25 African Leaders Selected as 2016 Eisenhower Fellows

Named after the only President from Kansas, The Eisenhower Fellowships identifies, empowers and connects innovative leaders through a transformative fellowship experience and lifelong engagement in a global network of dynamic change agents committed to creating a world more peaceful, prosperous and just.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB)  -  June 23, 2016 - Eisenhower Fellowships announces the selection of 25 visionary African leaders working in government, business and civil society across eight countries as 2016 Africa Program Eisenhower Fellows. These ascendant leaders, comprising Eisenhower Fellowships’ inaugural Africa Program, will embark on a seven-week journey throughout the United States to engage in a transformative exchange of knowledge and ideas with the leading minds in their fields.

“These innovative Fellows are united by their passion to benefit their countries and region by collaborating across disciplines to achieve their vision,” said General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret), chairman of Eisenhower Fellowships (EF). “We welcome them into the Eisenhower Fellowships global network of influential leaders.”

As many African countries undergo seismic transitions, with unprecedented population growth bringing new demands for sustainable economic development, Eisenhower Fellowships will host the first program dedicated exclusively to Sub-Saharan Africa in EF’s 63-year history. The 25 Fellows work in fields ranging from agriculture, education and women’s leadership to banking, climate change, health and housing. They include social entrepreneurs seeking to strengthen the ecosystem for the growth of small and medium-size enterprises in the region.

To be held in the fall of 2016, the Africa Program is envisioned as the catalyst for a concerted five-year effort to engage EF’s global network and ignite change more deeply in Africa. Since its founding, EF has hosted a total of 182 African Fellows, the first one a Ghanaian diplomat, Frederick Arkhurst, in the very first class of Fellows in 1954.

The 2016 Africa Program Fellows were selected from a pool of more than 800 applicants. The selected Fellows are:

Ayodeji Adewunmi – Nigeria
Mieza Mea Alleah – Ghana
Shivon Byamukama – Rwanda
Lindelwa Farisani – South Africa
Miatta Gbanya – Liberia
Victoria Heilman – Tanzania
Jude Ilo – Nigeria
Brian Kirungi – Rwanda
Salim Mohamed – Kenya
Fatima Mohammed – Nigeria
Sabasaba Moshingi – Tanzania
Nuru Mugambi – Kenya
Edward Mungai – Kenya
Leonard Mungarulire – Rwanda
Sibu Myeni – South Africa
Tonee Ndungu – Kenya
Barbra Nyangairi – Zimbabwe
Olusegun Olukoya – Nigeria
Okomboli Ongonga – Kenya
Yawa Hansen Quao – Ghana
Musa Salmanu – Nigeria
Lesego Sennelo – South Africa
Teddy Totimeh – Ghana
Maria Tsehai – Tanzania
James Wanjohi – South Africa

“The 2016 Africa Program Fellows will play a key role in shaping, empowering and connecting the next generation of African leaders who will address the continent’s profound political, economic and social challenges,” said George de Lama, president of EF. “Our objective is to anchor Fellows from this initial Africa program firmly within the global EF network and deepen their engagement across the region.”

The Africa Fellows will launch their program with a week of activities in Philadelphia starting October 2, 2016, then proceed on individual journeys throughout the country visiting approximately 8 to10 cities and towns throughout the U.S. Their fellowship culminates with a series of public events in New York City the week of November 14.

The recruitment and selection of EF’s Africa Program Fellows was supported by the Africa Leadership Steering Committee, headed by Honorary Co-Chairs, Dr. Mohamed "Mo" Ibrahim, Founder and Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and 2014 recipient of the Eisenhower Medal for Distinguished Leadership and Service, and Jendayi Frazer, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Senior Director of African Affairs at the National Security Council, and the first woman U.S. Ambassador to South Africa. They are joined by a select group of respected leaders and Eisenhower Fellows from Africa and the U.S.

Successful candidates for EF programs are exceptional leaders eager to advance their personal and professional growth, who can articulate how the fellowship will serve them to produce impactful change and who commit to lifelong engagement with the organization and its nearly 1,500 active Fellows around the world. Fellows apply what they learn from their peers and in their meetings with experts in their respective fields to maximize their potential and produce sustained impact through their fellowship experience and collaboration within the EF global network.

National Debt Relief Talks About The Relationship of Financial Stress and Homeowners

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 23, 2016 - National Debt Relief recently shared in an article published May 13, 2016, how homeowners seems to have an advantage when it comes to financial stress. The article, titled “How To Overcome Financial Stress? Be A Homeowner,” looks at some of the things that helps people who owns a home deal with financial stress better.

The article starts off by explaining that being a homeowner seems to have a positive effect when dealing with financial stress. Apart from the fact that owning a home puts a consumer in a better financial position than someone who rents, they are also able to use their homes to deal with financial stress.

One way they are able to do that is the fact that they know they are adding on to their equity every month. Paying rent every month only makes the landlords or the people who owns the house richer and that is a never-ending cycle. Homeowners know for a fact that every payment they make every month is an investment on their part and after a definite number of years, the house will be fully paid and the payments will stop.

The article also points out that homeowners are increasing their net worth every payment they make every month on the house. This is because they add on to the equity they own on the property which in turn can be considered as part of their assets. As their worth increases, they will feel less financial stress because consumers know that they are making their finances more stable.

