SIGEF 2016 – Technology, Women Empowerment and Art for Good
Closing day shares cultures and accomplishments from all over the world, promoting a message of equality, positivity and hope
Marrakech, November 12th, 2016 – The power of technology, gender equality and arts for social good were celebrated during the last day of SIGEF. In times of global disruption, the role of ICTs and of socially inclusive initiatives were discussed. They were a fine digest of the message of social innovation and positivity promoted by Horyou.
The first plenary was about education and innovation as critical dynamics of development and youth empowerment in Africa. The general director of Numeric Maroc Fund, Dounia Boumehdi, insisted that governments should invest in infrastructure to provide more resources to African businesses, especially startups. Yonathan Parienti, the founder and CEO of Horyou, emphasized the role of social networks to sensitize the world about social issues. “Through technology, every person can collaborate in the building of a free and inclusive Africa”, he affirmed.
Lamia Benmakhlouf, CEO of Technopark, says that public-private partnerships are one solution for the development of tech projects on the continent. The importance role of young entrepreneurs in the implimentation of new business models was pointed out by Mario Grande, from International Telecommunication Union.
The afternoon sessions tackled gender inequality with a panel on “Women Empowerment”. Psychologist Maria Guzmán shared her personal experience with cancer, which put her on the path of social action whereby she developed a therapeutic project in Venezuela called “Somos Vida” to help children and youth with the disease. Souad Dibi, from El Khir organization and an active member on Horyou platform, discussed the challenges that the women fin Africa are faced with when trying to have access to education and gain independence and confidence. The final thought of the panel came from Osprey-Oryelle Lake, founder of Women’s Earth Climate and Action when she declared that “when women are empowered, societies are more stable”.
The closing session was on Arts for Social Good with personalities such as photographer François Maurel and Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, Unesco Artist for Peace, who shared with the audience a common view on art and education as a drive for social innovation.”If culture is absent, development can’t improve”, said Ms Alvarez.
SIGEF Awards
The SIGEF Awards, a prize rewarding innovative projects presented during the 3 days of the forum, took place at the Palais des Congrès, Marrakesh, in the afternoon. The ceremony acknowledged the efforts of all 20 projects while the Jury award went to El Pozo de Vida, an organization that takes care of victims of human trafficking in Mexico notably via a virtual reality informative and educational program. Pocket Rocket, an affordable wood energy saving and low CO2 emission device made from cheap recycled paint pots was first runner-up, while Can Heat, a project from Réunion Island to generate energy from recycled everyday life materials was second runner-up. SIGEF also recognized personalities and members who are active on the Horyou platform in such areas as social impact, philanthropy, the arts, education, music, and women and men empowerment.
SIGEF2016 is organized by Horyou and is the result of the collaboration with dedicated partners such as founding partners Eneco Holdings and Horyou Foundation.
About Horyou
Horyou is the social network for social good. Through technology, innovation and social entrepreneurship advocacy, it promotes meaningful and global interactions amongst its adherent organizations, members and personalities. With its platform, App and Spotlight, the first Global Social Currency, Horyou helps transform positive ideas into concrete actions while building constructive relationships both online and offline. More in www.horyou.com.
Contact:
Vivian Soares, Horyou Media Relations