Author
John "Zehn" Baskerville, PMP
Universal Write Publications (UWP Books) taps the creative design and web development talent of African Refugees from AReL
Universal Write Publications (UWP Books) taps the creative design and web development talent of African Refugees from AReL
Behind the scenes of UWP Books' website relaunch, powered by African Refugee Talent in Tech - a Bnevol led Project.
In April 2024, Universal Write Publications commissioned Bnevol for an ambitious project that included rebuilding their website with full e-commerce capability. What started as a general inquiry swiftly turned into a powerful and extensive collaboration, unlike anything that currently exists in Black tech or anywhere, for that matter. The project launches in Q3 2024, but let's start from the beginning.
As is standard practice, Bnevol initiated the project with a comprehensive discovery phase, which involved in-depth discussions about the client's needs and objectives.
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Zehn Baskerville, PMP, fondly recalls, "From the first moment Ayo Sekai, Ph.D. (Founder of UWP Books) joined me on the call, we were filled with uncontrollable laughter and joy. What has unfolded since is a testament to the power of shared passion and dedication, a spiritual bond that fuels our mission to amplify Black voices and improve our global condition." |
As discussion continued, Dr. Ayo Sekai's vision for the project spawned an ever-greater collaboration. Early in the discovery, Dr. Ayo Sekai expressed integrating the Black diaspora at every level of her work, down to the Black typeface Designers they consider in their branding. The insight was a "say less" moment for Zehn, a consultant and guest instructor at AReL (Action for Refugee Life), who also leads the organization's PMO function. Zehn floated the idea of involving refugee students from AReL in the UWP Books project. The benefits would include...
- Refugee Students gain real-world client experiences while engaging in the project.
- Students can move beyond theoretical lessons to hands-on, guided instruction by receiving managed tasks within the project.
- By contributing talent and work effort to the project, students can improve the strength and credibility of their resumes and CVs.
Zehn brought the opportunity to Mauridi Kiza, Founder, CEO of AReL and the executive leadership team to greenlight the program. The collective benefit was not lost on any of the parties, and Kiza quickly endorsed proceeding with the collaboration.
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Kiza, a Congolese refugee himself who founded and runs AReL out of Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, knows better than most that "Refugees can only reclaim the dignity of leading their own lives when granted access to technology and equal opportunities." |
For all the partners involved, a shared mission was readily apparent.
- UWP fulfills its commitment to integrating the African diaspora in its works.
- AReL fulfills its mission to provide refugee students with mentorship, job readiness training, and experiential education by leveraging Black-owned businesses.
- Bnevol fulfills its mission to amplify the impact of both UWP and AReLs work worldwide.
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Dr. Ayo Sekai reveals, "When looking for a business partner, we hope to find something comparable, effective, efficient, and cost-effective. But if we're honest with ourselves, we are looking for the same attitude in a business partner as we are in personal relationships. Are we like-minded and want the same things? Do we like each other enough to want to spend extensive amount of time together? Is there reciprocal accountability and growth opportunity for the future? And will this work? These are ambitious asks. Hard to find in a personal relationship and near impossible in business. But there's something to be said for when you find your purpose, because those rare relationships seem to manifest themselves. Instantaneously, everything was in alignment, and I found myself on a path of not doing business as usual but building community. If all else fails, there's a richness embedded that will forever surpass the periphery. I'm growing through my partnership with Bnevol and AReL, and I couldn't be more enthused about the future with these giants to walk with." |
And just like that, history is being made. This article gives a quick preview of this much larger story. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at this collaboration and shows how the project is progressing.
Zehn leads the project development in two sessions every week. The early-week session involves a handful of select AReL students who have become Bnevol Interns on the project. Each learns and contributes hands-on to its development. Below is a particular moment captured from one of the Intern sessions with Zehn, Dr. Ayo Sekai, and the Bnevol Interns.
