Local university students awarded for heroic acts
Unilever this week celebrated outstanding results and acknowledged the efforts of student volunteers for their participation in Heroes for Change programme.
Heroes for Change is a social mobilisation volunteer programme to teach and empower college students to contribute to society and create a better future for all Kenyans.
Through the six-month programme, student volunteers across five universities in Kenya – Strathmore University, University of Nairobi (Main and Lower Kabete campuses), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Kenyatta University – visited communities to improve health and well-being of community members.
The heroes taught school children and their parents the importance of hand and face washing with soap to prevent trachoma and diarrhoeal disease, seeking maternal and new-born healthcare during pregnancy, brushing of teeth in the morning and at night to improve oral health and eating a nutritious breakfast to start the day.
The Heroes for Change programme is based on a unique social impact model which allows socially conscious youth to take control of how they want to contribute to the world.
AWARDS CEREMONY
It leverages young people as an untapped force for good and harnesses their collective energy to create the change they want to make through their individual contributions, within their own communities.
It has proven to be highly successful, yielding outstanding results and exceeding year 1 targets.
“As Kenyans face multiple social issues impacting their health and well-being, Unilever and its partners have provided young people with a platform to engage directly with their communities and play an active role in the country’s future,” said Justin Apsey, CEO, Unilever East Africa.
More than 130 invitees including the heroes and programme partners UNFPA, Amref Health Africa, and Sightsavers attended the Heroes for Change awards ceremony.
As Heroes for Change celebrates the graduation of its pioneer batch of heroes, plans are underway to make it bigger and more impactful in the second year by recruiting 500 heroes in 2018.