Watipa is thrilled to be part of the Cambridge Social Ventures programme, part of the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.
Watipa has been selected as one of 11 social ventures starting the programme in September 2017. The programme will offer us a fantastic mentorship opportunities for Watipa to learn and grow as a social venture – a business that has social impact at the heart of its vision and way of working.
Watipa was selected on the basis of Edu Connect, a project to connect with other locally oriented scholarship programmes supporting youth development around the world. We want to connect with other initiatives so that young people can co-create and co-design the processes, gaining work experience, income generating opportunities, employability skills and employment. Being part of Edu Connect will also bring together people from very diverse contexts and backgrounds that can enable learning. People will have the chance to connect with people very far away and from different daily realities than their own – much like the experience Watipa will again from being part of the Cambridge Social Ventures programme.
Other social ventures in our cohort include:
- Africa Technology Business Network, which connects tech in the UK and across Africa and leads the Her Future Africa campaign.
- Archaeolink, that helps local communities take ownership of their archeological sites and cultural heritage.
- BeeBee Wraps, that has designed reusable, biodegradable, beeswax food wraps as a substitute for plastic.
- Halo, that has developed a pico-solar lighting device to ensure that everyone has access to healthy, safe and affordable lighting.
- Leaders Plus, that supports new parents stay on track for leadership roles in their careers while also caring for their children.
- The Lily-Jo Project, and online mental health service created by a singer-songwriter.
- MM Community, that empowers citizens of Myanmar to develop their local infrastructure.
- Posh Pods at Prospects Trust, that provides supportive work and training for adults with additional needs.
- Sniffy Wiffy, that produces skin care products and encourages men and women to do breast and testicular checks for cancer.
- Thrift, that makes the process of donating cloths to charity more convenient.