MUMBAI, India -- This not only applies to the 23 winners but also to all the other submitted technologies which were classified by experts as best-practice innovations.
The long-term aim is also to connect developers and users of interesting products and solutions as well as potential investors and development organizations. As a first step, Siemens Stiftung inititiated the “empowering people workshop” the day before the Award Ceremony. Here the winners had the opportunity to meet members of the CIDG, an initiative of Siemens Stiftung and Ashoka. As both organizations offer support to social entrepreneurs who use technologies to work in local communities, the winners could also benefit from the know-how and experience that was exchanged in the workshop.
“We are delighted with the ingenious and passionate inventors and their promising results presented here in Nairobi”, stated Rolf Huber, Managing Director of the Siemens Stiftung. “We are convinced that all of these solutions will have a great impact on the lives of people in developing countries. By empowering individuals, we can empower communities, with long-term effects. We have twenty-three winners here today. But we know that by embedding solutions in operative projects and business models, we will be able to create many more winners in the world.”
The top three winners of the “empowering people. Award” are as follows:
First Prize: OneDollarGlasses
Glasses for less than one USD, which are even affordable for poor people with
impaired vision. They consist of a lightweight, but extremely robust spring steel wire and two unbreakable plastic lenses. The frames are manufactured locally on an innovative bending device which is specially designed for this purpose and does not require power supply. The approach includes a basic training tool for opticians.
Second Prize: MakaPads - Sanitary Pads
Sanitary napkins help women and create jobs. MakaPads are produced from papyrus fibres, paper and water, and without electrical energy. The heat of the sun takes care of the drying process; smoothing and compressing are carried out mechanically. The inserts are 75% cheaper than normal sanitary napkins and 100% biodegradable.
Third Prize: Jompy Water Boiler
Effective all-in-one system: water disinfection and energy efficiency during cooking. Attached between the pots and the cooking area on an open fire, the water purifier makes it possible to heat water whilst cooking. The temperature rises high enough to destroy 98 percent of harmful germs that cause severe diseases such as diarrhoea. The costs are redeemed through saved fuel.
For further information on our top three winners, further winners and the winner of the Community Prize as well as details about the competition, please visit www.empowering-people-award.org.
“empowering people. Award” on Facebook: www.facebook.com/EmpoweringPeopleAward
and on Twitter www.twitter.com/Emp_Ppl_Award
About the Siemens Stiftung
ENCOURAGE. empowering people. The Siemens Stiftung wants to empower people to actively address today’s social challenges and is dedicated to the values of Werner von Siemens. Together with partners, the foundation designs and implements local and international projects with the aim of promoting individual responsibility and self-initiative. The foundation is committed to enlarging basic services and social entrepreneurship, promoting education and strengthening culture. The Siemens Stiftung pursues an integrative approach and stands for responsible, impact-oriented and innovative project work.
Further information: www.siemens-stiftung.org
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