Category: Accelerator Programs

Call for Applications: Africa CDC Bingwa PLUS Initiative Y-Health Incubation Program 2025

The Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC) in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Office to the African Union and YouthHubAfrica is pleased to announce the call for applications for Bingwa PLUS, an incubator for young African health champions passionate about improving the health of their communities.

The Bingwa PLUS is an offshoot of the African Union Bingwa Initiative that mobilized Youth Health Advocates (Bingwas) to rally communities and boost vaccination uptake across Africa during COVID-19.

It seeks to strengthen young health champions ability to design, resource, and manage impactful community health initiatives.

Through this program, participants will gain the skills needed to address critical health needs in their communities, strengthen their leadership and innovation capacities, and build structures that can support the continent in times of health crises.

Program Summary 

• Type: Accelerator Program
• Duration: 4 months
• Sponsor: Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC)
• Eligible Countries: African Countries
• Benefits: Skills and Trainings, Small grants up to $3,000, Accessibility to webinars, Membership
• Deadline: November 17, 2024

Africa CDC Bingwa PLUS Initiative Y-Health Incubation Program 2025 Requirements

We are looking for scalable community health initiatives that are youth-led, youth-driven, and youth-focused, with the potential to create lasting impact. To apply, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Citizens of AU member states
• Aged 18-35
• Public health enthusiasts with demonstrable leadership potential, experience in and passion for improving health outcomes within their communities.
• Submission of a proposal demonstrating an excellent understanding of the health challenge to be addressed and proposing a clear, scalable solution to the challenge.
• Available to be a part of a 4 month incubation program.
• Applicants from marginalized or disadvantaged backgrounds (gender, youth from rural areas, youth with disabilities, geographic balance, etc.) are encouraged to apply.
• Applicants with ideas related to current disease outbreaks and health emergencies, such as Mpox and Marburg, will be given a priority.

Benefits of the Africa CDC Bingwa PLUS Initiative Y-Health Incubation Program 2025

• Access to weekly webinars led by experts and the YouthHubAfrica Academy’s online platform.
• Membership in a broader network of Young Health advocates across Africa
• Opportunities to showcase your ideas to a continental audience as a Bingwa Plus, with additional visibility through Africa CDC and GIZ.
• An opportunity to pitch your innovation and receive small grants of up to USD 3,000.
• Tailored mentorship and hands-on support during project implementation
• Scale-up support from Africa CDC and its partners (GIZ, YouthHubAfrica) in identifying and applying to further funding opportunities.

Method of Application 

Applicants are expected to fill the application form online (https://bit.ly/Y-HealthIP) and provide the following:

• A reflection on their motivation to join the program and a reflection on their fit to the program.
• A 300-word pitch on a health challenge they plan to solve and the intended solution they wish to pursue if chosen for the incubation program.

Applicants with ideas related to Mpox and Marburg, will be given a priority.

• A copy of their most recent curriculum vitae, no longer than three pages.
• A recommendation letter written by an employer, volunteer supervisor or teacher/lecturer who can speak to their character, community engagement ability, leadership potential, and ability to implement complex projects.

Deadline:

• The application will close on 17 November 2024 at 11:59 PM East Africa Time.
• Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Decision announcement:

Successful applicants will be contacted by the end of November.

Apply Here Africa CDC Bingwa PLUS Initiative Y-Health Incubation Program 2025

Applications are open for the Global Schools Advocates Program 2025. Global Schools’ flagship initiative, the Global Schools Advocates Program, is a cohort-style program for educators and school leaders globally who want to integrate themes of sustainable development into their classrooms.

Developed with insights gathered from over 220 sustainable development experts and 40+ educators, the program supports schools in integrating sustainable development into school curricula, operations, and pedagogy.

The program provides educators with: training and pedagogical materials and a global community of liked-minded educators.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the Advocates include:

• Complete the online training. The advocates will participate in a 10-15 hour online training program to develop their understanding of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
• Introduce ESD to their school. Advocates will be given a Toolkit with a presentation as well as a workshop that they can adapt to school communities.
• Integrate ESD activities in classrooms and/or the school community. Advocates will be given a Toolkit with Lesson Plans and Activities that they can carry out throughout their mandate in their classroom and/or school. The Advocates program does not require teachers to implement a defined curriculum.
• Share their Journey. Advocates will be tasked with sharing their journey with the Global Schools community. They can also share projects and initiatives with school leadership, parents, and the greater community.

