End Kerosene Generation - 1 milion Solar Laterns, Nigeria, Oye Femi Win International UN Competition

Sunday, 09 October 2011 11:28 Written by Manager

Press Release

Egyptian women fight sexual harassment

Young females win international UN competition with “HARASSmap.org” and „Girls Radio Station Only“

Nigeria, September 2011. Engy Ghozlan and Amani Eltunsi are among the winners of the World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) 2011. Their digital ventures “HARASSmap.org” and „Girls Radio Station Only“ are directed against sexual violence and give voice to Egypt’s women, living in a male dominated society. The WSYA jury altogether selected 18 awardees from 700 submissions and 99 countries. With four winning projects coming from Egypt, the country stands at the international forefront. For the fourth time WSYA assigns digital media products from young creatives under the age of 30 who take direct action on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The women's rights activist Engy Ghozlan (HARRASSmap.org) and the radio journalist Amani Eltunsi (Girls Only Radion Station) are prized with two of four Egyptian WSYA Awards 2011 in the category „Power 2 Women“.

Women can anonymously report incidences of sexual harassment via SMS, Twitter, Email or Telephone on Harassmap.org. According to the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights 80 per cent of the female population face sexual molestation each day in Egypt. The website acts as an advocacy, prevention and response tool, highlighting the severity of abuse and offering counselling. “We are over the moon. Our initiative, consisting only of volunteers, has come so far to get United Nations’ appreciation”, co-founder Engy Ghozlan says.

Among the winners is also Femi Oye with his project End Kerosene Generation - 1 million Solar Lanterns coming from Nigeria. Less than 20% of the entire population in Nigeria has access to electricity. Most people are poor, living with less than $2 per day. The project provide clean, cheaper and safer alternative of lighting to 1,000,000 household, train 15,000 entrepreneurs in Do It Yourself Solar marketing and create additional 25,000 new green jobs for the youths across Nigeria.

Over 700 young producers, designers and developers have applied for the WSYA 2011 with websites, mobile-apps and new media formats in six categories. Frontrunner Egypt (4) is followed by India (3), Mexico and France (both 2). Projects from Portugal, Germany, Ghana, Nigeria, Canada and Indonesia could each collect one award.

The World Summit Youth Award for digital content and apps has emanated from the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). WSYA aims to activate people to implement the MDGs. The 18 winners and 15 runners-up will be honoured in Graz, Austria, from November 10^th to 13^th, 2011. Representatives from Governments, NGOs, Private Business and the United Nations will be present.

View all WSYA winners on www.youthaward.org/winners-2011

About the World Summit Youth Award (WSYA)

The WSYA selects and promotes best practice in e-content and new media, demonstrates young people’s potential to create outstanding digital content and serves as a platform for people from all UN member states in their efforts to reach the MDGs. The MDGs are eight concrete goals to eradicate poverty and inequality worldwide. They were set in 2000 by the UN and should be reached by 2015. The WSYA is organised as a follow-up activity of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) and takes place in 2011 for the fourth time after 2005, 2009 and 2010. The WSYA team is based at the International Center for New Media (ICNM) in Salzburg, Austria. WSYA is supported by the UN Global Alliance for ICT & Development (UN GAID), the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Internet Society (ISOC), INTEL, the Telfree Group, the Fundação para as Comunicações Móveis (FCM) and the Layla Fakhro Foundation.

For more information visit:

www.youthaward.org | www.facebook.com/youthaward | www.twitter.com/youthaward

or contact:

Femi Oye: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it +234 1 823 999 0 Skype:femi.oye

The official contact at WSYA office is Andrea Thuma: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it