Today MIT Technology Review reveals its list of 35 top young innovators.
For over a decade, the global media company has recognized a list of exceptionally talented technologists whose work has great potential to transform the world. For his work in the field of energy, Sustainable Development for All–Kenya’s Evans Wadongo has been honored as a humanitarian on the list.
Mr. Evans Wadongo grew up in rural western Kenya where he used kerosene lamps for studying. Because of this experience, he invented a simple solar lamp called MwangaBora in 2004, with the aim of improving education for school-going children, improve health, reduce carbon emissions and economically empower rural families.
Through his organization, Sustainable Development For All (www.sdfa-kenya.org) , Mr. Wadongo has distributed thousands of solar lamps to rural villages across Kenya and other African countries, and helped hundreds of women groups set up income projects from the money they would otherwise have spent on kerosene.
Wadongo was also listed among eight Kenyans in Africa Forbes list of top 30 under 30 earlier this year.
“Over the years, we’ve had success in choosing women and men whose innovations and companies have been profoundly influential on the direction of human affairs,” says editor in chief and publisher Jason Pontin.
“Previous winners include Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the cofounders of Google; Mark Zuckerberg, the cofounder of Facebook; Jonathan Ive, the chief designer of Apple; and David Karp, the creator of Tumblr. We’re proud of our selections and the variety of achievements they celebrate, and we’re proud to add Evansto this prestigious list.”
This year’s honorees will be featured online at technologyreview.com starting today, and in the September/October print magazine, which hits newsstands worldwide on September 3. They will appear in person at the upcoming EmTech MIT conference from October 9–11 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