The house also serves as an emergency financial backup since homeowners can borrow against their equity. Referred to as HELOC or Home Equity Line Of Credit, consumers can access the amount they have paid up to the lender for emergency situations such as home repair, medical and even for loan consolidation. This can even give them the chance to enjoy a low interest rate since the house is still used as collateral .

To read the full article, click https://www.nationaldebtrelief.com/overcome-financial-stress-homeowner/

Commerce Bank Serves as Exclusive Credit Card Issuer for Charity Charge

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Commerce Bank announced today that it will serve as the exclusive bank issuer of the Austin-based Charity Charge MasterCard®. Charity Charge is a public-benefit corporation offering a unique credit card program that allows cardholders to automatically donate 1% of every purchase to the non-profits, K-12 schools, colleges, universities or religious organizations of their choice.
“Giving back is engrained in our culture. In 2015, Commerce and its related foundation provided more than $3 million in community support. We were immediately drawn to Charity Charge’s mission to empower socially conscious consumers to give back and we’re proud to support this important effort”
Tweet this This collaboration with Charity Charge is, at the core, a reflection of Commerce Bank’s commitment to the community. “Giving back is engrained in our culture. In 2015, Commerce and its related foundation provided more than $3 million in community support. We were immediately drawn to Charity Charge’s mission to empower socially conscious consumers to give back and we’re proud to support this important effort,” said Chad Doza, senior vice president of consumer card products at Commerce Bank.
The Charity Charge MasterCard will work just like any other credit card; the only difference being the rewards earned, 1% cash back for every transaction, will be donated directly to support the charities of the cardholder’s choice. Cardholders are able to select up to three non-profits at a time and have the flexibility to change the recipients of their donation at any time. Any 501(c)(3) in the United States including K-12 schools, colleges, universities or religious organizations are eligible. Cardholders are able to track their impact using an online dashboard and Charity Charge underwrites all cardholder donation process fees, allowing 100% of what cardholders earn to be given to their selected organization(s). Currently, donations earned with a Charity Charge credit card are not tax deductible.
Speaking to the relationship with Commerce Bank, Stephen Garten, founder and CEO of Charity Charge states, “Everyone has a connection to a greater cause or a charitable organization. The mission of Charity Charge is to empower consumers’ desire to give back to any nonprofit of their choice in a way that’s effortless and convenient. We are thrilled to work with an organization like Commerce that understands the importance of supporting communities where we live and work. This community-minded focus is very much a part of Commerce’s business model and we’re fortunate to have found a like-minded organization to play such a crucial role in offering this card to consumers.”
The ever-important millennial consumer segment is one that is largely concerned with charitable giving and community involvement. Speaking to this, Doza, states, “at Commerce, we understand the importance of introducing innovative payment technologies to meet the needs of this demographic. toggle®, for instance, is a payment feature offering our customers choice and flexibility – two factors that are very important to millennials. We view our relationship with Charity Charge through a similar lens – reaching cause-minded consumers in a way that seamlessly aligns with their lifestyle and purchasing habits.”
The Charity Charge credit card will offer chip technology, no annual fee and a low introductory APR for the first 6 monthly billing cycles after opening an account. Other features include $250,000 travel insurance, price protection which provides reimbursement should cardholders find a lower price for an eligible new item within 120 days from the date of purchase, an extended warranty and emergency assistance virtually anytime, anywhere and in any language. The card is also supported on mobile wallets including Apple Pay™.
Those interested can sign up via Charity Charge’s website (http://charitychargecard.com/) to join the priority list and be one of the first to get the card. The public launch of the card is June 20th.
About Commerce Bank
Commerce Bank, is a subsidiary of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH), a $24.5 billion regional bank holding company, as of March 31, 2016. For 150 years, Commerce Bank has been meeting the financial services needs of individuals and businesses. Commerce Bank provides a diversified line of financial services, including business and personal banking, wealth management, financial planning, and investments through its affiliated companies. Commerce Bank operates in more than 350 retail locations in the Central United States and has a nationwide presence in the commercial payments industry. Commerce Bancshares also has operating subsidiaries involved in mortgage banking, leasing, credit-related insurance, private equity and real estate activities.
For additional information, please visit www.commercebank.com.

National Debt Relief Shared How Late Payments Affect Credit Scores

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (PRWEB) June 19, 2016 - National Debt Relief recently shared in an article published May 12, 2016 how a consumer’s credit score could be adversely affected by late payments. The article titled “What Late Payments Will do to Your Credit Is Worse Than You Think” takes a look at the possible financial scenarios that could come up when people send in late payments.

The article starts off by pointing out that there are people who believes that a late payment doesn’t affect their financial standing that much especially for those who has been maintaining a pretty decent credit score. But this couldn’t be further from the truth because about 35% of a consumer’s credit score is dependent on credit history and this takes a hit every time there payments are sent in late.

The credit history is an important factor in assessing the risk lenders are taking on when they deliberate whether to approve a loan or not for a person. The higher the score, the better financial managers people are. Consequently, the lower the score, the harder it would be to get an approval.

The article also shares that the late fees can really throw anyone’s budget off course. It might not be a significant amount for one account but there are some consumers who sends in late payments for more than one account. This can multiply not only their worries and stress but the amount as well that they have to pay out.

There are some lenders who gives out promotional offers to consumers in the form of deferred payment for a few months and even zero percent interest payment on some recent purchases. But one thing that could nullify these offers is when the consumer start sending late payments. Not only do lenders stop the promo but demands a full payment on whatever amount was charged.

To read the full article, click https://www.nationaldebtrelief.com/late-payments-will-credit-worse-think/