The Innovation Accelerator (iAccelerator) is a mentorship driven acceleration programme, supporting young entrepreneurs with seed funding, training and skills development to generate innovative solutions in response to challenges related to sexual and reproductive health, sexuality education, family planning, maternal health and other population development issues. The iAccelerator seeks to generate innovative, youth-led solutions for youth in Rwanda, to have increased utilization of health services and adopt healthy and safe attitudes and behaviours.
Implemented by Imbuto Foundation in partnership with MYCULTURE, UNFPA and KOICA, iAccelerator is an initiative and model initially launched in December 2016, aiming at exploring new and engaging ways to tackle pressing population challenges in the region while promoting social entrepreneurship among young people.
The iAccelerator seeks to generate innovative, youth-led solutions for youth in Rwanda, to have increased utilization of health services and adopt healthy and safe attitudes and behaviours.
This year’s iAccelerator will focus on encouraging young people to think critically and creatively about issues associated with Sexual Reproductive Health, and more specifically in relation to disabilities and mental health issues.
For this year’s iAccelerator, every applicant will be requested to address one of the following challenges:
• Increasing knowledge and awareness on mental health issues faced by youth and mitigating the stigma in seeking help and guide where they can find support.
This project is open to all Rwandan nationals as well as residents of Rwanda, aged between 18-30 years old.
iAccelerator is targeting young people in Rwanda because they make up for the largest section of the population (29%). They are the most affected by the challenges that the Government seeks to address. Youth are in a better position to propose creative and innovative solutions to challenges facing fellow youth, through mediums they are more drawn to, such as online, televised and reading platforms.
Additionally, we believe the project has the potential to address youth unemployment through the promotion of social entrepreneurship.
Yes. Groups can apply for the project, comprising of not more than 4 individuals.
Gender equality is highly encouraged in this competition, as issues that are addressed are not one-sided, and should be tackled by both genders.
Yes. However, it does not exempt you from going through each of the project’s stages. Forgot what the stages are? Refer to timeline.
Applicants are allowed to develop and submit their applications in either English, French or Kinyarwanda
Winners will be selected by a panel of judges with expertise in fields such as health, social entrepreneurship and innovation. The judging criteria will be based on pitching skills, observed research made on the subject, team work (if applicable), relevance of solutions to the challenge as well as creativity expressed in reaching youth through the presented innovation.
The iAccelerator will start with a countrywide selection of sustainable and scalable youth-friendly SRH projects. The top 3 projects will be awarded with seed funding of $10,000 and will be provided with access to 6 months of training & mentorship.
You can email us at empowerment@imbutofoundation.org or reach out to us by DM (Direct Message) on all our social media platforms.
The Innovation Accelerator (iAccelerator) ni gahunda yo kwihutisha inama, igamije gufasha ba rwiyemezamirimo bakiri bato bahabwa ubufasha bw’amafaranga, amahugurwa bafashwa guteza imbere ubumenyi bwabo kugira ngo batange ibisubizo byo guhanga udushya mu rwego rwo guhangana n’ibibazo bijyanye n’ubuzima bw’imibonano mpuzabitsina n’imyororokere, kwigisha imibonano mpuzabitsina, kuboneza urubyaro, ubuzima bwo mu mutwe n’ibindi bibazo bibangamira iterembere ry’abaturage.
iAccelerator igamije gutanga ibisubizo by’udushya, biyobowe n’urubyiruko ku rubyiruko mu Rwanda, kugira ngo hongerwe imikoreshereze ya serivisi z’ubuzima kandi bigire imyumvire n’imyitwarire myiza .
Uyu mushinga watekerejwe unashyirwa mu bikorwa na Imbuto Foundation ku bufatanye na UNFPA, Minisiteri y’Urubyiruko ndetse na KOICA. iAccelerator ni gahunda yatangijwe ku mugaragaro mu Ukuboza 2016 hagamijwe gushakisha uburyo bushya bwo gukemura ibibazo by’ingutu by’abaturage mu karere no guteza imbere kwihangira imirimo mu rubyiruko.
Kuri iAccelerator y’uyu mwaka, buri muntu wese uzashaka kwitabira azasabwa gukemura imwe mu mbogamizi zikurikira:
• Kugaragaza amakuru ya ASRH na serivisi z’ingimbi n'abangavu n’urubyiruko rufite ubumuga.
Amarembo arafunguye ku benegihugu bose bo mu Rwanda kimwe n’abatuye u Rwanda, bafite hagati y’imyaka 18-30.
iAccelerator ihanze amaso urubyiruko mu Rwanda kuko rugize igice kinini cyabaturage (29%).
Nirwo rwibasiwe cyane n’ibibazo Guverinoma ishaka gukemura. Urubyiruko ruri mumwanya mwiza wo gutanga ibisubizo byubaka kandi bishya ku bibazo byugarije urubyiruko bagenzi babo, bahuriye ku kuba aribo bamenya amakuru ajyanye no kuva aho umuntu ari, binyuze mu itangazamakuru ritandukanye baba bariho ririmo iryo kuri internet, televiziyo ndetse n’iryandika.
Byongeye kandi, twizera ko umushinga ufite ubushobozi bwo gukemura ubushomeri mu rubyiruko binyuze mu guteza imbere kwihangira imirimo.
Yego. Amatsinda ashobora gusaba kwitabira, ariko itsinda rikaba rigizwe n’abantu batarenze bane.
Uburinganire burashyigikirwa cyane muri iri rushanwa. N’ubwo bishobora gufatwa nk’aho bireba abakobwa kurusha abahungu, ntabwo bigarukira ku bakobwa gusa, kubera ko gutwita kw’ingimbi ari ikibazo kitagirwamo uruhare n’uruhande rumwe, kigomba kuba ikintu n’impande zombi.
Yego. Mu gihe bitakubuza kunyura muri buri cyiciro cy’umushinga. timeline.
Usaba yemerewe gukoresha Icyongereza, Igifaransa cyangwa Kinyarwanda.
Abatsinze bazatorwa n'itsinda ry'abakemurampaka bafite ubuhanga mu bijyanye n’ubuzima, kwihangira imirimo no guhanga udushya.
Ibipimo bizasuzumwa bizashingira ku buhanga, ubushakashatsi bwakozwe ku mushinga wa nyirawo, gukorera hamwe (mu gihe bishoboka), ireme ry’ibisubizo ku bibazo byagaragajwe ndetse n’ubuhanga bugaragara mu kugera ku rubyiruko binyuze mu gashya kagaragajwe.
iAccelerator izatangira gutoranya mu gihugu cyose imishinga irambye kandi yagutse kandi ijyanye n’urubyiruko. Imishinga itatu ya mbere izahabwa inkunga ingana na $ 10,000 kandi izahabwa amahirwe yo kubona amezi atandatu y’amahugurwa ndetse ba nyirayo bahabwe inama.
Urashobora kutwandikira kuri empowerment@imbutofoundation.org cyangwa ukwatwandikira ubutumwa ku mbuga nkoranyambaga zacu.
Applications to open on 13th November - 13th December 2020