Early September 2024, I had the privilege of attending the annual HALI Access Indaba, held in Nyagatare, Rwanda. After the event, between rushing back to work, other commitments, and admittedly some less-than-ideal time management, I hardly had time to sit back and reflect on what I learned during this five-day event.
As the year wound down, I carved out some time to introspect, and attending this Indaba stood out as one of the highlights of 2024 for me.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗮?
When Sir James Akaba, the Country Director of Open Dreams, mentioned that we would attend the HALI Indaba 2024 together, I was curious but felt a bit shy to ask him directly what it was about. I knew of the HALI Organization (𝙃𝘼𝙇𝙄 = 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝘼𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙇𝙤𝙬 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚) and its work supporting students, but the term "Indaba" was unfamiliar. Naturally, I turned to Google for answers.
"Hey Google, HALI Indaba." After reading about it, I still wondered why the name "Indaba." So, I refined my query: "Hey Google, what does Indaba mean?"
"𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗮" is a 𝑍𝑢𝑙𝑢 term referring to a meeting of community leaders to discuss matters of shared concern. In an Indaba, participants are encouraged to freely share their thoughts and perspectives. True to its name, the HALI Indaba fosters open and collaborative discussions.
The theme of the HALI Indaba 2024 was GLOBAL LEARNERS; LOCAL LEADERS, centering conversations on equipping students to thrive globally while remaining connected to and addressing challenges in their local communities.
𝐌𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐚
Day 1 set the tone with a welcome dinner focused on networking. I basked in the excitement of meeting so many new people and tried to remember as many names and faces as possible for the days ahead.
The subsequent days combined general sessions with breakout sessions, offering a rich blend of collective learning and focused discussions. Here are a few highlights:
𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀
In this session, HALI Access Network co-founder, 𝑅𝑒𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑐𝑎 𝑀𝑎𝑛𝑜 from 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 in Zimbabwe shared insights into their Capstone Fellowship Program.
Listening to her, I saw ways to enrich the Open Dreams Gap Year Program. The Capstone Fellowship includes three phases: research methods, a capstone project, and a capstone fellowship.
During the capstone project, students identify a challenge in their community, conduct research, and produce a 40-page paper. Importantly, students include the abstract of this project in their college applications, alongside any supplementary materials such as posters or presentations.
The fellowship phase focuses on implementing the project, and equipping students with skills in project management, monitoring, and evaluation. Rebecca's insights inspired ideas for enhancing our program at Open Dreams.
𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥-𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
HALI partner universities led sessions on crafting compelling college applications and writing effective recommendation letters for students. These were incredibly practical and have already proven useful in my recent work with students.
College Fair
𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩
The Indaba wasn’t solely about supporting students—it also included personal development sessions. We explored leadership styles to understand how best to collaborate with colleagues and engage in activities promoting physical and mental well-being.
The HALI Indaba was a transformative experience filled with learning and meaningful connections with educators and counselors committed to supporting high-achieving, low-income students. The practical knowledge gained, especially around college applications, has already enriched my work. I’m eager to apply more of these insights as we plan the 2025 Summer Academy at Open Dreams.
I remain deeply grateful to Open Dreams for giving me the opportunity to participate in HALI Indaba 2024. This experience reaffirmed my commitment to equalizing access to educational opportunities and left me excited about future collaborations with others dedicated to this cause.
Guilian Asongtia | Open Dreams Regional Program Coordinator, Douala | Open Dreams Tech Lead with focus on the girl child.
How do I apply for an Open dream program?