Deadline: 3-Jul-23
Young Water Solutions is looking for innovative solutions to the most urgent challenges in water supply, sanitation and waste management in vulnerable communities in South Africa. If you have a developed an idea that is still in its early stages, register to participate in this unique opportunity to improve your venture!
The ManziMakers Challenge is a 6-month support programme that provides young entrepreneurs with the opportunity to strengthen early-stage business ideas based on specific challenges and existing gaps in water, sanitation, hygiene, and solid waste in vulnerable communities, with a specific focus on solutions that also address challenges related to climate change.
Funding Information
- The 5 winning groups will receive pre-incubation support as a prize, which includes coaching sessions, a fully funded 4-day applied training on business, and up to 21,000 ZAR to prototype and implement the solution.
Conditions to participate in the programme: The Challenge aims to attract young entrepreneurs that already have a fresh and innovative idea to the water and sanitation sector.
The challenges to tackle
- Water
- In South Africa, 5.3 million people lack access to safe drinking water. The challenge is even more present in rural areas: 19% of the population in rural areas lacks access to a reliable water supply. How to guarantee access to safe water, improve its management, and provide safe collection and storage?
- Sanitation
- 14.3 million people in South Africa lack access to basic sanitation services; 12.3% don’t have access to a handwashing facility; and an estimated 30% of girls do not attend school while they are on their period because they do not have access to sanitary products. How to bridge the access gap to sanitation & hygiene, improve safe wastewater treatment, transport and disposal?
- Waste
- 29% of the annual waste in South Africa is not collected and treated through formal waste collection systems, resulting in large amounts being dumped illegally. How to improve the collection, sorting, treatment, reduction, recycling, and reuse of waste, to prevent it from ending up in the ocean?
Manzimakers Challenge: Online event agenda
- Opening Sessions: These are unidirectional sessions for all participants, held at the beginning of each day (Friday and Saturday), where the daily agenda will be shared, and there will be interventions from special guests.
- Workshops: Zoom sessions where a facilitator will host approximately 4 to 5 participating groups. The technical presentation will be conducted, the exercise to be performed will be explained, and any doubts will be clarified.
- Participant Exchange Activities: These activities will take place on Zoom and are designed to foster a collaborative and exchange environment among participants.
- Teamwork with Guidance: Once everything is clarified, the facilitator will allow participants to work in small Zoom groups on their own, but will be available throughout the session to answer questions. Experts will offer tutorials during specified time periods.
How exactly?
- By offering a 3-days online event where 20 teams, with the guidance of mentors, will strengthen existing but early stage innovative solutions with potential as social enterprises. Teams will be able to create a first business model canvas, work on the technical and market validation of their idea, learn about their competitors, how to make a pitchdeck and pitch their idea.
Eligibility Criteria
- Participants must meet the following requirements:
- Apply as a team of 3 to 5 people (already formed at the time of registration).
- Most team members must be between 18 and 30 years old, including the team representative.
- Be citizens and residents of South Africa
- Have access to computers and a good internet connection.
- Have an idea for an innovative solution to a water, sanitation or waste management problem and be able to show progress in its validation (prototype, business model, etc.)
- Have the intention to transform the idea into a social enterprise
- Women are especially encouraged to apply and be team representatives.
- Have an identified vulnerable community (urban or rural) for a potential pilot. Have access to relevant stakeholders in the area, such as community members and authorities.
- Be fully available between Friday, July 21st, and Sunday, July 23rd, to participate in the online event
- If selected, participate in a brief (30-minute) technical presentation session of the platform on July 13th. Teams that do not participate in this session will not be able to participate in the event.
- If chosen as winners, have availability for two members of the team to travel to a face-to-face bootcamp from September 8th to 12th in Cape Town. All costs covered except the transport from your home to the airport and back.
For more information, visit ManziMakers Challenge.