The National Peace Corps Association has launched Africa Rural Connect, an innovative online platform where you can contribute your knowledge and skills towards the development of rural Africa (ARC). The ARC community is already home to thousands of development professionals, poverty activists, members of the African Diaspora, Peace Corps volunteers, academics, African farmers and others– all working together to create viable and culturally sustainable plans for rural communities.

Using advanced collaboration technology, members of the ARC community can comment and improve upon each other’s ideas. Recent ideas range from those focused on entrepreneurship, to agricultural best practices, to technological solutions, to education, and beyond.

Africa Rural Connect is also holding a competition awarding cash prizes every month to help implement the top 3 ideas, and awarding a total of $20,000 to implement the best idea in December. We have already awarded prizes in Round 1 and Round 2 to ideas from Senegal, Ghana, Malawi, and Nigeria, and have hundreds of ideas spanning across East, South, and Central Africa as well.

Whether you have a background in agriculture, architecture, business, engineering, business, NGO management, construction technology, communications, or education, your insight could prove integral to the creation of a plan that will improve the livelihoods of rural communities in Africa.

So we invite you to join Africa Rural Connect- post an idea, start a discussion, and collaborate with like-minded individuals around the world to turn your ideas into action.

-Lissan Anfune, National Peace Corps Association