Roots Africa Honored with the Do Good Campus Fund Award for Intellectual Property Business Training To be Implemented through The African IP Trust
Dr. Meg Brindle, through the African IP Trust, will train our Changemakers and Farmers in IP business strategies and tools, to help launch and receive more income from their agricultural businesses.
It brings much encouragement and joy to be recognized for our work in empowering farmers across communities in Africa. We recently received an award of $8,512 from the Do Good Campus Fund for our project focusing on "Training Farmers in Intellectual Property Business Strategies." to be Implemented through The African IP Trust. As you recall, Roots Africa Inc., started at the University of Maryland as a student club in 2017 with support from the Do Good Institute before becoming a registered non-profit venture ensuring farming communities are guaranteed their next meal as well as increased household income through improved practices for sustainable living and livelihood.
This project for Roots Africa will see Dr. Meg Brindle, through the African IP Trust, train Roots Africa in Intellectual Property business strategies intending to improve income - a train-the-trainer model will be in effect for Roots Africa farming communities, It will equip our changemakers with essential knowledge and skills in intellectual property (IP) business strategies. By leveraging trademarks, licensing, and other IP tools, the Roots Africa community and its farming communities will learn how Intellectual Property (IP) tools are helpful to launch and receive more income from agricultural businesses, enhance their revenue streams, and protect their innovations. This initiative underscores the importance of intellectual property rights in agricultural development and economic empowerment.
The training will be conducted virtually for our Changemakers in a train-the-trainer model, enabling them to train our farmers and farming communities subsequently. This initiative is crucial as it will help farmers gain from their intellectual property and scale their ideas, patents, and processes. Farmers often face challenges in this area, with few solutions and conversations available.
We are grateful to the Do Good Institute for this opportunity, which will enable proactive steps toward ensuring farmers benefit from their intellectual property. We look forward to implementing and sharing the outcomes of the training and its impact on our farming communities in Africa, hoping to facilitate the scaling of innovative ideas among farmers.
"We are thrilled to receive this recognition and support from the Do Good Campus Fund," said Cedric Nwafor, Executive Director for Roots Africa. "This funding will enable us to expand our efforts in providing comprehensive training to farmers, empowering them to thrive in an increasingly competitive market."
Our project award is one of the 27 initiatives awarded grants from the Do Good Campus Fund, reflecting the university's commitment to fostering social impact and innovation. The Fund supports projects spanning various fields, from public health interventions to community-based education initiatives.
Dr. Meg Brindle who is the lead for this project has been pivotal in shaping the strategic direction of this initiative and is set to lead the implementation of the awarded project. This is based on her work since 2009 in E. Africa with Sr. Ashoka Fellow as Director of Education in E. Africa (Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania). Her 10 workbooks and IP training have been translated into Acholi (Uganda); Swahili and Maa. Her book in the 2nd edition is here. We are grateful for her leadership and hard work that has been central to our achievement of the intended impact.
As Roots Africa continues to make strides in empowering farmers and promoting sustainable agriculture in Africa, this recognition is a testament to the organization's dedication to creating positive change in the world.
For more information about Roots Africa and their initiatives, visit us.
Thank you all for your support. I'm more than ready to learn new ideas. Kudos Cedric