Global Innovation Valley - GIV

The GIV fraternity wishes you a productive week ahead. We hope that each day will be filled with opportunities that you can utilize to take your career to the next level.

Christine Fadhili's enterprise, KHALIFAST FASHION DESIGN, has been shortlisted by Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism to undergo a 2-month mentorship program. The mentorship will be followed by an online pitch contest. The GIV fraternity is rooting for her to win!

Khalifast Fashion Design is a product of Global Innovation Valley's Applied Global Innovation Program (AGIP), an initiative that empowers young refugees and youth from the host communities through entrepreneurship training.

Featured Projects 2024 See the finalists and shortlisted applications for the 2024 Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism that will go through a 10-week Mentorship Program and compete on 18 November for the First place.

Did you know that we have two centers located approximately 20 kilometers apart? In our mission to empower young refugees and marginalized youth from host communities, we strive to create a replicable global network of "innovation valleys" that work together to achieve our shared goals.

Our empowerment model includes education through scholarship opportunities, training in social entrepreneurship, digital literacy and ICT programs, peace-building initiatives, and last-mile internet connectivity solutions.

Our partner organization, MAMA HOPE recognizes our communal impact. We participated in their Localization Development Accelerator (LDA) program. Let's read along below 👇.

Acknowledging Nuance in Program Creation for Communities LDA Program 2024 Cohort | Partner Reflections Series

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reports that only 4.4% of conventional households in Turkana County have access to the Internet. Furthermore, only 2.1% of the above-mentioned demographic own ICT equipment such as desktops, laptops, and tablets. This low internet pe*******on in the region has locked out the majority of the residents from accessing quality education (through digital tools) and some vital government services.

Due to its remoteness, harsh climatic conditions, and low population density expanding the internet infrastructure has proved costly and unattractive to commercial telco operators. As a result, new approaches to bridging the digital divide need to be explored. Among these options are community networks and satellite internet.

At Global Innovation Valley, we are proud of our efforts on the former, establishing internet hotspots in public spaces and our centers in Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei refugee settlement and offering digital literacy programs with the support of partners such as unconnected.org and Internet Society Foundation.

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITY - BRAND BOOK DESIGNER | We are looking for an experienced expert to assist us in creating a brand book. You will work closely with our Operations Lead and Digital Manager for between 1 to 3 months.

Are you interested in volunteering your skills to empower young refugees to become informed and self-reliant? Apply by filling up this form 👉 https://35pqjjey786.typeform.com/to/m2yg8Mr5. Alternatively, you can email us via [email protected].

Celebrating Excellence: A proud moment as our exceptional scholars' projects were recognized at the GIV Concentration Bootcamp! Three outstanding projects received top honors: two from Kakuma and one from Kalobeyei.

Special shoutout to REPELX Kakuma, a life-saving enterprise founded by Abdirahman Madimba, dedicated to producing repellent soaps and oils to combat malaria—a disease that tragically claims over 23,000 lives annually in Kenya.

We're thrilled to announce that Abdirahman's project took first place, impressing our judges with its potential to make a real impact. Congratulations to Abdirahman and the entire team for leading the charge against malaria and securing the top spot at the Bootcamp!


B. Thomas Henry,

Celebrating Innovation and Resilience!

After a rigorous selection process and overcoming significant challenges, our Bootcamp scholars have emerged with outstanding projects. Join us in congratulating the top enterprises chosen by our esteemed judges during GIV Concentration Bootcamp Pitch Desk:

Place: Nutae Cookies from Kalobeyei Center
An inspiring initiative tackling high anemia rates by offering nutritious chicken and vegetable-based cookies.

Founders: Emmanuel Benjamin & Otin Abraham
3rd Place: RISE AND SHINE from Kakuma center

Empowering single mothers by transforming recycled plastics into beautiful, handcrafted baskets.
Founder: Nyakong Riek

Place: Creative Iconic Zone from

Enhancing the beauty of restaurants and hotels with innovative coffee tables made from repurposed tires and wood.

Founder: Duop Chan

1st Place: from

A life-saving enterprise producing repellent soaps and oils to combat malaria, which claims over 23,000 lives annually in Kenya.

Founder: Abdirahman Madimba

We are incredibly grateful to support young visionaries in becoming social entrepreneurs and job creators. Together, we're building a brighter future!

B. Thomas Henry

This past week, we hosted an impactful and transformative Bootcamp, bringing together our dedicated scholars from both Kakuma and Kalobeyei centers. This event provided them with a crucial opportunity to refine their projects and bring their solutions closer to market readiness.

We're incredibly grateful to the judges from various organizations and partners who made this possible. A huge thank you to , , and from AAR Japan, Tajikistan office, as well as and from INKOMOKO , for offering their time, expertise, and invaluable feedback to our Cohort 4 scholars. Your contributions are paving the way for future innovators! Together, we are shaping the future!

,

B. Thomas Henry, SINA (Social Innovation Academy), Inkomoko Kenya

is a time of celebration at GIV! We proudly acknowledge the incredible work our scholars are doing in their communities. Through our a Chain Reaction model, we're empowering young people to become problem-solvers for their social and personal challenges. They're not just overcoming obstacles—they're becoming their own bosses, creating opportunities for themselves and others. We're honored to carry the mantle of restoring hope and shaping a brighter future for young people from marginalized communities. A heartfelt thank you to our individual and organizational partners for joining us in this mission and supporting disadvantaged youth to become the change they wish to see.

