Lucy Kwe

Lucy is a Humanitarian Response and Disaster Management Professional. She is currently a Project Manager at Humentum. Lucy has gained vast experience in project management, capacity development, and emergency response, working as a generalist in numerous international missions. For the last fifteen years, she has managed various projects in humanitarian and development contexts with timely and effective outcomes with the bid to bring hope to vulnerable communities. She is a resourceful, enthusiastic, and passionate humanitarian who applies creative approaches inspired by international experiences and mobilizes teams to work together to resolve challenges and build resilience.She is passionate about the mental health of communities and humanitarian/development workers. Moreover, she is quite optimistic that there are various avenues to support wellness and mental well-being (art, drama, dance, music, health care… and at the center of all of it all, a robust supportive community. She has a Master of Science degree in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development and recently completed a Master of Applied Science in Humanitarian Health. Additionally, Lucy is an alumnus of the commonwealth scholarship and a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health [from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health], contributing to research that impacts the health of communities, and humanitarian projects across the globe.

Douglas Sidialo

BACKGROUND

Despite losing sight as a result of the devastating US embassy bombing on August, 7, 1998 in Kenya, Douglas has picked up the pieces and bounced back to life with resounding courage and strength to become a great inspiration to a lot of people on this planet earth. Douglas served as President of the Kenya National Paralympics Committee witnessing athletes with disabilities break barriers in their lives to become national heroes and celebrities in the World of sports. This has lifted them from ashes to become self-sufficient giving them a great sense of empowerment and high self-esteem. His lean Team of 13 athletes bagged 5 gold, 4 Silver and 4 Bronze medals for Kenya   in   the 2008 Beijing Paralympics Games. One of the most remarkable athletes in these Paralympics Sports showbiz bagged Kenya 3 Gold medals and went on to be named as the 2009 United Nations Personality of the Year and UNDP, MDG Ambassador. To set the pace for the Paralympics Games, Douglas received the honors to light the Olympic torch, racing to grlory in the 2008 Paralympics torch relay on the outskirts of Beijing a head of the official opening of the World largest disability Sports extravaganza.  Douglas has gone on to confront overwhelming challenges to become one of the most accomplished blind adventurers in the world, and has never let his blindness interfere with his passion for an exciting and inspirational journey.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Douglas is believed to be the first blind African to reach the top of Mount Kilimanjaro – Uhuru Peak, 5,895 meters above sea level in September- 2005-becoming the first blind African to achieve this feet. From January to May- 2007, he went on a bicycle marathon across Africa from North to the South, through 10 countries, on the Tour D’Afrique (riding from Cairo to Cape Town), successfully completing 12,000 Kilometers in 95 days, setting a World record as the first blind person in the world to set this record for others to break! Ultimately, he went on for the second Year to complete the 2016 Old Mutual Joberg 2 C 900 Kilometers in over 9 days MTB stage race from Johannesburg to Durban. In 2017 Douglas received an invitation by his WORSHIP THE MAYOR OF TE-LAVIV to participate in the largest and most prestigious cycling event in Israel-CAPITAL CYCLING TEL-AVIV in a race that brought together over 10,000 riders from around the world with hundreds of thousands of spectators waving and cheering his exemptational performance.After the cycling TEL-AVIV Douglas went to the holy city of Jerusalem church of the HOLY SEPULCHRE Where Jesus Was Crucified And Three Days Later He Rose Unto The Heavens, when he left the holy church he visited the wall of Solomon(The Wailing Wall) to pray for peace for the world and his country kenya. Moreover, Douglas   has   done 3 cycling majors on the slopes of Mount Kenya and the Great Rift Valley and this include: SC Rift Valley Odyssey: Laikipia Extreme Challenge and Fly 540, Mount Kenya 10to 4 Mountain Bike Challenge, a race in which Douglas and his talented partner John were involved in a grissly bike crash in 2015 and sustained fatal head injuries losing consciousness and were airlifted by helicopter to Nanyuki Cottage hospital for emergency treatment.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

Douglas has exemplified the spirit of servant leadership, holding various community positions over time. These   include   President   of   the   Kenya   National   Paralympics   Committee, Board member  of  the  National  Council  for  People  with  Disabilities , United  Nations Habitat   Goodwill Ambassador  for  Safer Cities, and  Currently he is serving as a Founder and Board member of Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa whose key objective is to unlock the potential of blind and Visually Impaired children for independent living through Braille literacy and appropriate Technology. In 2002 Douglas Co-Founded ECOCARE Africa Trust, which acts as the Africans continent regional hub for the global ECOCARE TRUSTS NETWORKS of connected national and regional Non-Governmental Organizations.

INSPIRATION SPEAKING

Douglas as a motivational speaker has inspired thousands of people around the world, by sharing his positive message of overcoming adversity through his profound resilience, determination and boundless confidence. Douglas’s presentations engage and inspire audiences by capturing lessons from his life experiences and adventures pursuits around the World. His illustrious speaking enterprise has spanned   through Africa, Asia and the USA, delivering his sparkling and unique message tailored on:  Triumph over adversity, unleashing Your True Potential by  harnessing the power of adversity, Every cloud has a silver lining, your purpose in life, the power of the human spirit and our every endeavor to achieve our dreams, to institutions such as United Nations, Unilever, Proctor & Gamble, Standard Chartered Bank, Old Mutual Africa, World Agro-Forestry Research Centre, Universities, Non Profit and Religious Organizations. Douglas has met and shared speaking platforms  with imminent personalities including: His Excellency Emeleo  Mwai  Kibaki, the former President  of the Republic of Kenya, Raila Amolo Odinga, Former Prime Minister of Kenya, Hilary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of States, Hellen Zille mayor of cape town and President  of South Africa  Democratic Alliance, Mr. Erik Weihenmayer a renown   blind adventurer, author and speaker, Mr. Paul Polman, the Global Chief Executive Officer, Unilever, Professor Anna Tibaijuka , Director General, United Nations Office Nairobi, Professor Tony Simons, Executive Director World Agro-forestry Research Centre. Douglas has also met and shared a platform with president Joe Biden of the USA and his wife first lady Dr. Jill Biden. Douglas keynote message resonates on the fact that we all have challenges that want to knock us flat to our backs but by the Grace of God we can confront those challenges head on breaking them and living a life full of   purpose. His inspiration story has been widely covered and has featured on Top World TV channels and magazines such as: BBC, CNN, ABC, Al Jazeera, NBC, German TV, New York Times, the Guardian, SABC, Super Sports, the Scoop, Citizen Tv, Nation Media and Churchill Live! The ultimate TV show in Africa.

Media Links

1. https://www.citizen.digital/exclusive-videos/i-lost-my-sight-in-the-1998-bomb-blast-douglas-sidialo-n303518
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHSldTuBWPs
3. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/extended-unedited-version-douglas-sidialos-interview-live-sidialo

Consequently Douglas has 2 books to his credit authored by Prof. Elijah Akhahenda of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio- Texas and published by University Press of America whose title is; When Blood and Tears United a Country; The bombing of the American embassy in Kenya. And his second book is title Unarmed Heroes authored by Peace Direct and Published   by Claris of the United Kingdom. ” Clearly Douglas   accomplishments demonstrate that one does not need to have perfect eyesight to have an extra-ordinary Vision.”