How AI & Storytelling Transformed Queen Sheba Village’s MissionOur Partner NGO Queen Sheba Village (QSV) Founder: Queen Sheba D. Cisse Location: Senegal, West Africa Area of Work: Women’s empowerment, agricultural education, food security, and community upliftment and development. Queen Sheba Village (QSV) is a nonprofit organization founded by Queen Sheba D. Cisse in Senegal, West Africa. Dedicated to empowering women and girls in marginalized communities, QSV fosters sustainable change through education, economic opportunities, and community development. One of its key initiatives, Queen Sheba Agriculture Farms (QSAF), aims to address food insecurity and provide agricultural education for rural youth. By implementing eco-friendly farming techniques, resource conservation methods, and education-driven agricultural programs, QSV is creating long-term solutions for hunger and poverty with collaborations and partnerships. Beyond agriculture, QSV is actively engaged in empowering youth, combating female genital cutting, and promoting economic independence for women. Through these initiatives, the organization uplifts communities by providing access to skills training, sustainable employment, and nutritional programs that directly impact families across rural Senegal. With international volunteers and donor support, QSV continues to expand its reach, advocate for change, and drive lasting impact on a global scale. The Project QSV required a structured content strategy to effectively communicate the impact of its agricultural initiative, QSAF, to a global audience. The organization aimed to: Raise awareness about food insecurity and the importance of agricultural education. Develop engaging multimedia content, including videos, presentations, and reports. Strengthen its credibility to attract funding and partnerships. Abhineet stepped in to bring these goals to life through AI-powered storytelling and structured content planning. The Journey When Abhineet started working with QSV, he saw an organization making a real impact but encountering difficulties to tell its story in a clear and compelling way. Instead of jumping straight into content creation, he took a step back. He listened, observed, and immersed himself in QSV’s mission. Through conversations with Queen Sheba and her team, he discovered what truly drove their work—their dedication to empowering women, tackling food insecurity, and creating lasting change in their community. It wasn’t just about agricultural education; it was about transforming lives. With this understanding, Abhineet started shaping a narrative that would make QSV’s impact clear to donors and partners. He structured their story around key agricultural initiatives, using AI to create engaging videos, reports, and presentations that made their work more visible and relatable. One of his biggest contributions was highlighting Queen Sheba’s selection for the Ignite African Women Agriculture Fellowship at Guzakuza as a major milestone. By weaving this achievement into QSV’s broader mission, he helped elevate its global presence and emphasize its role in fighting food insecurity. Through his efforts, dispersed information turned into a strong, inspiring story—one that connected with people, attracted support, and helped QSV make an even bigger difference. The Challenges Faced Like any meaningful journey, this one came with its challenges. The biggest hurdle was time—QSV was based in the U.S. and Senegal, while Abhineet was in India. Working across multiple time zones was tricky, often requiring late-night or early-morning collaborations. But both sides respected each other’s commitments, ensuring that deadlines were met without compromising quality. Another challenge was ensuring that the use of AI remained authentic to QSV’s mission. AI could enhance storytelling, but the heart of the content still needed to be deeply human. Abhineet navigated this by keeping the stories rooted in real experiences while using AI to bring them to life in more engaging ways. Despite these challenges, the collaboration thrived, fueled by a shared commitment to impact and innovation. The Result The impact of this collaboration was profound. Through strategic storytelling and AI-driven content, QSV’s message reached a wider audience than ever before. The organization gained international recognition, securing more partnerships and funding to expand its agricultural initiatives. All milestones set at the beginning of the project were met within four to five months, exceeding expectations. The success of this collaboration led to QSV receiving two prestigious awards from Guzakuza and three additional awards related to agriculture further solidifying its credibility in the nonprofit sector. For Abhineet, the experience was equally transformative. His innovative approach to embed AI in storytelling besides the known professional usage, and sharing those experiences on LinkedIn earned him a place among LinkedIn’s Top AI Voices in 2024. The project not only enhanced his technical skills but deepened his understanding of global social impact and the power of compassionate storytelling. More importantly, QSV’s ability to engage its community was strengthened, inspiring more volunteers and supporters to join their mission. The Value of Pro Bono Support Estimating the cost of hiring a professional for six months to execute a similar project at QSV would vary based on expertise and scope. However, the in-kind value of Abhineet’s pro bono work could be estimated at $5,000–$20,000, given the technical expertise involved in AI-driven storytelling and strategic content planning. Testimonials ProEngager "It was a clean slate when I joined this project. However, once I interacted with Queen Sheba and understood the projects that they were undertaking, it soon started to carve out the right path for me. QSV used to share their intent and raw content. For example, they wanted to create an annual report. I approached it in a structured way, outlining the entire table of contents first, embedded AI-generated videos using those contents, which amazed them. This experience has greatly boosted my confidence in leveraging technology for impact. I believe that combining compassion with technology can truly amplify messages of hope and change across the globe." — Abhineet Sarkar, AVP, Tata AIA Life Insurance Partner NGO "At Queen Sheba Village, we believe in the power of storytelling to amplify our mission. With the help of skilled volunteers like Abhineet, we have been able to bring our initiatives to life in ways we never imagined. His contributions have strengthened our ability to engage communities and secure global recognition for our work." Abhineet is an amazing professional. As a team I and co- founder, Mouhamadou Thiam of Queen Sheba Village is grateful for his support. — Queen Sheba D. Cisse, Founder, Queen Sheba Village
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