Africa rural connect
Encyclopedia
Africa Rural Connect is a program of the National Peace Corps Association
. The website was launched on July 15, 2009 as an online collaboration tool for users to share and build upon ideas to solve some of the challenges facing rural African communities. The ARC community features ideas and insight from returned and current U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers, members of the African Diaspora, development professionals, and academic scholars. ARC also encourages input from anyone who may have an interests or skill-sets that coincide with the ideas posted on the site. ARC is also holding a competition, offering funding to implement the best projects on the site. The second Africa Rural Connect Competition launched on March 15, 2010 and will run until November 15, 2010.
The First Round will run from March 15- May 15.
The Second Round will run from May 15- July 15.
The Third Round will run from July 15- September 15.
Fourth Round will run from September 15- November 15.
Carol Bellamy
, President and CEO, World Learning, former Director of the Peace Corps, and former Executive Director of UNICEF.
Wilber James, manager of Rockport Capital, a leading venture capital firm and director of the African Wildlife Foundation
.
Angélique Kidjo
, world-renowned Beninoise signer-songwriter and UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
Bruce McNamer, CEO of TechnoServe
.
Wilber James, manager of Rockport Capital, a leading venture capital firm and Director of the African Wildlife Foundation.
Mariéme Jamme, CEO, SpotOne Global Solutions.
Bruce McNamer, CEO of TechnoServe
.
, a non-profit, membership-based alumni organization that serves all returned Peace Corps volunteers and former staff, as well as Peace Corps family, friends, and supporters. The project is supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
as part of the foundation’s Agricultural Development initiative to provide millions of small-holder farmers in the developing world with tools and opportunities to boost their yields, increase their incomes, and build better lives for themselves and their families.
National Peace Corps Association
-Overview:Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Washington, DC, the National Peace Corps Association is the nation’s leading 501 nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community through networking and mentoring to help guide former Volunteers...
. The website was launched on July 15, 2009 as an online collaboration tool for users to share and build upon ideas to solve some of the challenges facing rural African communities. The ARC community features ideas and insight from returned and current U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers, members of the African Diaspora, development professionals, and academic scholars. ARC also encourages input from anyone who may have an interests or skill-sets that coincide with the ideas posted on the site. ARC is also holding a competition, offering funding to implement the best projects on the site. The second Africa Rural Connect Competition launched on March 15, 2010 and will run until November 15, 2010.
Technology
Africa Rural Connect runs on the Wegora platform. Like other, similar platforms, Wegora allows each user to post their idea onto the website and to receive encouragement and advice in the form of comments on their idea page. However, Wegora also includes unique features, such as the ability of users to create improved versions of each others ideas, clearly displaying how collaboration can transform a small idea into a full-out project plan. Also, users can "endorse" any idea in order to show their support of the suggested initiative.Ideas
The site features ideas that aim to improve rural communities in Africa. There are four primary categories in which most ideas fall into: Agribusiness, Communication, Post-Harvest Losses, and Water Resources. Posts can range from one sentence ideas that prompt the creation of more detailed projects, to comprehensive business plans from established organizations.2009
The ARC competition opened on July 15, 2009, when the site launched, and will close on November 15, 2009. There are 4 month-long preliminary rounds in the competition. The top 3 ideas in in each round receive seed funding to implement their plans, first place receives $3,000, second place receives $2,000, and 3rd place receives $1,000. At the close of the fourth round, ARC judges will deliberate over the ideas, selecting the final winner in December 2009. The grand prize winner will receive $20,000 of project seed funds.| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Place | Zittnet- harnessing information to make rural markets work better | Self-Supported Ghanaian Subsistence Farmers Consortiums | Electronic Agriculture in Kenya’s Arid and Semi–Arid Lands (ASAL) Schools | The Ndekero Challenge: A Systems Approach to Rabbit Keeping... |
| Second Place | Create a Solar Powered Energy Revolution across West Africa | The Acceleration of Innovation | Dehydration of Vegetable Products | Bamboo Lota: The Dream for a Sustainable Malawi |
| 3rd place | Soymilk Production Expansion | Project Irrigation Initiative- Region Kedougou, Senegal | Irrigation is the Key for Africa to Take on Drought | Rainwater Harvesting in Rural Tanzania |
| Grand Prize Winner |
|---|
| The Ndekero Challenge: A Systems Approach to Rabbit Keeping by a Rural Community in Partnership with a Commercial Rabbit Farm |
2010
The newest ARC competition launched on March 15, 2010 and will close on November 15, 2010. This time there will be four two-month long rounds in the contest.The top 10 ideas in each round will become Round Winners. The judges will select the 2 best ideas based on how well the plans meet the selection criteria. These 2 winners will receive $1,000 each towards implementation. At the end of the fourth and final round, the competition will close and the panel of judges will select one Grand Prize Winner from all of the ideas posted on the site during the four rounds. This Grand Prize Winner will be selected by merit-based criteria and will receive $12,000 towards the implementation of the idea. We will announce the Grand Prize Winner in early December.The First Round will run from March 15- May 15.
The Second Round will run from May 15- July 15.
The Third Round will run from July 15- September 15.
Fourth Round will run from September 15- November 15.
2009
Four judges will select the final Grand Prize Winner in December 2009:Carol Bellamy
Carol Bellamy
Carol Bellamy has been Director of the Peace Corps, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund , and President and CEO of World Learning. In April, 2009, Bellamy was appointed as Chair of the International Baccalaureate Board of Governors...
, President and CEO, World Learning, former Director of the Peace Corps, and former Executive Director of UNICEF.
Wilber James, manager of Rockport Capital, a leading venture capital firm and director of the African Wildlife Foundation
African Wildlife Foundation
The African Wildlife Foundation , founded in 1961 as the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation, is an international conservation organization that focuses on critically important landscapes in Africa....
.
Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva". The BBC has...
, world-renowned Beninoise signer-songwriter and UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
Bruce McNamer, CEO of TechnoServe
TechnoServe
TechnoServe is a non-governmental organisation based in Washington, DC which helps entrepreneurial men and women in poor areas of the developing world to build businesses that create income, opportunity and economic growth for their families, their communities and their...
.
2010
Three judges will select 2 prize winners out of the top 10 ideas of each round.They will also select the final Grand Prize Winner in December 2010:Wilber James, manager of Rockport Capital, a leading venture capital firm and Director of the African Wildlife Foundation.
Mariéme Jamme, CEO, SpotOne Global Solutions.
Bruce McNamer, CEO of TechnoServe
TechnoServe
TechnoServe is a non-governmental organisation based in Washington, DC which helps entrepreneurial men and women in poor areas of the developing world to build businesses that create income, opportunity and economic growth for their families, their communities and their...
.
Funding and Support
ARC is hosted by the National Peace Corps AssociationNational Peace Corps Association
-Overview:Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Washington, DC, the National Peace Corps Association is the nation’s leading 501 nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community through networking and mentoring to help guide former Volunteers...
, a non-profit, membership-based alumni organization that serves all returned Peace Corps volunteers and former staff, as well as Peace Corps family, friends, and supporters. The project is supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
as part of the foundation’s Agricultural Development initiative to provide millions of small-holder farmers in the developing world with tools and opportunities to boost their yields, increase their incomes, and build better lives for themselves and their families.