Second African Diaspora Marketplace Grants

Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF) is currently inviting applications for the Second African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM) grants. The second ADM has been launched as an initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Western Union Company. 

The main aim of ADM is to encourage sustainable economic growth and employment by offering support to U.S.-based African Diaspora entrepreneurs with innovative ideas for start-up and established businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa.

It is expected that ADM will award 15-30 winning businesses with matching partnership grants approximately $50,000. The exact number of businesses supported will be determined by the availability of total funds. In addition, the ADM will facilitate access to technical assistance, capacity building and information on a range of follow-on financing options for all finalists. These opportunities will be afforded through linkages with existing USAID and other United States Government (USG) programs in Africa as well as ADM partnerships with the private and public sector.

Find out more by visiting http://www.yipekenya.org/Diaspora.htm

All Children Reading Competition – Call for Proposals

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), and World Vision are inviting grant proposals from interested organizations for innovative programs with potential to improve reading skills and low literacy rates among primary grade children.
Through a multi-year initiative called ‘All Children Reading – A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR)’, the Founding Partners have plans to collaborate to achieve the goal of global action to improve child literacy.

Objectives

The All Children Reading Competition aims to encourage innovative thinking and design to bring new knowledge to the challenge of improving primary grade reading rapidly and at scale in certain countries. Applications from and relating to low- and lower-middle income countries are particularly encouraged.

Read more http://www.yipekenya.org/Reading.htm

2012 Millennium Youth Camp

Venue: Helsinki

Technology Academy Finland and the Finnish Science Education Centre LUMA are going to organize the 2012 Millennium Youth Camp to be held in Helsinki Metropolitan Region, Finland in June 2012.

In this context, young people from all over the world born between 1993 and 1996 are invited to apply for a place in the 2012 Millennium Youth Camp.

During this camp, about 30 talented and young people from different parts of the world will meet for a week to work together on different projects on mathematics, science and technology. These young people will also get a chance to meet famous scientists as well as the 2012 Millennium Technology Prize Winner during this event.

About Millennium Youth Camp

The Millennium Youth Camp is held on an annual basis, attended by students from all continents. In 2011, almost 1500 young people from a hundred different countries applied to take part. One of the camp’s primary goals is to encourage young scientists to network at an early stage in their careers and help them launch a career in science or technology.

During the camp, Millennium Youth Campers are presented with an overview of Finnish expertise and top-level research in the natural sciences, mathematics and technology. They are introduced to a number of Finnish companies and institutes of higher education.

In addition to lectures, workshops and visits to Youth Camp partners, the camp programme includes project work supervised by top-level experts and carried out in small multi-national groups. The Millennium Youth Camp’s official language is English.

The week-long 2012 Millennium Youth Camp will take place in the Helsinki Metropolitan Region and start on 9 June 2012. Participation is free of charge. As in previous years, the project themes are:

• climate change,
• renewable natural resources and energy,
• water,
• ICT and digitalisation, and
• applied mathematics.

This international camp offers like-minded young people who are interested in mathematics, science and technology a chance to spend a week doing project work together and also meet top scientists, the 2012 Millennium Technology Prize winner and people working in Finnish companies and organizations.

Camp Organizers

The camp’s main organisers are Technology Academy Finland and the Finnish Science Education Centre LUMA.

Application Process

In the first phase, young people from all over the world who were born between 1993 and 1996 are eligible to apply for a place in the 2012 Millennium Youth Camp using the online application form.

The names of the 100 applicants selected for the second phase of the application process will be published on 1^st February 2012, and they will be given a period of four weeks to produce project plans. Some applicants will be interviewed by telephone in connection with their proposals.

The 30 camp participants will be selected by a steering group consisting of representatives of Finnish higher educational institutions and Millennium Youth Camp partners. The names of the successful applicants will be published on 15 March 2012.

Last date for submitting the applications is December 19^th 2011.

For more information, visit http://www.technologyacademy.fi/millennium-youth-camp.html

Ashoka Changemakers and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio Innovations for Health Competition

Ashoka Changemakers, in association with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio, invites entries around the world in the form of innovative health care solutions having potential to improve health care situation in other countries and regions. 

The contest is entitled as Innovations for Health: Solutions that Cross Borders. You can either submit the solution or nominate a project. The organizers are especially looking for the entries that have displayed positive impact in helping populations at risk.