In this second preview, Zehn conducts an open classroom session for all AReL graduate students who have either completed ARel's Digital Marketing/Web courses or are currently enrolled. With an open floor for the students to ask questions and engage the client (UWP Books), Dr. Ayo Sekai put forward an on-the-spot clinic in business, passion, and purpose. Beyond the details of the project, Dr. Ayo Sekai created a safe space for African refugee students to ask any questions they had. The healthy space led to heartfelt and soul-churning conversations that enriched everyone in the group call.
As an immigrant from Jamaica, Dr. Ayo Sekai received her PhD from Howard University and brings a depth of insight, academic expertise, and lived experience into any space she enters. While speaking with the students, her rich background allowed the conversation to breathe and naturally flow from the publication of Black scholars to the insights of managing the world as a Black woman founder, the most marginalized demographic of business owners in the United States. Below is a sneak peek of the conference call with Dr. Ayo Sekai, Zehn, and the AReL refugee students.
Here is a capture of a session educating the refugee students on e-commerce integration and functionality in a web project, setting the stage for the development of UWP Book's e-commerce project.
A big thanks to AReL's students and interns.
- James Anzuruni
- Manderina Kasore
- Igal Jama
- Yussuf Ismail Abdirahman
- Jeremiah Akol Dong
- Alaba Daniel
- Ayar Alang
- Malemba Lorded
- Michael Mistir
- Confidence Christian
- Dunia Victor Nestor
The project launches in Q3 2024. Follow UWP Books online for the official announcement and the full story about the project to be released.
About UWP:
Founded in 2004, Universal Write Publications publishes rigorous scholarship that reclaims the rich histories of the culturally diverse peoples who make up our society. Our focus is to publish various topics through the framework of Black Scholars who write through the African lens: the lived experiences of the diaspora without compromising the rigor of academic scholarship that dignifies the essence of research, data analysis, and the scientific methods of the academy.
UWP Books is determined to reimagine, raise the bar, and pivot the cultural paradigm on its axis to shift the narrative from Black people being the subject to Black scholars being the authoritative voice and instrument of peoples, cultures, and the social construction of race.
Learn more about UWP Books on the website https://upbooks.com
Note: New website schedule for launch Q3, 24
About AReL:
AReL (Action for Refugee Life) is a refugee-led Social Impact organization in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. AReL uplifts and empowers the refugee community by providing the necessary tools, resources, and support through its diverse Digital Training courses, job market readiness programs, and comprehensive postgraduate support.
AReL offers a range of on-campus digital training courses that focus on skill enhancement, job market readiness, mentorship, postgraduation support, and entrepreneurship assistance. The organization's comprehensive program guides students from enrollment to job placement. This includes diverse digital and technical courses tailored to market demands, thorough orientation, practical training enriched by a global industry-focused professional network, and simulated real-world scenarios. The organization supports graduates transitioning into the workplace, offering assistance through designated mentors and ambassadors. Moreover, AReL fosters self-sufficiency by promoting entrepreneurial endeavors within the refugee community.
Learn more about AReL on their website at https://refugeelife.org
About Bnevol, LLC
Bnevol is a Black-owned digital agency and consultancy that amplifies impact for mission-focused organizations with web design, marketing, and business/organization strategy and solutions in the do-good sector.
With over two decades of experience in the private sector, Bnevol's founder, Zehn Baskerville, PMP, has cultivated exceptional expertise in providing premium, professional-level technical and digital solutions to businesses and startups that were once largely inaccessible to the do-good sector.
In 2021, Zehn founded Bnevol with a commitment to channel broad expertise and experience to deliver best-in-class solutions to mission-focused organizations and leaders, unlocking solutions previously monopolized by the for-profit sector and making them available to change makers to magnify their social impact.
Bnevol also donates technical infrastructure (servers, databases, subdomains, software subscriptions, etc.) to AReL and its students at no cost as part of AReL's "Bringing the Digital Divide" program to provide necessary access to students embarking on their learning journeys.
Author
John "Zehn" Baskerville, PMP
