Centre student earns international changemaker award nomination

Growing up in an African refugee settlement, Fabris Mulindi, class of 2029, saw firsthand the impact limited resources can have on a community — and the power of education and opportunity to transform lives. 

These experiences sparked in him a desire to improve global communities, and his work has now earned international recognition. 

Mulindi was nominated for the African Youth Changemaker Award 2025 for his efforts with Solve and Flourish Africa (SOLFA), a nonprofit he cofounded empowering individuals in refugee settlements through direct aid, education and empowerment. 

The ethos behind his work revolves around addressing problems at their source instead of simply administering aid after an issue becomes critical. Specifically, SOLFA is teaching people how to farm while combating the limited space in refugee settlements and the challenges posed by climate change. Mulindi hopes to solve the problem at its root and give those he’s helping a more sustainable avenue toward a better life. 

“Even in a very troubled world, there is always a solution to every problem,” Mulindi said. “We can always find a solution to every single problem we’re facing.”

His outlook reflects the circumstances in which he grew up, where hard work and perseverance were paramount.

Mulindi was three years old when he first walked into the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda. Because he spent most of his life in the settlement, he was accustomed to the lack of resources.

“Refugee camps are a tough place, mostly for the adults because young people have not experienced other places or another life outside the refugee camp,” he said. “It seems normal to not have a good shelter or not have access to water or other things.”

As a child, Mulindi was intently focused on his future, throwing himself into his education. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, his school closed. The hours he once devoted to studying shifted to time spent in his community where his focus turned to the challenges his neighbors faced.

“I used to be away from my community for all the time I was in school,” he said. “All my life was academics, academics, academics. When I began seeing other things, and how my community was really struggling, that was when I knew I had to do something about it.”

Mulindi’s award nomination has been especially meaningful to him because they are not application-based and instead are chosen on merit. To be recognized by an organization over 3,000 miles from his home was surreal, he said. 

 “I was very, very excited because these awards are from Ghana and that’s a really long way from Uganda,” he said. “It tells me how much my work has spread if someone in Ghana found out about me.”

His drive to help others and have a global impact is what eventually led Mulindi to Centre and the Lincoln Scholars program, which offers full tuition, room and board to students who have the capacity and a deep desire to change the world.

“When I learned about the Lincoln Scholarship, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have to do this,’” he said. “This scholarship is about having the drive and wanting to change the world. No one else could offer me that.”

Mulindi’s efforts have been bolstered during his first semester of college with the encouragement to pursue his from his scholarship advisor, professors and other students. 

Mulindi has worked with Economics professors to bring educational and engagement opportunities to campus. He also collaborated with the Engineering program to figure out a solar-powered water purification system that works off the grid. 

“It’s like a whole new world to me,” he said. “If I tell someone, ‘I want to change the world,’ they understand what I’m talking about. It’s not a strange thing to dream that goes over their head. They want to support it.”