ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2021
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. In 2021, over 25,000 young leaders on 2,000+ campuses across 153 nations applied to join the Class of 2021. 136 campuses worldwide (just 6%) were selected to host the 2,000+ Millennium Fellows. The Class of 2021 is bold, innovative, and inclusive.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT PHYLLIS NEUMBE MWAMBU, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW AND CAMPUS DIRECTOR FOR THE CLASS OF 2021.
University of Nairobi Chiromo Campus | Nairobi, Kenya | Advancing SDG 15 & UNAI 9
" The Millennium Fellowship is a great opportunity for me to develop and polish my leadership skills that will be essential for my academic, community, and professional success. For example; the challenge to Millennium Fellows to develop a plan of action together towards Standard Development Goals will involve listening, uncovering, and sharing creative ideas. This will make us more connected and collaborative than ever, fostering strong relationship building. The result is an elevation in being a better contributor, leader, and team player.
This Millennium Fellowship offers a chance to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and academic disciplines from all over the world. It's an opportunity to learn from like-minded individuals, build confidence and expand my global network. During the program, it will be important for me to demonstrate strong teamwork skills, in both virtual and face-to-face interactions. Listening to different perspectives will help me see multiple sides of an issue and sharpen my empathic listening skills as a leader. I will be mentored and emerge as a better colleague and leader. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: Greening Kwetu Initiative
Every human, plant species, and animal kingdom will die if deforestation continues at its current pace. Logging is rising at an unprecedented rate owing to the ever-increasing demand for industrial, commercial, and agricultural development. Deforestation has negative effects on the environment as is now becoming apparent in Kenya’s Ngong and Oloolua rainforests, two vital forests in our country that help in regulating local weather patterns. Loss of tree and vegetation cover has caused climate change, soil erosion, desertification, food insecurity, flooding, and increased greenhouse emissions. The most vulnerable of the population; women and children are usually the most exposed to climate risks and hazards.
Greening Kwetu Initiative (GKI) is a youth-led organization devoted to conserving and protecting forests, mangroves, and freshwater sources. It began as a Millennium Fellowship project at the University of Nairobi and now has sprouted into a full-fledged SDG 13 initiative in Kenya. We combat deforestation by working to restore degraded forests and mangroves, and advocate for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems through educational workshops to sensitize communities on environmental conservation and climate action. Our efforts in conservation have been recognized by international nonprofit organizations like the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy. We have been able to raise funding of $3000 to support our work in sustainable environmental conservation. Our impact has seen over 5000 people trained in sustainable environmental conservation and planting over 22,000 trees in Kajiado County, Kenya.
Our Objective is: To Contribute to biodiversity through habitat enhancement, and through environmental education and research; to reduce the greenhouse effect to improve the quality of life; to revert dryland areas into agriculturally productive land and conserve the ecosystems that do not only add beauty and the diversity of life to our world but also create immense value for humans in the form of food, medicine and more.
About the Millennium Fellow
Phyllis Mwambu is a first-generation University student pursuing a degree in Analytical chemistry at the University Of Nairobi, Kenya. While on campus, she assists students and faculty as an instructional student, and is the organizing secretary of the Chiromo Environmental Awareness Club. She recently spearheaded a project called Greening Kwetu Initiative whose mission is to turn around dryland areas into agriculturally productive land through creating small forests of at least 3,000 trees in arid and semi-arid areas in Kenya. She is committed to working with local and international networks to improve the social, economic, and environmental well-being of her community through SDG goal 15, Life on Land. Phyllis also hopes to light the path and serve as role model for young Kenyan girls who wish to have careers in science and contribute to the UNAI principles of sustainability.
