The final edition of Beam Talks 2016 was held on on 7 December 2016 at the School for Social Entrepreneurs. Panellists included luxury events planner; Rugie Wurie Lamin aka Mrs Wedding Planner, singer-songwriter ; Yasmin Kadi and producer, journalist and writer; Adama Juldeh Jaleelah Munu. The session was moderated by TV presenter Naberay Bangura.
Beam talks, Smiling through Light, aims to positively impact the lives of women and girls in Sierra Leone and across Africa by inspiring them to achieve economic self-sufficiency and distribute subsidised solar lamps for personal use and resale.The overall objective is to encourage economic growth, job opportunities, and education on solar energy and health issues. More importantly, access to renewable energy will result in economic growth, reduces toxic fumes and fire hazards, increased societal equity, and create an enabling environment for communities to thrive.
Beam Talks is organised by Mariama Kamara. Mariama Kamara is the Founder & Director of Smiling Through Light. She started the company in May 2013, after a trip to Sierra Leone in 2011 on a placement with Restless Development as a SRH Curriculum Development Technical Assistant. Prior to that, she worked on different HIV, advocacy and campaigning project at local, national and international level with organisations such as SciDev.Net, African Health Policy Network, VSO, African Development Association for Progress, Restless Development and Africa UK in contributing towards the development of Africa. She has always been interested in development issues especially on poverty, energy, education, sexual and reproductive health and HIV issues relating to women and young people. Mariama has a MSc in Development Studies from Birkbeck College and BSc (Hons) in Psychology.
Adama Juldeh Jaleelah Munu Key BEAM Messages – Know what you WANT; Take every opportunity, however small & unglamorous and Don’t ever stop BECOMING
Rugie Wurie Lamin key BEAM Messages – Believe in your own convictions, Turn every challenge into self-development and Run a profit-making business not validation-seeking one.
Yasmin Kadi key BEAM messages – Surround yourself with positive people, Do your bit for other Sierra Leoneans & have faith
Musu Kaikai