The global non-profit organisation for children and youth, Reach for Change’s support programmes for social entrepreneurs have positively impacted 237,490 African children and youth in 2017
The programmes provide entrepreneurs with business development support, capacity building, grant funding and networking opportunities, components that enable them to scale their impact and operations, reaching more child and youth beneficiaries as well as creating employment in their communities.
Amma Sefa-Dedeh Lartey, Africa regional director of Reach for Change, said, “Every year we receive thousands of applications for support from promising African entrepreneurs who have innovations with the potential to solve some of the most critical challenges facing Africa, things like health, education, inequality and economic growth.”
Reach for Change supported 65 African social entrepreneurs through its intensive multi-year incubator programme designed to help organisations scale and 93 social entrepreneurs through its shorter-term accelerator program designed to help entrepreneurs launch operations.
An indicator of the success of the organisation's accelerator and incubator programmes, the report cites that 100 per cent of social entrepreneurs who have graduated from Reach for Change’s programs in Africa are still in business today and continue to deliver impact in their communities.
“In order to make a meaningful contribution to Africa’s development, the solution lies in linking local innovators with great ideas to the right supports to help them implement strategic plans to maximize their impact and stay in business over the long term,” Lartey added.
The report also announced the launch of two new accelerators focused on economic empowerment for women and youth employment, two pressing issues in Africa.
The women’s economic empowerment accelerator will assist women-led enterprises to launch and grow sustainable businesses that employ large numbers of women, especially in rural and marginalised areas.
The youth accelerator, dubbed Youthforce Africa, will open up pathways for youth employment and build youth’s skills and drive investment in youth-led enterprises in Africa.
