15 African social entrepreneurs have been named by Mastercard Foundation
and the Resolution Project as winners of the 2019 Resolution Social Venture
Challenge.
A total of 31 teams of Mastercard Foundation Scholars competed in the Resolution Social Venture Challenge for a fellowship that includes seed funding, mentorship, and access to a network of young global changemakers to pursue impactful projects in their communities.
The 15 will receive seed funding, mentorship, and access to a network of
global changemakers to pursue impactful projects in their communities.
The winning teams address a wide range of challenges that the scholars
have observed first-hand in their communities.
These include financial literacy among rural women, access to nutritious
foods in orphanages, and safe and affordable biomedical devices to reduce the
impact of preventable diseases.
The Two Zimbabwean start-ups are DeepEye Initiative and Jumping Protein.
Some of the winners include projects based in Rwanda, Kenya, Gambia,
Uganda, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Malawi, Senegal, and Lebanon.
DeepEye Initiative was co-founded by Esau Mhandu and Ronald Tumuhairwe. DeepEye
Initiative aims to reduce the impact of preventable illnesses in Harare,
Zimbabwe. By developing a low-cost, biomedical device that uses sound waves to
detect the presence of fluid in the lungs, DeepEye will improve the accuracy,
sensitivity, and specificity in the diagnosis of pneumonia. The device is a
low-cost alternative to chest x-rays, which are prohibitively expensive and
unsafe for young children.
JP- Jumping Protein is a startup founded by Esnath Divasoni.Jumping Protein aims to reduce malnutrition in infants and toddlers by creating a sustainable protein source through the farming of insects. The project aims to train community members on how to cultivate crickets, mealworms, and black soldier flies for both human consumption and animal feed, using locally available materials. The availability of insects throughout the year will provide a high protein food option for the community.