Benefits

Teachers accepted to the program will receive:

• Free online training, developed by the Global Schools team to increase sustainable development literacy and provide teachers with new, active strategies to implement in the classroom;
• Monthly online workshops and conversations on sustainable development to connect educators with other education leaders and SDG Advocates;
• Access to an educator network of like-minded teachers working to implement activities and lessons on global issues within their classrooms;
• Visibility opportunities and participation in conferences as educators can be selected to share their advocacy work at the International Conference on Sustainable Development, the Vatican Youth Symposium, the ECOSOC Youth Forum, and in the Global Schools Case-Study Guide;
• Structured mentorship program with an experienced educator who has already completed the Global Schools Advocates program;
• A comprehensive Advocates Toolkit with 17+ supporting documents meant to guide their work in school communities;
• A formal Certificate of Completion.

Eligibility

• Applicants are teachers at primary or secondary school worldwide (teachers employed through volunteering programs such as UN Volunteers, Fulbright, Teach for All, etc. are also eligible).
• Applicants possess a high level of English to complete the Advocates Training and engage with the global network.
• Willingness to commit a minimum of 5 hours per week for this role. Global Schools does not require you to implement a defined curriculum. Your 5-10 hours a week should be spent learning, brainstorming with other teachers, experimenting with integrating sustainable development in your lesson plans, and creating a movement for sustainable development in your school.
• Passion for the mission of the sustainable development goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. However, no prior experience with the sustainable development goals is required!
• Willingness to learn and engage with a global community of teachers.
• Ability to inspire others and willingness to motivate other teachers and faculty in your school to join you on your ESD journey!

Deadline: November 24, 2024

Apply here

Also Apply:

• SDG Innovation Accelerator 2024-2025 for Young Professionals
• Social Media Manager at Gracetech Group Limited
• Hainan University China Link Scholarships 2025 (Fully Funded)
• ICP Connect Study Scholarships (VLIR-OUS) 2025 in Belgium (Fully Funded)

Mastercard Foundation FRP Agribusiness Challenge Fund 2024 For Africans

The Mastercard Foundation Fund for Resilience and Prosperity is the second phase of a program from the Mastercard Foundation.

The first phase was the Mastercard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity, an eight-year program established in 2014.

That Fund supported 38 participants from 15 countries in Africa innovating and scaling financial products and services targeting the rural population with a large focus on agriculture.

One major highlight is the Fund enabled over 5.3 million people to have access to financial products and services, exceeding an initial target of 1 million.

As a result of this success and the learnings gathered, the Mastercard Foundation Fund for Resilience and Prosperity, a new, seven-year, US$ 126 million Fund was established in 2023.

This Fund aims to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) across the agriculture, climate adaptation, and digital economy sectors in 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The main objective of the Fund is to unlock enterprise growth and catalyze, scale up, and sustain the creation of dignified and fulfilling work opportunities for young women and men.

Program Summary 

• Type: Accelerator Program
• Sponsor: Mastercard Foundation
• Eligible Countries: Sub-Sahara African Countries
• Benefits: Connect Fund, Challenge Fund, Technical Assistance, Networking
• Deadline: November 22, 2024

Benefits of the Mastercard Foundation FRP Agribusiness Challenge Fund 2024

• Interventions: The Mastercard Foundation Fund for Resilience and Prosperity aims to address a broad spectrum of SME-specific challenges as well as macro issues using four interventions:
• Challenge Fund: Offering direct financial support through a challenge fund to address the resource flow barriers faced by SMEs looking to scale-up and, in turn, create and sustain employment opportunities for young women and men.
• Connect Fund: Providing investor readiness support to the SMEs and negotiation of partnerships with potential financiers to ensure sustainability and growth.
• Technical Assistance (TA): Adding value beyond financial support through technical assistance and capacity building to address the barriers concerning human capital and access to markets.
• Convening and influencing: Convening relevant stakeholders to encourage an enabling business environment through experienced partners and digital platforms to drive systematic change and address the issues that impede the creation of work opportunities for the youth, especially young women.

Mastercard Foundation FRP Agribusiness Challenge Fund 2024 Requirements 

• Each challenge fund sector is different. However, all challenges will seek proposals from SMEs that are innovative, commercially viable, and that will create dignified and fulfilling work opportunities for young women and men, young people with disabilities or refugee youth. In each challenge, applicants will be required to meet certain criteria.
• Selection will be based on applications meeting a certain threshold of the Fund selection criteria. Read more about this on the specific challenge page.

Countries of Focus

• The Fund’s objective is to support SMEs in 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• This will ensure a distribution of SME-based solutions that can sustainably create dignified and fulfilling work for young men and women, young people with disabilities and refugee youth even after the end of the program.

The countries are:

• Benin, Burundi, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

Deadline: 22nd November, 2024

Apply Here for Mastercard Foundation FRP Agribusiness Challenge Fund 2024