New Incubator Model Launched
Solutions to society’s most pressing problems are often found by those most affected by them. Many “new” technologies are really combinations and modifications of existing, independent ideas. Innovating means tweaking . In Ghana, as in many other countries, innovative tweakers are already working locally to improve the lives of children. What…, An incubator to identify and support local innovations, To address this need, UNICEF Ghana has partnered with the Reach for Change foundation and the European Union to establish the I imagine Ghana innovation incubator. 200 applications were received from all over Ghana, covering the priority areas of education; health & nutrition; child protection; water, hygiene and sanitation; and youth…, A proven model to nurture lasting solutions, I imagine Ghana is built on the innovation incubator model that has been successfully deployed by Reach for Change in six African countries . Rather than financing the operations of social entrepreneurs, the incubator supports them to develop sustainable business models. Special value is placed on transferring relevant skills; therefore the…, Ten ideas for a better Ghana, According to UNICEF Country Representative, Ms. Susan Ngongi, who chaired the final jury panel, “ It wasn’t easy to select the best ideas because there were many great contestants who would have deserved a chance. But we had to identify the ideas that have the potential to become sustainable after one year of support from Reach for Change and…, Meet the 1st cohort of “I imagine Ghana” innovators , , Bernice Dapaah: Producing sanitary pads locally to keep teenage girls in school. , Bernice wants to help teenage girls to stay in school by addressing their challenges related to menstrual hygiene. Through her business, she will set up small manufacturing plants of sanitary pads, produced with local materials using a technique piloted in Kenya. She will employ women from rural communities, thus providing employment opportunities…, , Cordie Aziz: Environmental education for all, for a cleaner and healthier Ghana. , Cordie is passionate about environmental education, and believes that a cleaner and healthier Ghana is possible if we engage with children. She will open a centre that will provide a safe and stimulating space for underprivileged children, who will be taught about environmental protection, sanitation and creative use of recycled materials. Her…, , Ernest Gavor: Improving availability of blood to reduce maternal and newborn mortality. , Ernest is the founder of an organization called Moja, which means ‘blood’ in the Twi language. In Ghanaian hospitals there is a chronic shortage of blood, which poses a big health risk especially for mothers and their babies during birth. Many Ghanaians have direct experience of urgent requests to donate blood to save the life of a relative or a…, , Ishmael Hammond: Using local language phonetics to teach dyslexic children to read. , Ishmael is one of the creators of an offline methodology that uses the phonetic sounds of the Twi language (the most commonly spoken language in Ghana) to teach children with learning difficulties how to read. Once the child has learned through this method, s/he is able to read in any other language. Now Ishmael will make a digital version of his…, , Randolph and Wolanyo Rodrigues: Promoting literacy through an offline/online storytelling platform. , The two cousins are passionate about education. They believe that a different, more engaging approach can help children become more articulated adults. They have observed that children love social networks and like to share their stories, so they have created an app that fosters collaborative writing, and can also support inputs from offline…, , Linda Ansong: Science and ICT education for children. , Linda has a passion for IT and believes that everyone, girls and boys, young and old, can learn how to code and create apps and IT objects. She thinks that if children received a more solid S.T.E.M. education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), they would have more chances to succeed in adult life. Therefore, she will open a centre…, , Wilson and Zakyia Amooro: music education with instruments from recycled materials. , Wilson and Zakyia will bring classical music to remote areas of Ghana. Providing children with musical training will help them to express themselves in a creative and stimulating way. They will make this accessible by creating musical instruments from recycled materials, thus also helping to reduce the amount of waste in Ghanaian communities –…
Office of Innovation
