🌍 BRIDGE-BUILDER | NARRATIVE SHIFTER | CIVIC INNOVATOR

I’m Steven Heo—Founder of Africa Insight (Seoul, 2013) and Executive Director of the Seoul Africa Festival. For 11 years I’ve worked where SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) meets SDG 17 (Partnerships), helping Asian and African communities see, hear, and invest in one another.

— IMPACT SNAPSHOT —

• Seoul Africa Festival (2016–): 7 editions │ 300 000 + visitors │ co-hosted with the African Group of Ambassadors

• Ubuntu Africa Global Citizenship Classes (2014–): 500 + lessons │ 10 000 + learners; televised reach hundreds of thousands

• Digital storytelling: 1 000 + blog & YouTube pieces │ 10 million + views—reshaping Korea’s public narrative on Africa

• Policy influence: Co-drafted civil-society papers for the 2022 Korea–Africa Forum & 2024 Korea–Africa Summit; adviser to the Korea–Africa Foundation and Ministry of Justice

• Capacity building: 20 Africa Class cohorts (500 alumni) │ Africa YES Project—100 youth founders trained, 18 seed-funded fellows │ 100 Media Fellows & Supporters

• Community hubs: 7 000 + members across Korea–Africa online groups fostering peer-to-peer solidarity

— FIELD & ADVISORY FOOTPRINT —

Led or supported projects in Tanzania, Senegal, Kenya and beyond with Good Neighbors, UN-HABITAT, KOICA and—as Korea’s partner NGO within the Global Fund Advocates Network (GFAN)—global-health advocates, bridging grassroots insight with policy tables.

— LEADERSHIP & HONOURS —

Foreign Minister’s Commendation (Republic of Korea, 2021) · Beautiful Foundation “Beautiful Fellow” (2017–20) · Member, MOFA agency evaluation committee (2020–24)

— AUTHOR & TRANSLATOR —

Author, Tanzania as it Is │ Lead translator, Design for the Other 90 % │ Contributor to six further titles on humane design, development, and global citizenship; PI for two MOFA policy studies