#2024!

Check out the recording of Blaise's presentation during the 's virtual conference on Experiential Learning. He shared about the Social Innovation Academy's model.

SINA Framework presented at the Africa Academic Hub and Catalyst2030 by Blaise Amani - SINA (Social Innovation Academy) The Africa Academic Hub creates a consortium of academic networks working on social entrepreneurship, sustainable development goals and systems change from around the world. For the session on “Experiential Learning” the SINA Framework was presented as a case study to learn from by Blaise Amani ...

Yesterday, Blaise Amani shared about our empowerment model during Catalyst 2030's virtual conference on "Experiential Learning: Integrating Real-World Projects into African Curricula." He took the attendants through our journey of empowering refugees & marginalized youth from host communities to become social entrepreneurs and job creators.

Dr. Peter Carlos Okantey (Palm University in Ghana) and Judith Wafula (Lukenya University in Kenya) were other panelists.

Learn more about our work: https://globalinnovationvalley.org/

GREEN AT MIND develops innovative, eco-friendly, and space-saving desk cook stoves that enhance efficiency and sustainability. The enterprise was founded in 2022 by Vincent UBELING during our Applied Global Innovation Program (AGIP).

AGIP is a 12-month program that empowers young refugees and marginalized youth from host communities through self-organized educational stages focusing on personal development, social entrepreneurship, and innovation.

Learn more about Green at Mind:

Green at Mind | Global Innovation Valley Green at Mind develops innovative, eco-friendly, and space-saving desk cook stoves that enhance efficiency and sustainability.

Our Applied Global Innovation Program (AGIP) empowers young refugees and marginalized youth from the host communities through social entrepreneurship and innovation. In 12 months, participants undergo intensive, multi-layered training programs meant to assist them in transforming their concepts into viable businesses.

Learn more about the program and the ventures that it has birthed ➡ https://globalinnovationvalley.org/applied-global-innovation-program-empowering-social-entrepreneurs/

Applied Global Innovation Program: Empowering Social Entrepreneurs | Global Innovation Valley Applied Global Innovation Program empowers refugees and marginalized youth from host communities on social entrepreneurship.

We strongly believe that it is a collective responsibility to protect those forced to flee their countries of origin due to wars or conflicts. We have to remember that such circumstances can happen to anyone, anywhere.

Refugee epitomizes strength, fortitude, and determination; someone who has endured a lot and believes that there's a better tomorrow. A true reflection of humanity - hope and determination.

A from one of the beneficiaries of our partnership with Google for Startups and Techfugees Kenya to offer scholarships to refugees in Kakuma and Kalobeyei on Google Professional Certificate courses.

The fact that someone fled his/her country due to war or conflict doesn't take away his/her creativity or education; refugees are not defined as incapable. They are builders of tomorrow, applying their voice, skills, & knowledge for the general betterment of humanity.

The orientation process for our second ICT and Digital Literacy cohort is underway in Kalobeyei. The program seeks to empower refugees and host communities with skills and knowledge that enable them to participate in the digital economy and secure employment.

We've partnered with Techfugees Kenya and Google for Startups to bring Google Career Certificate courses to our scholars. The courses, including Digital Marketing, IT Support, Project Management, and Cybersecurity, upskill scholars for entry-level jobs.

Fostering Quality Education Through Partnerships | Global Innovation Valley We provide education scholarship opportunities to youths in Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei refugee settlement.

We are committed to empowering refugees and marginalized youth in Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei refugee settlement with meaningful learning opportunities. We believe that acquiring knowledge and skills opens new doors in their lives, doors that can never be closed.

We strongly believe that everybody can play a role in protecting and empowering refugees. When empowered with skills and knowledge, refugees can greatly enrich our lives.

Are you in Kakuma or Kalobeyei and keen on driving positive change in your community through social and tech enterprises? We offer a scholarship program for marginalized youth, empowering them to unlock their potential as social entrepreneurs and job creators.

Apply for our scholarship program via https://bit.ly/GIV-AGIP-6 before 31st July 2024.

In Kakuma, we are located in Kakuma 2, Gambela (former Dreamland Bar). In Kalobeyei, we are located in KV1, opposite Settlement Primary School (we share a compound with RAS Security).

Assist us empower refugees, foster community resilience, and create pathways to economic empowerment and social cohesion.

You can support us by donating in-kind via https://globalinnovationvalley.org/support-us/

Support Global Innovation Valley Assist us empower refugees, foster community resilience, and create pathways to economic empowerment and social cohesion.

Our inaugural Digital Literacy cohort graduated last week. With support from the Internet Society Foundation, we successfully trained 71 young refugees from Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement on digital skills. Our Digital Literacy and ICT program equips young refugees with relevant knowledge and skills to enable them to secure employment opportunities or start their own ICT-powered ventures.

We are thankful to the Internet Society Foundation for supporting our program, our scholars who showed dedication and commitment for the past 3 months to attend the sessions, and our trainers who dedicated a tremendous amount of time to show up and share their knowledge with the scholars.

Learn more about our digital literacy program via https://globalinnovationvalley.org/digital-literacy-training/