My Journey to eLearning Africa 2018

Hello Dear,

I am Christian Elongue, an Afropolitan edupreneur and blogger. I have been accepted as a Speaker to present a research project at the 2018 eLearning Africa Conference in Kigali Rwanda from September 25-28th 2018. I am incredibly happy about my acceptance because I have never had the opportunity to attend a scientific conference of such level. I am really drawn to this specific conference because I can meet researchers, Ministers, Government Officials, Policy Makers and investors from whom I can learn, pitch and network. Unfortunately, I don't have enough money to pay for my travelling expenses of 1504$. Any amount of money that you can donate to help me attend this conference is greatly appreciated! Thank you.

NB: As it is not possible to receive funds and withdraw them from your PayPal account in Ghana, I had to use a friend PayPal account for that. So, please, in case you are gonna pay through your paypal account, don't be afraid if you see the name: ABDUL LATIF. He is a friend and he would transfer me all the funds at the end of the crowdfunding campaign. Thanks for the understanding.

Why is this conference important to me?

The 13th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education & Skills , is Africa’s largest conference and exhibition on technology supported learning, training and skills development for experts, professionals and investors, committed to the future of education in Africa. It’s the best opportunity for me as an education advocate, to present my research findings on the potential of video/mobile games in education for Africans.

I’ve been selected out of thousands of applications from all over the globe to hold a knowledge exchange session with high-level policy and decision makers and practitioners from education, business and government. I will be representing the video game industry from Ghana, Cameroon and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. I firmly believe that this conference would be a more valuable addition to my career and a great contribution to the promotion of video/mobile games for education in Africa.

Why Me?

I’m a hardworking and future-focused Afropolitan, a motivated "researchpreneur" – a researcher with an entrepreneurial mindset – who wants to give inspiration to many researchers and entrepreneurs to come together and ideate solution for local and global challenges like education, poverty, gender inequalities etc. I stepped up in research since 2015 when I realized that Africa only produces 1.1% of global scientific knowledge . Africa currently has 198 researchers per million people , compared with 428 in Chile and over 4,000 in the UK and US. I'm contributing to change that narrative by producing qualitative research and mentoring early researchers who come to me. I also blog regularly on Afropolitanism, educating youth on peace, culture and identities.

I come from a middle-class family and struggling yet sailing my way through primary and secondary schools in Cameroon. But it never stopped me from dreaming big, working smartly and excelling in life. I was the Valedictorian during my graduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Dschang, one of the best in Central Africa. In 2015, I grabbed a scholarship for a second master degree in development studies at Senghor University in Egypt, the leading academic institution of La Francophonie, where I graduated again as the Valedictorian in Management of Creative Industries.

One year later, I got one of the best opportunities in my life: a new scholarship to study educational technologies at the University of Lille in France. The “best” because I had always been passionate about education and technology. My research objective for this 3rd Master degree was to measure the learning effectiveness of a mobile serious game that has been developed byLeti Arts and implemented by the Ghanaian Ministry of Health for the training of Nurses and Midwives on malaria management. I wanted to know if these nurses have effectively acquired knowledge or skills after playing a mobile educational game called Hello Nurse. My research findings confirmed the potential of video/mobile game as a convenient and accessible tool to provide quality education and training in Africa.

Considering the fact that there is a lack of innovation in African educational system, mobile learning, gamification and eLearning are effective ways to fill the educational gap, mostly in rural communities. During my researches, I realized that the video gaming industry was still emerging and the information on that is not easy to find. The only media company that was only focusing on video game development was in South Africa. But they haven’t been operational for many years. To fill the gap at my own level, I started blogging on gamification, innovation and technology for education and published several scientific articles in international journals.

This conference is, therefore, a great opportunity for me not only to present my research findings but also to connect with eLearning professionals and investors and build the strategic partnership that will enable me and my team to create a new media platform focusing on the research and promotion of the video game industry in Africa. African teachers need to innovate their teaching practices and only research can better inform educational policymaking. Several successful experiences have demonstrated that serious games are one of the most effective and engaging ways of learning. Gamification is even considered as the Future of Education. Kiroo Games , the first gaming studio in Central Africa has demonstrated that a game can succeed where books have failed, by transmitting constructive and ethical values to African Youth.

I have created this fundraiser as I don't hold enough financial potential to attend this unique event hosted by President Kagame. I would be in debt of the people who supported me and with the key takeaways, you would see me doing something greater for the society and Africa. More than research, I’m also an entrepreneur and changemaker. I have been involved in different initiatives that advanced quality education and touched thousands of lives, particularly for women and children. I’m also helping and mentoring a lot of others who come into my life. But today, I need help to do something big and help back the society.

Your donation will be highly important because it will directly contribute to advance my researches in the field of gamification and serious games. By donating, you are helping to make this project becomes a reality in Africa for Africans. Your donation big or small is a great contribution in advancing the SDG on Quality Education for All.

I will be blogging regularly during the conference to share the best outcomes and lessons learned. You can receive my updates on Facebook , Twitter or here on my blog Afropolitanis .

Travel budget

· Airfare/ International Flights + All local transportation: 662 USD

· Visa fee: 30 $

· Accommodation: 250 USD (the cheapest price for five days)

· Conference Book of Abstracts: 50 USD

The total makes $992 USD + 49$ for the 5% of the platform fees =1041$

If you will like to learn more about the 2018 eLearning Africa conference, please visit: https://www.elearning-africa.com/conference.php

What if I get substantially over funded?

I will spend any excess funds to hire a web developer to build the website for the project on the promotion of the African video and mobile game industry.

What if You can't pledge money?

Then steal from your grandma! Just kidding! Even if you don't have a few bucks to spare, I still need your help in spreading the word! So please:

• Post this GoFundMe page on your Facebook wall.
• Tweet it on Twitter.
• Email your buddies about it.
• Talk it up at social events.
• Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Congrats on making it to the end of this GoFundMe Project page. Now please take ACTION:

Thank you!

Christian Elongué.