Nancy is a Tanzanian author, businesswoman and social entrepreneur. She is the Managing Director of Bongo5 Media Group Ltd, the Executive Director of The Neghesti Sumari Foundation and The Jenga Hub, as well as a published author of the children’s book series, Nyota Yako. In 2017, Africa Youth Awards named her among the 100 Most Influential Young Africans.

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NANCY SUMARI

<h4>NANCY SUMARI, former Miss Tanzania and Miss World (Africa), is also a published
 author of children’s books, a businesswoman and social entrepreneur. Here she speaks with PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN as part of the GLOW Webinar series, on her roots, being crowned
 Miss World (Africa), her work with children and youth, and the role of the heart.</h4>
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Q: In 2017, Africa’s Youth Awards named you one of the 100
 Most Influential Africans. You are a business graduate from the University of Dar es Salaam and the managing
 director of Bongo5 Media Group Ltd, which focuses on digital media creation. You are the founder and the executive
 director of The Neghesti Sumari Foundation and the Jenga Hub that runs programs to teach kids from marginalized
 backgrounds how to do software coding. You are interested in improving the state of your community by working
 towards digital literacy for all. And your foundation has transformed learning outcomes for youth and little
 children through its digital literacy programs and applying design making methodology to create value. Welcome
 Nancy.
NS: Thank you so much for having me, this is a
 great honor.
Q: Likewise. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

NS: I’m the third-born of five children. One of my
 parents is a farmer and the other runs her own hotel business, she’s into catering. I had a very interesting
 childhood, I grew up on a farm and as you can imagine it was full of adventure, mischief, joy and love. My parents
 were very keen for us to get a good education, and to also grow up in a close-knit loving family. I have very fond
 memories of my childhood.
Beyond that, I went to school in Kenya, graduated from high school and came back to
 Tanzania, and did my bachelor’s degree here in Business. I hope to still continue with my studies at some point, soon
 hopefully. I’m married with a daughter who’s wonderful. I feel like I’ve had an interesting journey so far, and I’m
 very thankful for that. But I often reflect and feel that it’s almost like an out-of-body experience where I couldn’t
 imagine having the love that I have right now and the work that I’m doing, the opportunity to meet people. To offer
 what I have been given throughout my life is something I’m very thankful for.
Q: Thank you. What was it like going from a beauty queen
 to a philanthropist working for the education of children? Can you tell us a little bit about that journey?

