By Reeta Roy
Africa is rising.But the continent – and indeed the world – is also facing critical challenges. The tragedy of diseases like Ebola. The ravages of climate change. The threat of food insecurity. Civil unrest from Burkina Faso to Central African Republic. Widespread unemployment.
But there is another side to the story. A story of Africa’s shining youth, set in communities, libraries and labs on university campuses across the continent. And it’s a story that’s gaining recognition among educators from around the world as they chart the next phase of the global movement of higher education, civic engagement and social responsibility at the Talloires Network Leaders Conference this week.
Universities are not only economic drivers of their communities, but powerful sources of innovation, new thinking and influence. They are central to movements and causes that seek to better the world. Much like the Talloires Network, The MasterCard Foundation believes that universities do not exist in isolation from society, nor from the communities in which they are located. They are, as Nature magazine writes, “beacons of social justice.