Dysmus Kisilu, Founder & CEO, Solar Freeze, announced
as Waislitz Global Citizen Grand Prize Winner
Isabelle Kamariza, Founder & President, Solid'Africa, recognized
as Waislitz Global Citizen Disruptor Award Winner
Farhana Rashid, Founder & CEO, BHUMIJO, recognized
as Waislitz Global Citizen Choice Award Winner
Global Citizen, the world’s leading international advocacy organization, and the Waislitz Foundation, working to create positive impact, locally and globally through innovative projects that empower individuals, today announced the winner of the 2024 Waislitz Global Citizen Grand Prize Award as Dysmus Kisilu, from Kenya. Other 2024 award recipients are Isabelle Kamariza, from Rwanda, who receives the Waislitz Global Citizen Disruptor Award and Farhana Rashid, from Bangladesh, who receives the Waislitz Global Citizen Choice Award. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the awards.
The Waislitz Global Citizen Awards are annual cash prizes totaling USD $300,000 that recognize the excellence of individuals in their work to end extreme poverty and its systemic causes. Each prize winner will receive $100,000 to further advance their organization’s work. All applicants were evaluated based on individual merit in five key areas, including global citizenship, proof of concept, disruption, scalability, and adaptability.
“In 2014, the Waislitz Foundation and Global Citizen had a vision to highlight those who are making an impact towards ending extreme poverty on a grassroots level and to inspire others to join this mission. Now, 10 years on, I am immensely proud that we have honored and supported 29 outstanding and inspirational young champions from 15 countries across the world. Their work continues to change the lives of so many in their communities and beyond,” said Alex Waislitz, Chairman and Founder of the Melbourne-based Waislitz Foundation and recent recipient of a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). “This year’s recipients, Dysmus Kisilu, Isabelle Kamariza and Farhana Rashid exemplify the extraordinary impact and innovation we set out to recognize and support. I congratulate them and remain committed, along with the Waislitz Foundation, to supporting and growing these awards for many years to come.”
"We are grateful to Alex and the Waislitz Foundation for 10 years of partnership that has helped further the impact of these 29 leaders working to end extreme poverty,” said Hugh Evans, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Citizen. “Global Citizen is honored to acknowledge this year's winners – these three inspiring leaders who are dedicated to improving the lives of the most vulnerable in their local communities. We look forward to continuing to build momentum with Alex and the Waislitz Foundation to champion, support and uplift future leaders.”
Dysmus Kisilu, from Kenya, is the Waislitz Global Citizen Grand Prize Winner. Dysmus is the founder of Solar Freeze, a pioneering company that provides solar-powered cold storage units to smallholder farmers in Kenya, significantly boosting agricultural productivity. Dysmus has positively impacted farmers in Kenya, increasing their yields and reducing post-harvest losses. He is a 2018 Obama Leaders Fellow, a MIT Fellow and a Mandela Washington Fellow for Young African Leaders. Solar Freeze incorporates AI algorithms to predict and mitigate post-harvest losses by analyzing weather conditions, crop maturity and market demand. Dysmus also founded the “Each One, Teach One - Train and Earn” initiative, mentoring young people in renewable energy solutions for agriculture, enabling them to learn and earn an income. The Waislitz Global Citizen Grand Prize Award will enable him to serve an additional 1,000,000 farmers by 2030.
Isabelle Kamariza, from Rwanda, is the Waislitz Global Citizen Disruptor Award Winner. Isabelle is the co-founder of Solid'Africa, revolutionizing nutrition security in Rwanda, a non-profit she founded in 2010. The organization employs a sustainable farm-to-fork model, providing 4,800 daily meals across six hospitals. Since inception, Solid'Africa has served 7.5 million meals to 650,000 low-income patients. Through a partnership with the government, she aims to reach all public hospitals by 2030. Solid'Africa also collaborates with the Ministry of Education on a school feeding program, serving 1,600 students daily. Isabelle's vision extends beyond feeding; she aims to establish universal access to affordable, nutritious food through large-scale initiatives and government partnerships, treating adequate nutrition as a fundamental human right. The award will enable Isabelle to further scale her impact with plans to expand her feeding program to serve 5,000 students daily by the end of 2024.
Farhana Rashid, from Bangladesh, is the Waislitz Global Citizen Choice Award Winner. Farhana founded Bhumijo in 2016 to address the country's toilet crisis after witnessing the health risks of unhygienic public toilets when her aunt suffered UTIs leading to kidney failure. With a Bachelor's in Architecture and a Master's in Planning from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Farhana's vision led Bhumijo to operate 43 facilities, impacting over 2 million people with a focus on inclusiveness. Beyond infrastructure, her mission champions dignity and freedom, aiming to enhance public spaces nationwide. With Global Citizen's support, Bhumijo aims to reach 3 million people by 2025, improving public health through accessible sanitation solutions.
Since 2014, The Waislitz Foundation has committed over $2 million to the Waislitz Global Citizen Awards and their efforts to end extreme poverty NOW.
Previous Waislitz Global Citizen Award winners include:
Peter Njeri, CEO of Mega Gas Alternative Energy
Kristin Kagetsu, Co-Founder and CEO, Saathi
Bina Shrestha, Co-Founder Build up Nepal
Haroon Yasin, Co-Founder and Chairperson of Orenda
Charlot Magayi, Founder and CEO of Mukuru Clean Stoves
Koketso Moeti, Founder and Executive Director of amandla.mobi
Caitlin Barrett, CEO of Love Mercy Foundation
Tabitha Mpamira-Kaguri, Founder and Executive Director of EDJA Foundation
Wilma Rodrigues, Founder, and CEO of Saahas Zero Waste
Clarisse Uwineza, for her work converting organic waste into fertilizer in Rwanda
Twesigye Jackson Kaguri, Director of Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project, working to make education more accessible to AIDS orphans in Uganda
Anoop Jain, Founder of Humanure Power, for his work in rural India building sanitation facilities.
Click here for more information about the 2024 Waislitz Global Citizen Awards.
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About us:
About Global Citizen:
Global Citizen is the world’s leading international advocacy organization on a mission to end extreme poverty NOW. Powered by a worldwide community of everyday activists raising their voices and taking action, the movement is amplified by campaigns and events that convene leaders in music, entertainment, public policy, media, philanthropy and the corporate sector. Over the past 10 years, $43.6 billion in commitments announced on Global Citizen platforms has been deployed, impacting nearly 1.3 billion lives. Established in Australia in 2008, Global Citizen’s team operates from New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Berlin, Melbourne, Toronto, Johannesburg, Lagos and beyond. Join the movement at globalcitizen.org, download the Global Citizen app, and follow Global Citizen on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter.
About The Waislitz Foundation:
After many years of involvement in private philanthropic giving, Australian investor and businessman Alex Waislitz founded the Waislitz Foundation in 2013. The foundation represents a new approach to giving. It aims to invest in, and have a direct social impact on, some of the world’s biggest social problems through active participation in the projects it supports. It aims to improve the quality of people’s lives through innovative initiatives and partnerships.
Contact details:
Contact: Feature Communications: gc@featurecommunications.com.au
