It's been a year since the Innovation for All Foundation began its long-term partnership with the charity Practical Action.
Practical Action is working with communities to develop innovative, lasting and locally-owned solutions to some of the world's toughest problems. They have a focus on four areas: agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy.
Together with the People's Lottery, Kilburn & Strode are exclusively funding a climate resilience project in the Mahama refugee camp in Rwanda. This particular project really speaks to our firm's values and sustainability focus, as well as the Innovation for All Foundation's Theme and Objective:
Innovation for Good, and Through innovation, to sustainably provide benefit for those in need.
We were privileged to meet with Practical Action's Africa Director last week who gave us an update on the project. Much has been achieved already! Below are a few of the key milestones:
- Core Agricultural Co-operatives set up and established, with gender and social inclusion training
- Technology, business and market training, with designing of a 5-year strategic plan
- Soil testing, crop selection and nursery seeding is all complete
- Compost production is ready for the growth season
- First test solar panels set up after site scoping
Coming up next, work on the solar irrigation system is beginning now, with testing already in place. At the moment, water is carried from a nearby river using 10 litter plastic containers. Typically, farmers make the journey to the river over 100 times a day simply to irrigate crops. With our Foundation's money, which comes from setting aside part of our yearly profit, the solar system will be built and used to pump water up to the crops to irrigate throughout the year, sustainably using energy, and having such a significant impact for good on the lives of the refugees!
We are excited to see the positive changes already happening and look forward to future development.
If you have any questions about the Innovation For All Foundation, please contact the funds chair, Caelia.
To apply for the 2023 grant, please click here by 31 March 2023.
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