Start-ups for a better world
Young Global Changers Recoupling Awards go out to projects that combine sustainability, social and economic development opportunities
Berlin, March 29, 2022 – Mathias Charles Yabe is awarded the first prize of the Young Global Changers Recoupling Award. The founder of the Ghana-based startup AkoFresh receives the first prize for developing solar-powered cold storage facilities that can drastically reduce food loss in rural Africa. The refrigerated warehouses extend the time between harvesting and eating fruit and vegetables from five days to three weeks. At the same time, this increases farmers’ incomes because they are in a better position to negotiate prices with buyers. The cold storage facilities are rented out to cooperatives on a daily or weekly basis. A high-level panel of speakers at the Global Solutions Summit recognized this project as a contributor to five UN development goals: Hunger and Poverty Alleviation, Economic and Sustainable Development, and Climate Protection. The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros.
Website: https://www.akofresh.com/
Video: https://vimeo.com/689422371
Brianna Kerr from Australia receives the second prize for her project “KUA” (Fully Circular Coffee). It addresses three typical problems of coffee cultivation and consumption at the same time: coffee farmers receive a fair wage for KUA coffee, the project ensures that cultivation and processing are adapted to the changes caused by global warming, and it has set up a recycling system to recycle coffee grounds and packaging. This second place in the Young Global Changers Award is worth 2,000 euros.
Website: https://kuacoffee.co/
Video: https://vimeo.com/689410851
Finally, the third prize is awarded to the project “Origin Learning Fund” by Tania Rosas (Colombia). She has set-up a non-for-profit learning app that gives rural communities access to digital learning opportunities. The prize is endowed with 1,000 euros.
Website: https://www.originlearningfund.org/
Video: https://vimeo.com/689407108
With the Young Global Changers Recoupling Awards, the Global Solutions Initiative recognizes outstanding youth-led projects or initiatives that actively work towards aligning (“recoupling”) economic or political activities with social and environmental needs. Ten finalists were invited to the Global Solutions Summit 2022 in Berlin to present their projects to a jury. The jury consisted of: Katharina Lima de Miranda (Researcher, The News Institute), Guillaume Lafortune (Vice President, Sustainable Development Solutions Network) and Abir Ibrahim (Young Global Changers Africa Ambassador). The other finalists were:
- Rebecca Aime (Rwanda/Uganda), “Patapia – A Bank for the Unbanked. Giving micro credits and business mentoring to female refugees that otherwise have no access to finance & banking.
- Musawwir Muhtar (Indonesia): “Octopus Indonesia” – Network and Digital Infrastructure that connects 9,000 waste collectors to households and recycling industry.
- Alba Forns (Spain): “Climatize” – FinTech app that helps invest spare change of climate concerned individuals into sustainable impact investments
- Nils Handler (Germany): “D\Carb” – Discussion forum to foster debates on new economic thinking for a decarbonized future
- Muazu Modu (Nigeria): “Spotlight / Citizen Led Tracking” – Social accountability initiative that uses digital technology to create transparency and empower communities
- Njeke Egbe (Cameroon): “Peace Crops” – Providing training for agricultural and gardening skills for orphans and victims of armed conflict.
- Etienne Salborn (Germany/Uganda): “SINA – Social Innovation Academy”. Teaching, mentoring and empowering disadvantaged communities and individuals in Africa.
Information and videos about all projects can be found here: https://www.global-solutions-initiative.org/young-global-changers/awards/
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