Over the weekend I have the privlege to attend AfricaGathering in DC. What I liked most about this conference was its size: very small and intimate. So many conferences are large, made up of niche group, and difficult to really develop strong relationships out of. AfricaGathering really excelled in creating a TED-like format event, focused on everybody’s passions for Africa, that at the end felt like being part of a family. I really enjoyed the day, and can’t wait for future gatherings!

As I thought about how to express my thoughts from the event into words or a summary, I figured the best way is through compiling my Tweets from the event that capture a live stream of consciousness and quotable moments! Enjoy!

Also, check out this image showing the “How It Works” of AfricaGathering (click it for lightbox effect!):

1. 
   marcopuccia Sitting here at #agdc with @jscarantino and @gkofiannan! #socent 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
2. 
   marcopuccia “Life is so much more important when you’re not doing it for yourself” – @jscarantino #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
3. 
   marcopuccia Building communities can go a long ways in breaking barriers and unleashing opportunity @jscarantino #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
4. 
   marcopuccia Africa today, is not Africa of tomorrow – Need long-term horizons when creating programs/platforms @jscarantino #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
5. 
   marcopuccia Poor local distribution systems are largest impediment to getting vaccinations to where they need to go! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
6. 
   marcopuccia Poor records lead to vaccination waste and overestimation of coverage. Drives cost up, and impact down. #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
7. 
   marcopuccia VaxTrac built on same premise as @ITS_LLC: “Better information, greater social impact!” #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
8. 
   marcopuccia Need accountability systems to make sure vaccines are actually distributed appropriatly -VaxTrac #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
9. 
   marcopuccia Need open-source alternative for fingerprint ID systems…many cross-sector applications! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
10. 
    marcopuccia Can I say Happy World Malaria day? Not sure what the proper etiquette is… #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie

1. 
   marcopuccia 11.2% – 2008 GDP growth rate in Rwanda /via @kitcody #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
2. 
   marcopuccia Doing business in developing regions often requires ownership or oversight of entire value chain – @kitcody #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
3. 
   marcopuccia “Positive change requires positive people” – @kitcody #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
4. 
   marcopuccia Awesome talk by @kitcody! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
5. 
   marcopuccia LOL Great Q by @chiefmoamba “Who makes those yellow containers? They must be loaded!” #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
6. 
   marcopuccia Man! Free Blue Sweater books!? I just finished reading literally yesterday! Just my luck lol #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
7. 
   marcopuccia So far, @acumenfund has invested around $45 million in around 40 companies #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
8. 
   marcopuccia Curious about how a social business like Iko Toilet changes consumer behavior… #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
9. 
   marcopuccia #agdc “We’re shifting to African solutions to global problems,” Catherine Casey of @acumenfund /via @ruackerman 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
10. 
    marcopuccia “Human dignity is more important than wealth” -Catherine Casey of @acumenfund #agdc /via @artate 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie

1. 
   marcopuccia I wish I could plug my iPhone into the raw energy and passion at #agdc! lol 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
2. 
   marcopuccia “Africa Rural Connect an experiment in global collaboration to build ideas” @mollymali #agdc /via @ideasforafrica 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
3. 
   marcopuccia Man, we had such an awesome discussion at lunch! I feel honored and inspired to be surrounded by such smart and amazing people! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
4. 
   marcopuccia Totally digging what @developingjen is saying about the need to integrate metrics into social impact ventures #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
5. 
   marcopuccia Mariemme Jamme (@mjamme) doing a great job as co-host of Africa Gathering #agdc /via @gkofiannan Agreed, she’s awesome! 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
6. 
   marcopuccia “You can’t be credible if you’re not visable” @mjamme #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
7. 
   marcopuccia I love and am so inspired by the raw passion expressed by @mjamme and others #socent #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
8. 
   marcopuccia “Dignity is more important to the human spirit that wealth” #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
9. 
   marcopuccia Africa doesn’t need money. We need a sincere relationship – @Mjamme #agdc /via @gkofiannan 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
10. 
    marcopuccia “People who volunteer time first are 7x more likely to donate” – @eglue #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie

1. 
   marcopuccia Great presentation by @eglue on leading collaboration into action! Really great! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
2. 
   marcopuccia Half of the worlds women still give birth without a health worker… #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
3. 
   marcopuccia In parts of Africa, 1 in 7 women die related to child birth… #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
4. 
   marcopuccia Mad props to White Ribbon Alliance for bringing women’s rights and maternal health to national and int’l agendas #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
5. 
   marcopuccia “Think about Africa’s mothers. Think about Africa’s children. Think about Africa’s health workers” #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
6. 
   marcopuccia Man this is awesome! So energized by Sean Coetzee and his company Woodsmoke! @liveafrican #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
7. 
   marcopuccia Show people the real faces behind your African products! Transparency sells! @liveafrican #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
8. 
   marcopuccia “From great need comes great innovation!” – @mikeymckay #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
9. 
   marcopuccia Focusing African ingenuity into high-impact innovation can create disruptive change! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
10. 
    marcopuccia 9 months is avg life of a computer in rural village in Africa, @mikemckay of Baobab Health. #agdc /via @mollymali 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie

1. 
   marcopuccia Art and design are both important elements in re-branding Africa… #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
2. 
   marcopuccia “Makmende is bigger than Wikipedia” LOL #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
3. 
   marcopuccia “Creativity will fuel an economic revolution” -Design Indaba #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
4. 
   marcopuccia Hmmm, I think I found the source of my next desktop background – Digital African Art @digitalafrican #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
5. 
   marcopuccia Every obstacle is a springboard for creativity – @paulsika #agdc /via @gkofiannan 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
6. 
   marcopuccia What an awesome person, speaker, and photographer @paulsika is! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
7. 
   marcopuccia “When you think about business, you have to think about more than the product; You have to think about the ecosystem” – @paulsika #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie
8. 
   marcopuccia Thank you @africagathering for an amazing conference! This is the begining of something huge! #agdc 24 Apr 2010 from Tweetie