Read more http://www.yipekenya.org/Health.htm

Cordes Fellowships

Cordes Fellowships provide exceptional social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders engaged in poverty alleviation and economic justice enterprises the opportunity to participate as Delegates in the Opportunity Collaboration. 

The purpose of the Cordes Fellowship program is to:

·         open doors, minds and networks for emerging social entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives,

·         enrich the Opportunity Collaboration with new, emerging leaders and

·         infuse the collaborative discussions with a diversity of perspectives.

Get more details by visiting http://www.yipekenya.org/Cordes.htm

Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund

The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund provides grants and interest free loans to businesses that wish to implement innovative, commercially viable, high impact projects in Africa.
The AECF supports businesses working in:

• Agriculture
• Financial services
• Renewable energy, and
• Technologies for adapting to climate change.

AECF also supports media initiatives and information services that relate to the above sectors.

Read more http://www.yipekenya.org/AECF.htm

The Tech Awards 2012 – Call for Nominations

The Tech Awards is an initiative of the Tech Museum that was launched in November 2000 to recognize innovators who try to apply technology for the benefit of the humanity.

These awards honour individuals, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies who are using technology to significantly improve human conditions in 5 award categories.

The award concept and the five different categories of Tech Awards were inspired in part by the State of the Future report, published by the Millennium Project of the American Council of the United Nations University.

The Tech Museum is currently inviting nominations for the Tech Awards 2012. The Tech Awards program inspires global engagement in applying technology to humanity’s most pressing problems by recognizing individuals, organizations, and companies that use innovative technology solutions.

Read more http://www.yipekenya.org/Tech.htm

Social Enterprise Profile: Getembe High Vision Youth Group

Getembe High Vision Youth Group based in Nyamira County in Kenya was formed in January 2006 as a merry-go-round youth club. It was later registered as a farming youth organization. Due to the high rates of poverty, food scarcity and unemployment, the members were stimulated to initiate this project to address food insecurity, the poor health status of children resulting from under nourishment, juvenile delinquency, child labor abuse and youth unemployment.

Read our interview with Jones Oyugi, Secretary of Getembe High Vision Youth Group »»

Business templates: Community Group Constitution

A constitution provides the framework for the way an organisation operates. It outlines what the organisation is, the mission, activities and rights and responsibilities of members.

It is worth having a constitution, particularly if your group is seeking grant funding. This template will assist you in developing a constitution for your group.

Access the Group Constitution template http://www.yipekenya.org/Constitution.htm

Refinancing your Business Assets

Asset finance involves either funding the purchase of a new asset e.g. vehicles or machinery or it can also include raising working capital by refinancing against your existing asset (using your assets as security). 

Refinancing assets is emerging as a popular option for small businesses who would not qualify for unsecured loans. Banks may also ask for exorbitant security for their business loans, thus locking out the new entrepreneur seeking a small cash infusion to expand their production and marketing.

Read more http://www.yipekenya.org/Asset.htm

Women of Vision Award for Innovation

Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI) is an organisation that has developed tools and programmes designed to help industry, academia and government recruit, retain and develop women technology leaders since 1997. The organisation provides inclusive platforms designed to ensure women’s voices, ideas and spirits will result in higher levels of technical innovation. The ABI delivers programmes that are changing the world for women and for technology.

The ABI invites nominations for the Women of Vision Award for Innovation, which recognises a leading technical woman who has contributed significantly to technology innovation.

Read more http://www.yipekenya.org/ABI.htm

Youth Enterprise Development Fund – Call for Expressions of Interest to Develop Strategic Plan

The Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) is a project of Vision 2030 and provides loans and other enterprise development solution services to Kenyans aged 18 to 35 years.

Over the last five years, the Youth Fund has financed over 130,000 youth enterprises and supported thousands others through its business development services and through the jobs abroad programme.

Read more http://www.yipekenya.org/YEDF.htm

John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships

The John S. Knight Fellowships accepts applications from qualified journalists and journalism entrepreneurs from around the world for 20 Fellowships each year. Selected journalists will spend a year at Stanford, developing their knowledge and skills, as well as ideas for the betterment of journalism.

Fellows receive a stipend of $60,000, plus Stanford tuition and supplements for moving expenses, health insurance, books, housing and childcare. The deadline to apply is December 1^st 2011.

For more information and to apply, visit http://knight.stanford.edu/application/

To find more fellowship opportunities, visit http://www.yipekenya.org/News.htm