Three years ago the Indigo Trust came in as sole funder of Kenyan farming SMS service, iCow. The trust ended up awarding £87 782 in total, but the company now has 150 000 users and a signed deal with the country’s largest mobile operator Safaricom. Founder of iCow, Su Kahumbu, tells us more… “We provide […]
Drones. Grain silos. Biogas. These Kenyan innovations are having great impact both on the ground and in the air. They work because they find answers to local challenges from inside the sectors and communities they serve. Community slaughterhouse turns waste into portable biogas Michael Njau laments the fact that Kenya’s economic growth strategy does not […]
Community silos benefit farmers and food security The East African Grain Council recently announced that post-harvest losses in the region are estimated at Ksh 134.4 billion (or US $1.6 million) a year. That’s almost equivalent to the total food aid received in East Africa annually! Poor transportation, drying and storage, pest infestation, disease and market […]
Local journalists use drones to elevate African news Some call them Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), others prefer Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), but we’ll just call them drones. The technology is a touch controversial because of its military origin. But drones are also useful for civilian purposes – one of which is improving journalism and reporting, […]
The CeaseFire concept was imported from the US to clean up crime in Cape Town’s notorious suburb, Hanover Park. But local context and community involvement is making the project especially successful in this locale. And so is an approach that treats it like a brand… and like a gang. The problem of gangsterism is a […]
The health innovator KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier and BroadReach Healthcare. The innovation Operation Sukuma Sakhe (OSS) is a united front against poverty and illness, bringing Government, municipalities, NGOs and communities together to fight poverty in one of South Africa’s poorest provinces. Winner of the Collaboratively Reimagining Care Award at the 2014 Inclusive Healthcare Innovation Summit The […]
The health innovator Western Cape Department of Health The innovation The eCCR (Electronic Continuity of Care Record) is a software application designed to integrate and digitise medical records for patients being discharged from public health facilities. Winner of the Collaboratively Reimagining Care Award at the 2014 Inclusive Healthcare Innovation Summit The action Groote Schuur Hospital […]
The health innovator Undine ‘Mmatumelo’ Rauter, Gelukspan, North West Province The innovation The Parents Guidance Centre (PGC) at the Gelukspan District Hospital is a “University of Life”, set up in one of the poorest rural areas of the country. The aim is to challenge misperceptions around disability, and empower youth and adults through counselling, therapy, and […]
The health innovator Clare Roberts, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town The innovation AfriTox is a digital and online database of toxins and toxic substances, providing easy access to potentially life-saving knowledge in emergencies. Winner of the Transforming the System From the Inside Out Award at the 2014 Inclusive Healthcare Innovation Summit […]
The health innovator: Dr Andrew Ross, Umthombo Youth Development Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal The Innovation The Umthombo Youth Development Foundation addresses skills shortages in rural healthcare, by providing scholarships for promising youngsters who can then return to their communities as qualified healthcare professionals. Winner of the Minding the Gap Award at the 2014 Inclusive Healthcare Innovation Summit […]
The health innovator Gustav Praekelt, Founder and CEO, Praekelt Group, South Africa The innovation The Praekelt Foundation is a non-profit organisation that turns mobile phones into health tools. It focuses on using mobile services, portals, social networks and applications to fight poverty and improve health and wellbeing. Winner of the Inclusive Technology Award at the […]
The health innovator Dr Ashraf Grimwood, Kheth’Impilo CEO The innovation Kheth’Impilo means “Choose Life” in the Nguni languages. This not-for- profit organisation is questing for an AIDS-free generation in our time. How? By using a unique model of patient advocacy with training and mentoring for community healthcare workers. Winner of the Pioneering Approaches Award at […]
He was born and grew up in Belhar, Cape Town, in a community characterised by gangsterism and drugs. He’s faced various personal, social and financial challenges, but always had a positive attitude and innovative spark. Altino Louw stoked that spark in the 2013 RAA class and in a business that manufactures quality products from household […]
Programme description LEAP is a chain of no-fee, independent high schools that provide academic and life skills to the kind of skills they require to become future leaders. The schools require only a nominal fee from students, and are otherwise funded primarily by private donors. Mathematics, Physical Science and English are mandatory subjects. School days […]
Programme description South African Innovative Learning Intervention (SAILI) identifies highperforming, low-income students and high-performing, low-cost schools with strong Maths and Science programmes. It then uses scholarships to support these academically talented students in attending these low-cost, high-quality schools. The aim is to produce graduates who continue into Maths and Science fields. Since the programme began in 1996, over 500 graduates have […]
Programme description IkamvaYouth is a support, tutoring and mentorship initiative that works to equip learners from townships and other disadvantaged communities with the knowledge, skills, networks and resources to access tertiary education or employment. The aim is to address common obstacles to academic achievement. How? By providing supplementary support to secondary school students after school, on Saturday mornings and […]
One of the great challenges of development work is that you can never really tell whether or not it’s making a difference in the lives of its beneficiaries. Except… you can. Here’s how to find the data you need to quantify the return on social investment – and why you need to do it now. […]
The company eKasi Entrepreneurs emerged with the launch of the eKasi Entrepreneurship Conference in September 2012. In November 2013, the now annual event included a broad programme and a keynote speech by Richard Branson. It was a huge success, says Sekhaolelo, in attendance numbers and the ideas that emerged on how to develop townships as business hubs. “When urban people look at townships, it’s like how Americans look at […]
In a world with no landline phones, mobile phones are a big part of life. But if there’s also no national power grid, finding ways to charge those phones can become an even bigger part of life. Another case study Among the consequences are the fact that people choose phones according to battery life, passing […]
HIPPY SA, or Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-school Youngsters in South Africa, is an interesting illustration of the process around social benefit and scalability. The organisation started in Israel in 1969 and focuses on three to five-year-old children, their parents and the broader home environment. The core philosophy is that parents need to be […]
