 |
Where Do We Go from Here? Lessons Learned for Future Water-Energy-Food Programming
Join us for riveting sessions on climate-friendly innovations, financing, policies, technical assistance, environmental sustainability, and gender and base of the pyramid integration! The webinars have already started and run through December 9th.
After six years of groundbreaking work, Securing Water for Food (SWFF) and Powering Agriculture (PAEGC) Grand Challenges concluded this spring. Our learning series features innovators sharing their experiences with both programs, lessons learned from the Technical Assistance Facility, and recommendations to improve future water, energy, and agriculture programming.
|
East Africa Regional Innovation Hub Celebrates World Energy Day
In Kenya, this year's World Energy Day Conference lasts from October 21st to 23rd. The East Africa RIH is particularly thrilled to participate in Nairobi's celebrations as part of its mission to scale climate-friendly and environmentally sustainable innovations in the water, energy and food sectors while improving gender equality, supporting the youth, and base of the pyramid incomes. The East Africa RIH Team and our strategic partners, Eenovators and AriyaFinergy will call upon companies, organizations and individuals to innovate and bring fresh air to renewable and clean energy technologies in both local and regional markets.
|
|
Working with Innovators to Find a Way
On October 14th WE4F held its most exciting webinar yet, Navigating Business Models for Base of the Pyramid (BOP) Consumers. A component of the Innovator Guidebook: Navigating Business Models for the Base of the Pyramid in Water and Energy for Food, this webinar session delved into how innovators can pivot their business models to support base of the pyramid consumers. Featuring Africa Hydroponics, aQysta, and Lal Teer Seed - all innovators who participated in Securing Water for Food (SWFF) - the companies covered how they changed their business models to integrate BOP farmers and women, while creating jobs and selling their products. Watch the recording to learn more about the innovators' experiences, how SWFF supported them, and the lessons shared in the WE4F Innovator Guidebook.
|
|
Calling all Entrepreneurs and Companies! What's Your Business Plan?
Are you an innovator interested in applying to a WE4F Call for Innovations? Then it's time to start thinking about your application. A helpful tip from WE4F to you: look at your impact on the environment and how you work to include women, lower-income customers, and the youth in your business operations. Make sure to check out the WE4F website and the Hub Kickoff Calls to start preparing your applications.
|
|
Working Hand-in-Hand to Support Climate Resilience
Base of the pyramid farmers have to dump a high amount of fruits because they don't fulfill market expectations. Providing capacity development measures and climate-smart processing, food losses can be drastically reduced. Check out the partnership story between WE4F and women-led Miyonga in the East Africa RIH's first blog post
|
|
OPES Fund's Restart Fund
OPES Fund is looking for for-profit enterprises that have either been impacted by Covid or have come up with innovative solutions for their stakeholders in response to the Covid emergency.
If direct linkage to the funding need can be made for to any of the above reasons, they would be open to evaluating the organization. While their focus sectors are Clean Energy, Sustainable Agriculture, Mobility, Education/ Skilling, OPES Fund is open to looking at other areas if the problem being solved is compelling & impactful for low income population.
They request the companies to fill out a form with some basic information and request that they share an information deck for us to go through.
|
|
Shine Campaign Recovery Grant
The COVID-19 Recovery Fund Grant demonstrates Shine's commitment, during these extraordinarily challenging times, to sustain energy access initiatives that are locally-rooted, women-led and managed and/or directed by local communities. These small grants will provide funding for last-mile energy access entrepreneurs, cooperatives, agencies and community leaders as they help vulnerable populations struggling with the global pandemic. The fund was designed by The Shine Campaign and Shine's Council of Women Leaders in Energy Access.
|
|
Office of Global Partnerships: COVID-19 Private Sector Engagement & Partnership Fund
The Department of State and USAID have launched the COVID-19 Private Sector Engagement & Partnership Fund with an additional $10 million in new assistance funds. The Fund has been established to strengthen the efforts of the private sector and bolster ongoing response efforts, helping the world's most vulnerable overcome the devastation inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Concept papers will be accepted beginning August 5, 2020 and be reviewed on a rolling basis through 11:59PM Eastern Time on May 30, 2021. Please note that projects will be funded on a rolling basis. The Department reserves the right to close this announcement sooner than the given date if the available amount of funding has been exhausted.
|
EnAccess Announces Funding for Livelihood-focused Energy Access Projects in Tanzania.
EnAccess is looking for innovations or solutions that enhance the socio-economic impact of energy access in Tanzania. Funding is available for open source projects up to USD 150,000 that have the potential to demonstrate a novel livelihood-based energy access business model. They would like to see pilot concepts and/or ideas; this could include building and testing the prototypes that are beyond the exploratory stage and are ready for market validation.
Submissions should come in by 30 October 2020. If you submit early there will be an advantage, as they plan to select and distribute funding on a rolling basis - they will not wait until 30 October to make a final decision. But don't let this stop you from applying after the end of October - as long as you see the form up on our website, it means that they are interested in receiving proposals.
|
|
Meet the Regional Innovation Hubs!
From September 28th to the 30th, WE4F's Regional Innovation Hubs (RIHs) introduced themselves to the greater water-energy-food community through kickoff calls. The RIHs took this opportunity to share information on their operations, plans for Calls for Innovations, and different partnership opportunities.
Each RIH has a unique perspective on how to impact food security, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and base of the pyramid women and men. By hosting four separate calls, the RIHs were able to connect with their regional communities to discuss how they'll tackle the specific challenges faced in each region. It's the hubs' first step in developing stronger regional linkages that will build new relationships and improve old ones.
|
|
Missed WE4F Introductory Week? Check Out What We Covered.
Each session focused on how to develop better water-energy-food programming. SWFF and PAEGC's webinars shared on the lessons learned and key recommendations from final evaluation teams, innovators, and their Technical Assistance Facilities. Our closing and opening sessions welcomed attendees into the WE4F program, sharing why our program is necessary and how different stakeholders can get involved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
