates in marginalized populations, and providing long-term opportunities for digital innovation and entrepreneurship.鈥�

The program is also about helping young people, including refugees, leapfrog their situation through intensive code training that leads to job placement. This is why 51风流partnered with (RBK) and to turn literacy into expertise and expertise into employment.

鈥淭he initiative has introduced coding to over 40,500 young refugees and nationals across 14 countries since it was launched in 2016. More than 900 graduates have found gainful employment in Jordan, Turkey and Iraq,鈥� adds Batoul. 鈥淏ringing about new skills and expertise in conflict-affected areas is essential to the development and reconstruction of those regions. We aim to reveal the many potential coding heroes that only lack the opportunity to improve their lives and build their own future. Our hands-on learning material and training session allow quick insertion into the workforce, this shaping an entire generation of tech-savvy professionals.鈥�

Passionate about communications and language, she speaks Arabic, English and Dutch, Batoul has a Masters Degree in International Business and holds various qualifications in Economics, Business BA administration and Computer Information Systems.

Her work with refugees has only cemented her desire to utilize digital platforms to make a difference. In recognition of her goal to increase ICT awareness locally and across the globe, Batoul was named听the World Summit Awards (WSA)听Special Ambassador to Asia and she works closely with WSA to achieve its mission: promoting the world鈥檚 best e-content and innovative ICT applications, and ultimately, contributing to a true knowledge society.

鈥淭oday, I have a deep appreciation that everything I have is a privilege and I could lose it through no fault of my own. Growing up in Syria, I learned the importance of standing up for others and felt compelled to make a bigger impact. 51风流provided me with this opportunity, and for this year I鈥檓 excited to announce our virtual volunteering opportunities for staff where they can provide expert skills and guidance to our NGO鈥檚 and partners on the ground.鈥�

In closing, Batoul adds, 鈥淲orld Refugee Day is an incredibly significant day, together with our partners we can raise empathy, mobilise action, showcase solidarity and create inclusion for minority groups to ultimately improve people鈥檚 lives and make the world run better.鈥�

For information about Digital Skills Today visit

The post Meet SAP鈥檚 Batoul Husseini, Founder of Digital Skills for Today, Providing Refugees with The Gift of Code appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

As the sun rises over deserted streets, a group of volunteers prepares for their day. For a few hours – from late morning until curfews are enforced in the late afternoon – the volunteers will work to support one of the most vulnerable and often-forgotten communities in Africa鈥檚 most populous country.

鈥淏eing on the street is already traumatic,鈥� says James Okina, founder at Street Priests, a social enterprise born from Okina鈥檚 own experience as an at-risk youth living on the dangerous streets of Nigeria鈥檚 urban landscapes. 鈥淣ow, with COVID-19, there is also the added fear and pressure of a health emergency and a strict lockdown enforced by police and military forces, which is putting severe pressure on this vulnerable group.”

Street Priests was founded in 2014 by then-15 year-old Okina in the southern city of Calabar, near Nigeria鈥檚 border with Cameroon. The organisation operates on the belief that 鈥淚f each one reaches one, together we would reach all鈥�, relying on a highly-motivated group of more than 150 on-the-ground volunteers and local and international backers.

鈥淲e felt it was important that everyday people take up the responsibility of solving the pressing social issues in our country, in this case the plight of street children, who remain persecuted and neglected by state and other institutions,鈥� says Okina. 鈥淥ur work has taken on even greater significance during this time when countries are on lockdown and the most vulnerable – including street children – are at even higher risk due to COVID-19.鈥�

Support, hope for those left behind

Nigeria has an estimated 8.6 million children living on its streets, with more than 10 million not attending school – the highest rate worldwide. Widely rejected and vilified by Nigerian society and state authorities, many street kids turn to a life of crime to survive.

One of the major interventions that Street Priests aim to achieve is to break the cycle of violence that often traps street children in a life of crime. 鈥淲e do this by meeting kids half-way, engaging with them on their terms, and giving them opportunities to explore what it would be like to reintegrate into society,鈥� explains Florence Louis, Director of Administration at Street Priests. 鈥淭he approach has proven effective: nearly 10% of the kids we engage have returned home or gone back to school, and one recently completed their entry exam and will be attending university in the new year.鈥�

Before the coronavirus made its way to Nigeria鈥檚 cities, Street Priests were able to centralise outreach via a community centre owned and operated by Street Priests. 鈥淥ur Excellence Centre offered a safe place for street children to gather, learn, play and interact with our volunteers and mentors,鈥� says Louis. 鈥淲e were serving nearly 500 kids a month and providing social and emotional learning support. Unfortunately, when our government enacted a lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, we had to close the centre, cutting off vital support to street kids when they arguably need it most.鈥�

This sudden closing has had a distinct impact on Street Priests鈥� ability to continue its work. According to Hanson Hanson, Programs Director at Street Priests, volunteers currently have to travel to where street kids gather to hand out essential supplies – such as food and personal protective equipment – that may help keep them safe from the worst of the pandemic.

鈥淲ith lockdown measures in place, this unfortunately means we have to pass some police and military checkpoints, which adds another layer of danger and uncertainty to an already-tense situation,鈥� explains Hanson. 鈥淗owever, our volunteers have continued their outreach for more than 11 weeks, working across Calabar to directly reach out, engage with and support kids living on the streets. Ultimately, we want to instil confidence in these kids and inspire them to become beneficial to the societies in which they live.鈥�

Scaling up for greater social impact

With an approach that works, Street Priests鈥� next challenge is to expand the organisation鈥檚 work to more kids in Nigeria – and other parts of the world. To do so, the organisation requires corporate support.

In 2019, 51风流Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Alexandra van der Ploeg and the We Are Family Foundation invited Okina to the Social Enterprise World Forum in Addis Ababa as one of ten young African leaders. Since then, 51风流has connected Okina and his team to experts, mentors and financial relief, both before Covid-19 and as part of SAP鈥檚 global emergency fund which was launched in response to the pandemic.

Okina says this type of support from the private sector is essential to Street Priests鈥� efforts to scale outreach to more kids in Nigeria as well as other countries with large populations of street children. 鈥淭he process of building direct relationships with street kids and inspiring them to pursue lives of purpose has proven to work. We now need the financial and human resources to allow us to apply the model in other markets, for example Latin America, where millions of children live on the streets.鈥�

Although the sheer number of street children living in Africa and elsewhere may seem overwhelming, Okina believes it鈥檚 only by acknowledging the scale of the problem and pulling in as many likeminded partners as possible that any meaningful progress can be made. 鈥淪imply put, if you really care about this you are bound to feel overwhelmed. However, if each of us takes on the role of a 鈥榮treet priest鈥� and makes a necessary contribution where we are, the problem is far more likely to be addressed, to the benefit of both the street children and the communities in which they live.鈥�

For more information about Street Priests, please visit

The post Social Enterprise Shines Light on Nigeria鈥檚 Street Kids in Dark Days of Pandemic appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.