Deadline Extended - Open Call for Social Entrepreneurs in Nigeria and Kenya!

Are you an entrepreneur with a solution focused on improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and/or sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in Nigeria or Kenya? 

The Access Accelerator could be the program for you! This program could help take your idea to the next level with expert mentorship, network expansion, and seed funding. Don't miss this opportunity!

Deadline Extended to October 13, 2024 at 23:55 West Africa Time

🔎🔎🔎 Make sure to read the Full Terms of Reference for Nigeria and Kenya

‍🚩 Click here to submit your application.

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FAQ:

1) What is the Reckitt Access Accelerator?

The program is delivered by Reckitt, the consumer health, hygiene and nutrition company, home to some of the world's best known brands such as Dettol and Durex, in partnership with Yunus Social Business (YSB), an organization co-founded by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus with expertise in social enterprise accelerators.

We have created the Access Accelerator to harness the power of business to tackle the world's greatest problems. Social enterprises combine business efficiency with community impact, and by accelerating their growth, we can enable access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for more people, whilst also driving economic growth, creating jobs, and reducing poverty. By working with entrepreneurs that inherently understand the needs of their communities, we can reach people with solutions that work. This approach also provides a platform for Reckitt employees to directly engage and contribute to our purpose, making them catalysts for impact.

To date, we have helped scale 18 social businesses, with innovations ranging from solar-powered water purification systems, to youth-oriented handwashing education programmes, to reusable menstrual pads. (Learn more about the selected social entrepreneurs for our previous cohorts in Nigeria, South Africa, and Brazil.)

For this upcoming acceleration cycle, we have expanded the open call for proposals to include businesses that aim to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) solutions. Recent research has drawn significant connections between WASH and SRH, where access to WASH is considered a fundamental component of sexual health especially when it comes to preventing and managing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and securing the rights of women and girls. 

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👇 Watch this video to get a glimpse of what it would be like to be a part of the accelerator

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2) Who is eligible to apply? 

We are seeking social businesses based in Nigeria and Kenya that address the challenges of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) through:

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🛠️ Improving Infrastructure of Access

• Solutions to reduce loss in water distribution

• Solutions for better management and technical training of service providers and public agents responsible for water and sewage

• New and effective forms of financing for the sector (providers and consumers)

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🦾 Innovation and decentralization 

• New technologies that offer 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 

• Methodologies for efficient maintenance of water, sanitation and hygiene solutions ‍

• New and cost-effective solutions to educate, raise awareness, prevent, and treat sexually transmitted diseases and promote sexual and reproductive health 

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📖 Information, education & community management 

• Methodologies and social interventions for information and education on water, sanitation, hygiene, and sexual and reproductive health‍

• Methodologies and social interventions for community management of existing and new  water, sanitation, hygiene and sexual and reproductive health solutions. 

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We also encourage applications from social enterprises that offer WASH and SRH solutions for the following beneficiary groups:

✅ Women and girls 

✅ Populations in remote and rural areas 

✅ Populations in informal settlements 

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🔎 Read the full Terms of Reference for Nigeria and Kenya.

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3) Why should I apply?

All social businesses who complete the program will get access to:

• Tailored support & capacity-building: Receive mentorship and topic-based guidance from industry professionals, including Reckitt employees, who can offer learning across a wide range of subjects from digital marketing to impact measurement & management. ‍

• Extensive business network: The Access Accelerator offers social entrepreneurs an open door to partners and supporters from Reckitt, Yunus Social Business, and the global WASH community who are fully committed to creating better access to WASH for the long-term.‍

• Access to seed funding: Financial support to help scale the growth of the participating social businesses beyond the accelerator

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4) Has the Reckitt Access Accelerator been run before?

Yes it has, in fact the accelerator has already completed cycles in Brazil, South Africa, and most recently, Nigeria. Learn more about the results of the accelerator in the July 2023 Impact Report on Brazil and South Africa.

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A data snapshot from the Impact Report:

• Each social enterprise received an average of 66 hours of expert support
• South African social entrepreneurs reported an average of 132% knowledge increase on impact measurement & management before vs. after the programme
• Brazilian social entrepreneurs reported an average of of 23% behavior improvement in financial modelling before vs. after the programme

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5) What happened to past participants after graduating from the Access Accelerator?

Here are some quotes and updates from our social entrepreneurs across the 3 cohorts.

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‍"Since the closing of the Nigeria accelerator, Alora Reusable Pads has increased production capacity by 3x, improved quality control to meet SON and NAFDAC guidelines, and recruited 3 more tailors to the team."

‍- Sarah Kuponiyi, CEO & Founder of Alora Reusable Pads

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Ezequiel Vedana da Rosa, Founder & CEO of Piipee, has since been selected to participate in the exclusive  Re.Generation Future Leaders programme, funded by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. His social business, Piipee has also begun their international expansion via exporting their product to Chile and opening a subsidiary in Europe

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‍‍Orion Herman, Founder & CEO of Liquid Gold, stands together with his Reckitt mentor, Deroosha Naidoo, in front of the Liquid Gold plant. Together, they are mapping out the operational processes, risks, and mitigation measures that Liquid Gold needs to secure necessary certifications for their line of business. This mentorship between Orion and Deroosha is happening in 2024, 1 year after the closing of the South Africa accelerator programme, which attests to the long-term support that social entrepreneurs of the Access Accelerator program can receive.

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5) Who can I reach out to for additional questions?

If you have any questions about your form, send an email to wash@yunussb.com or reach out to our Access Accelerator official WhatsApp  number: +234 9166415407. 

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📚 Read the articles below to learn more about the Reckitt Access Accelerator and the work of our inspiring social entrepreneurs

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Reckitt Access Accelerator Impact Report

A snapshot of the impact that the programme has created across 3 levels: impact on communities, on social businesses, and Reckitt mentors. Learn more about the outcomes of our Brazil and South Africa cohort in this 2023 report.

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Building on the success of the WASH accelerator

Now with 3 markets and a total of 18 social businesses scaled, the Reckitt Access Accelerator looks to the future of growing the WASH ecosystem further.

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Poverty, pollution, health and WASH: Can interlinked problems offer interlinked solutions?

Being ill from inadequate WASH and waste services reduces productivity and increases healthcare costs, oftentimes pushing individuals and families even deeper into poverty. Read this article to see how Nigerian social business, Soso Care addresses SDGs 3 and 6 at once.

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Women making waves: Female social entrepreneurs in the WASH sector

Stories from the two female founders in the Reckitt Access Accelerator Nigeria programme mirror the reality that young girls have to carry when they live without access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. This article shines a light on the impact that empowered women in the sector can create.

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6 social businesses at the heart of the Access Accelerator in Nigeria

Only about 10% of Nigerians have access to the full range of water, sanitation, and hygiene services. Get to know the social businesses that are working to make a change.

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These 6 inspiring social businesses are fighting for access to Water, Sanitation, and hygiene in Brazil

15 million Brazilians living in urban areas do not have access to safe drinking water for their homes. These 6 social businesses in Brazil focus on solutions that drive social innovation and impact on local communities.

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Meet the social entrepreneurs of Reckitt's Access Accelerator in South Africa

Get to know the inspiring social entrepreneurs that comprise the South African cohort of Reckitt's Access Accelerator which seeks to change the narrative on over 26% of local schools having no access to clean water.

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5 things to know about Reckitt's Access Accelerator

Reckitt and YSB are working together to deliver the accelerator in South Africa and Brazil, focusing on scaling innovative solutions that enable access to WASH.

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🚩 Click here to submit your application for the Access Accelerator!

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