NS:&nbsp;I think the journey through the beauty
 pageant was almost by chance. It was an opportunity that just happened to me. I suppose it was meant to be part of my
 journey, but it was a very big surprise, because I had just finished high school and I was hoping to pursue my
 university education at that point in time. By chance, at a local restaurant here in Dar es Salaam, I met a young lady
 who felt that I should be part of the competition, that it was a great opportunity. It felt like it was an
 opportunity, and when an opportunity comes knocking, I’ve always been one to make the most of it, so I did.
But beyond the beauty pageant, which was great and left a big mark on my life, I’ve
 always felt that it was my purpose to give back as much as I have been given. There have been many opportunities where
 people held my hand, where people helped me. A lot of people were there for me through my journey, to help me to be
 the best that I could be. They saw the potential in me. So giving back through the work that I do comes naturally –
 the same way people have been there for me, I feel I should be there for others, and be there meaningfully. That’s why
 our work in providing and widening the education emphasis in Tanzania is very important; education will unlock the
 potential in young people, so that’s what I want to work very hard at.
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Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the initiative of
 transforming children, and of transforming the ways of education in Tanzania?
NS: The education system in Tanzania has a lot of
 challenges, everything from an outdated curriculum to not having well enough trained teachers, to the overall
 infrastructure. So, we thought to do something meaningful and long-term, but also to be more future-ready, and so we
 started programs that will empower and equip children with the skills and knowledge necessary in an ever transforming
 technological world. And so, our programs are focused primarily on giving children these very important skills, as we
 continue to work towards the fourth industrial revolution. Thus, although they go to school with a curriculum that is
 outdated, they are able to gain skills through our hub and its program to allow them to be a lot more competitive.
 They are able to take advantage of the opportunities in the technological industry and sector, and then come up with
 ideas of value to serve their communities.
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<h5 style="text-align: center;">It’s about character building, 
 it’s about building self, 
 about training children through values, 
 like being respectful, honorable, loving, 
 caring, being of service, 
 and knowing who they are and 
 reflecting that to the world.
</h5>
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Q: How have you been able to make this difference for
 children? What do you think is the key factor which can help them in decision-making and wisdom?
NS: I think we try to have a more holistic
 approach. It’s not just about technology, because that’s not enough. It’s also about character building, it’s about
 building self, about training children through values like being respectful, honorable, loving, caring, being of
 service, and knowing who they are and reflecting that to the world. I think what sets us apart is the fact that we pay
 extra attention to character building, and I feel that is quite important in today’s world to be able to build self,
 and acknowledge self, and another person. We have a saying here – it’s from South Africa but it’s also applied here a
 lot, and it is the spirit of Ubuntu. It speaks of the fact that you are able to see yourself in someone else or,
 rather, you able to see someone and empathize and acknowledge them, their self and their spirit, and just be equal in
 that sense. I think we’re moving more than ever into machines and artificial intelligence and robots, but it’s really
 important to focus back on ourselves. This is especially so with children and young people who will be the force in
 the next generation. I think it’s very important to instill these values in them.
Q: What do you think is the role of the heart in
 transforming a child’s growing process, in transforming the learning or educational initiatives?
NS: To be honest, everything starts from the heart,
 everything emanates from the heart and the soul. I think the heart plays a central key role in learning overall, in
 seeing our place in the world and what our world means. I think the heart is a window and a reflection of the world,
 and what the world is to us and what we are putting out into the world. A lot of the time, people are not able to be
 intentional enough when it comes to matters of the heart and learning, or feeding the heart. It plays a central and
 crucial role in learning, and definitely requires us to break down those walls and be able to approach learning and
 each other more from the heart. I think that would change the world, to be honest.
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Q: How do you think children can be encouraged to use
 their heart as often as possible; how can we help them to learn this art of using the heart?
NS: I think we can definitely practice a lot more.
 Children look at the older generation as a mirror, like an oracle, and the more they see us applying this, constantly
 and consistently, that is one way to do it. It’s like parenting – when a child is growing up, the first people they
 look up to are the immediate family surrounding them. These types of habits begin in the home, so I feel that is the
 game-changer right there – the importance of the role of the heart in the home, in the family. Then we move beyond
 that to schools, to education institutions on all levels, and to governments, to how we lead our people. I feel it
 will be a multiplying butterfly effect. But it really does begin in the home. That is the most powerful place where
 values are instilled, where behavior is taught, and where love is shared.
Then it multiplies to all other areas of our lives, but it begins at home. We can all
 have a role to play when it comes to leading with the heart, teaching from the heart, and learning and feeding our
 heart when we are around our children and our young people. Then it will take hold. For now perhaps it can start in
 all corners where people who believe in it can start small and then multiply and take the effect within our circle of
 empathy.
Q: When we look at our society today, we are becoming more
 and more dispersed. Single parenting is on the rise, parents are not together in many families, and even when they
 are together they have very little time with their children because both are working. Even the role of grandparents
 is becoming less these days. We no longer have families with uncles and aunties around, the joint family has broken
 down or vanished completely, and we are moving towards the nuclear family and single parenting. Such is our age.
 When we speak about the family, the home being the center, where the role of the heart is nurtured, children spend
 more time in day care, in school where other people are primary care givers. So, how can teachers or the school
 impart this, when it cannot happen at home?
NS: I feel that we can utilize a lot of these
 platforms that young people access. Reaching out to teachers is very important, like you mentioned, because a teacher
 can use the first or the last five minutes of class to simply share whatever is going on in the heart, or hear from
 other people’s hearts. We are able to reach out to a lot of religious institutions as well, for instance, here we have
 a lot of families going to the mosque, to church, and to the temple. They all preach about the heart but perhaps to
 break down the silos and have a more relatable approach is also important. It can be styled in a manner which young
 people find a lot more relevant. It needs to be dynamic, it needs to be true to our time, and it needs to be
 reflective. It could be available on a platform that young people access, like Instagram or Facebook, or these social
 platforms that have a lot of traffic of young people. It can be packaged in a way that they will find interesting and
 then, before you know it, it’s cool, and it’s being applied, and it sticks, and it goes on and on from there.
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Q: How can this role of the heart help in breaking free
 from mediocrity to greatness?
NS: I would say it starts with our own self. I
 think mediocrity stems from the fact that we are not able to believe in ourselves, be ourselves, and take advantage of
 our own purpose, our own journey. The role of the heart plays a central role for staying true to our self, staying
 true to our purpose, and following our calling. That ultimately takes us then from mediocrity and elevates us all the
 way into greatness, because there is nothing greater than being able to walk our own path, heed our own calling and be
 the highest, truest expression of ourselves, of who we are meant to be in this world. I think being mediocre is
 turning away from that, turning away from the journey and applying something that does not necessarily fit you. I feel
 that the only way is to switch back from that entirely and take heed of one’s heart.
Q: Thank you Nancy for joining us and for your inspiring
 story.
NS: Thank you.
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">Interviewed by PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN</h4>
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NANCY SUMARI

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