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Vanessa’s too humble to mention this, but she got accepted to a prestigious invitation-only event hosted by TED. We’re all pretty stoked about this. Anyone who knows Vanessa knows that she has a huge heart that beats for Africa, so her invitation to this particular event is especially exciting.

TEDGlobal: Africa, the Next Chapter
Here’s what the website says about the event:

Over the past few years a growing number of people in the TED community have become passionate about Africa, a continent that appears to be at an important tipping point. Its problems and challenges are well known. Less well known is that across the continent, change is afoot. Instead of relying only on development aid, Africans across the continent are beginning to take matters into their own hands. Ingenious solutions are being applied to tackle some of the toughest health and infrastructure problems. Businesses are being launched that are capable of transforming the lives of millions. New communication technologies are allowing ideas and information to spread, enabling markets — and governments — to be more efficient. And the numbers suggest that incomes are starting to nudge up in some countries and real growth is on the way. A new Africa beckons.

It couldn’t be a more exciting time to be holding the first TED conference in Africa. We invite you to join us on a journey into the continent’s future. The program line-up of 50 speakers — like all TEDs — includes inventors, business-leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, designers, artists, writers, activists, musicians and mavericks. But they have this in common. They are all doing something valuable for Africa’s future. Their voices will inspire. And their ideas will spread.

How She Got In
How’d she get invited?, you might ask. It was surprisingly easy. She submitted a simple application online which basically had an open field for her to say anything she wanted. Here’s what she said (Vanessa says “it sounds silly but its true”…). Being only recently introduced to TED, she didn’t really expect to get considered, so she jotted down what immediately came to mind without much thought (thus, the typo and her shock when she got accepted).

… I’m brought to tears when I think about the live-giving exchange of ideas taking place in this kind of setting… I am a partner in a development company working to build eco-urban housing that is innovative and sustainable, and a board member and FGM researcher for a NGO working in East Africa that focuses on health education and community development projects. I am working in two very different ends of the development spectrum to creatively enhance lives.

If Your Interested…
Here’s a list of speakers.
Here’s some past TEDs.
Here’s some TEDPrize winners.
Here’s some TEDtalk videos.

Pretty cool, huh?

Jason