Deadline: 31-Jul-23
Reckitt is pleased to announce a call for applications to provide training, mentorship, and funding to 6 social enterprises in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in pursuit of prevention and reduction of diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, and malaria.
Objectives
- The “Fight for Access” Accelerator programme aims to find and foster social enterprises that bring innovations and solutions to the main challenges of access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in pursuit of prevention and reduction of diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, and malaria in Nigeria.
- To be able to do this, they seek businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, innovators, companies and civil society organisations with commercial solutions (products and services) that, in their application, cause changes and positive impacts on the lives of the Nigerian population.
- Among the segments of actions possible to address these challenges are: Innovation and decentralisation
- New technologies and cleaner, regenerative, and cost-effective solutions for access to water
- New and cost-effective solutions for sanitation services
- New and easy-access solutions for better hygiene practices and concepts for their distribution
- New and cost-effective solutions to prevent vector proliferation.
- Methodologies for efficient maintenance of water, sanitation and hygiene solutions
- Information, education & community management
- Methodologies and social technologies for information and education on water, sanitation and hygiene
- Methodologies and social technologies for community management of existing and new water, sanitation and hygiene solutions
- Solutions and businesses that prioritise the following beneficiaries for WASH in pursuit of prevention and reduction of diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, and malaria are also encouraged to apply:
- Women and girls
- Population in remote and rural areas
- Population in informal settlements
Funding Information
- Total amount is 50.000 GBP or its naira equivalent.
The Programme
- The programme will be organised, coordinated and carried out by Yunus Social Business GmbH in close cooperation with Reckitt´s global teams and its company in Nigeria (Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria Limited). Yunus Social Business GmbH will be responsible for the faithful execution of the programme in accordance with this programme´s terms of reference. Up to six (6) social enterprises will be selected on this call.
- Selected businesses will be invited to participate in the 2023 edition of the “Fight for Access” Accelerator programme.
- The Acceleration programme is specifically designed to meet the growth challenges of innovative businesses that seek to address challenges of access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene in pursuit of the reduction of diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, and malaria in Nigeria. In this programme, mentoring sessions and workshops on related topics will be facilitated by business experts and related topics will be held, based on content relating to challenges of the selected business.
- The programme will also:
- Promote in-depth knowledge of business needs by exploring potential solutions;
- Promote the training of entrepreneurs and leaders;
- Stimulate the generation of new business, from connection activities, training, mentoring, networking and events;
- Offer training that seeks to raise the degree of maturity and sustainability of the selected businesses.
- Provide tailored social business training in key areas such as impact measurement and management, customer and product development, and communication to investors and partners.
- In all, there will be up to 4 group Bootcamps, masterclasses on core social business topics, networking opportunities, and individual mentoring with the selected business leaders. Bootcamps last from 2 to 3 days and will be held online between October 2023 and February 2024.
- Group meetings should take place virtually and interactions will be made through digital tools such as Zoom, Teams, Slack, WhatsApp and Google Drive, among others. In the event of any changes in the date or format of the meetings, the selected entrepreneurs will be duly and informed in advance.
- In all, it is expected that each participant must dedicate at least five (5) hours per week to the activities of the programme, except for the Bootcamp sessions, which will require the dedication of at least five (5) hours for each day of the meeting.
- Selected participants must undertake to participate fully in the entire Acceleration process and events indicated by Reckitt and/or Yunus Social Business to present their social business. Each selected business must select up to 2 (two) participants at the level of founders, partners and/or executive positions to attend the virtual meetings of the programme.
- The selected participants undertake to report every six (6) months to Yunus Social Business and/or Reckitt, for a period of two (2) years after the end of the programme by completing a total of four (4) online surveys, common and previously established financial and impact indicators. Their goal is to follow up with accelerated business development and the impact of acceleration on business development.
Eligibility Criteria
- Legal entities based in Nigeria, for profit or not for profit (“Participant”) may apply, which:
- Has a partner and/or founder who is a person eighteen (18) years or older;
- Is an impact business or wish to become one;
- Is a Business/Entity in the form of a company limited by shares (public or private), company limited by guarantee (public or private), unlimited company (public or private), limited liability partnership, limited partnership, or an incorporated trustee, that is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
- Have a mission is to solve challenges for access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene;
- Generate revenue or have the potential to do so through the solution they present with a business model that is aiming for financial sustainability;
- Have a solution or service that relates, directly or indirectly to the purpose of the call and to at least one (1) of the challenges, as described in item 1 above;
- Have at least one member or founder dedicated full-time to the business; and
- Have at least two (2) persons – one (1) founder/partner and another professional, founder or employee – who undertake to participate in all programme sessions described in item 3.
- There is no obligation on the part of Reckitt, its companies, affiliates or Yunus Social Business to make investments directly in accelerated projects or to hire them as suppliers. There is, however, the provision of a financial resource from a dedicated pool of funding (total amount is 50.000 GBP or its naira equivalent) for each selected business in order to support the dedication of the Participants to the programme and the implementation of projects, strategies and actions that may arise to achieve the selected business goals. This financial resource will be provided at the end of the programme in 2024 upon completion of the entire programme and the impact measurement requirements. The value and criteria for applying this financial resource will follow criteria of Reckitt or Yunus Social Business and will be informed thereafter. This should be based on the agreement signed between the parties which should prescribe how the funds will be allocated and paid.
Ineligible
- Individuals or non-profit companies that are:
- Legal entities of national or international public law;
- Projects or companies with political/party objectives;
- Individuals and/or legal persons considered politically exposed under Nigerian law;
- Projects or companies whose totality of leaders are under the age of eighteen (18) on the start date of this call; or,
- Individuals and/or legal persons/projects or companies with prior record of fraud and corruption/judgements/criminal records/bad credit record
- Projects that have, among its officers or employees, spouses or relatives up to the second degree of employees of the companies of the Reckitt group or Yunus Social Business.
For more information, visit Fight for Access.
