Press & News |

CGI Community in the News – June 11, 2025


CGI Community In the News

Updates from the Clinton Global Initiative community this week, including:

  • CGI partner Ahimsa awarded Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Award 2025;
  • CGI co-hosts the World Eating Disorders Action Day Summit;
  • Updates on CGI’s overdose prevention work, including Dr. Chelsea Clinton at the Broadway show, REDWOOD, and a new op-ed from CGI’s Jessica Geschke;
  • A CGI Greenhouse entrepreneur named one of the 25 African startups to watch in 2025;
  • A commitment-maker offers mental health literacy to Indigenous communities;
  • Dr. Chelsea Clinton talks values-based leadership at United Nations Global Compact
  • Kennedy Odede to receive the 2025 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize; and more.

 

CGI partner Ahimsa awarded Fast Company’s “World Changing Ideas” Award for reducing plastic waste in school cafeterias

Dr. Manasa Mantravadi, a board-certified pediatrician and mother of three, launched a startup called Ahimsa to get kids to use more reusable, stainless steel utensils – shifting away from plastics. In 2023, Dr. Mantravadi and Ahimsa launched a commitment  to replace single-use plastics in New York City schools, and throughout 2024, the pilot program – Conscious Cafeteria – has expanded to California, Minnesota, and Indiana. This week, Dr. Mantravadi and Ahimsa were awarded Fast Company’s “World Changing Ideas” award – read how Ahimsa’s work is helping change the world here. 

 

Dr. Chelsea Clinton discusses breaking the bias at World Eating Disorders Action Day Summit 

World Eating Disorder Action Day was June 2nd, and CGI and Dr. Chelsea Clinton partnered with the National Alliance for Eating Disorders to host the third annual World Eating Disorders Action Day Summit at the United Nations. Dr. Clinton co-hosted the event, leading a panel focused on breaking stigma and supporting families affected by eating disorders. With over 250 organizations from more than 45 countries participating, the summit reinforced a global call to end bias and expand access to care. Check out more details from the summit here. 

 

More Work in the Fight Against the Overdose Crisis

Recently, CGI’s Overdose Response Network (ORN) marked critical steps in the fight against the overdose crisis. On May 15, Dr. Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, addressed the audience of a Broadway show, REDWOOD, that deals with substance use disorders. She urged the audience to advocate for policies to reduce overdose deaths, and helped distribute over 500 doses of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone. Also last month, ORN’s Jessica Geschke authored an op-ed in the Capital Times opposing proposed cuts to naloxone distribution. Read more about why federal cuts to naloxone distribution would hurt communities, and see more news from Chelsea Clinton’s talkback at REDWOOD. 

 

CGI Greenhouse entrepreneur Koolboks named to Bloomberg’s top startups to watch of 2025

Bloomberg recently released its inaugural list of 25 African startups to watch this year, and among the innovative companies addressing the continent’s challenges was Koolboks. Koolboks develops solar-powered freezers, making refrigeration accessible and affordable to everyone who needs it. Koolboks was a part of CGI Greenhouse’s 2024 cohort, a collection of emerging leaders and entrepreneurs with solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. Read more on Koolboks eco-friendly technology here. 

 

Dr. Chelsea Clinton discusses leadership and impact with UN Global Compact

Dr. Chelsea Clinton joined Chigorzirim Bodart, chief of staff for the United Nations Global Compact, at the 2025 PRME Global Forum for a candid discussion on values-based leadership and cross-sector impact. Check out the full fireside chat here. 

 

Longtime CGI partner Kennedy Odede to be awarded 2025 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize

The United Nations announced Kennedy Odede and Brenda Reynolds as the 2025 recipients of the Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize, a prize awarded every five years to two individuals whose work reflects the late South African President’s legacy of leadership, humility, service, and unity across borders. Odede has been a longtime partner of CGI, starting in 2010 as a student leader with the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) before establishing Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), a grassroots movement operating in 68 locations across Kenya, and touching the lives of more than 2.4 million people each year. His work includes a girls’ education initiative and community development program in the Kivera slum outside of Nairobi, and much more. Read more about his journey and his global impact here. 

 

2024 CGI Commitment on Mental Health Literacy Discusses Work in Indigenous Communities 

Last year, the Mental Health Literacy Collaborative (MHLC) made a Commitment to Action at CGI to address growing mental health needs by helping to certify 30,000 more educators in the United States and Canada. MHLC Co-Founder Annie Slease started her work advocating for her son’s mental health needs, and over the years her advocacy has expanded to writing policies and establishing an evidence-based framework to teach about mental health. Recently, MHLC announced an expansion of their commitment into indigenous communities – read more about Annie Slease’s journey and the expansion of their commitment in a conversation with the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.