Author, economist and disability activist, Edmore Masendeke, embodies the name of the organization he established, Endless Possibilities.
His passion is to inspire and challenge people with disabilities to rise above any perceived limitations.
Upon receiving news that he was selected as a 2014 Washington Fellow, the new flagship exchange program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), he made it a point that that this was just the beginning of his continued professional development. “I was very excited. I am still very excited,” he says.
He will spend six weeks studying civic leadership at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware and take part in a summit hosted by President Obama. “I look forward to learning how to successfully run a civic organization and how to be a better leader,” he notes. “Of particular interest to me is the opportunity to be exposed to technology for people with disabilities.” He hopes the experience will better equip him to lead his organization.
Endless Possibilities organizes disability awareness programs, focusing on the social exclusion of people with disabilities, as well as empowerment programs for youths with disabilities. These programs empower youths with goal setting techniques; mentorship and peer support techniques; and communication and self-advocacy techniques.
Edmore is an Economist at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. A published author, his works include “Poems for Life” and “The Song of my Heart.” He also co-authored the book “Stars in a Plate.”
Edmore holds an Honors degree in Business Studies from the University of Zimbabwe and a Master of Arts degree in Leadership and Management from the Africa Leadership (ALMA). In 2012, he was the recipient of the Open Society’s Disability Rights Fellowship Award, which enabled him to pursue a Master of Laws degree in International and European Human Rights Law at the University of Leeds (UK).
He says YALI is “a positive contribution to the development of Africa….It gives leaders a global worldview and enlarges their horizons in life. This enables them to dream big for themselves and their communities. Positive change is inevitable.”
