Awards

2011 Acumen Fund East Africa Fellowship

The East Africa Fellows Program is designed to develop the Fellows’ leadership skills and strengthen the project that they are driving. The year long program is comprised of five multiday seminars – including one regional trip – and culminates in an innovation conference. The seminars will give Fellows access to world-class speakers, trainers, and mentors who allow Fellows to deepen their skills in leadership, social change, and innovation.

The regional trip gives Fellows the opportunity to learn about social change models in other countries. The innovation conference is meant to be a chance for Fellows to put into practice the skills they’ve learned over the course of the year, as well as provide a platform to showcase their projects to a larger community of leaders.

Charles Kalama was selected at a Fellow in mid 2011.

2010 WWF Nature Challenge Award by WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

This is a business plan competition targeting entrepreneurs supporting green businesses in Kenya. It is an initiative of WWF Kenya Country Office in collaboration with the National Environment Trust Fund. This 'business driven conservation' incubator model aims to maximize the environmental returns per shilling invested.
The goal is to:

• Identify business models that have a positive and large impact on natural resources and nature conservation and
• Ensure access to (inter) national markets, technology and finance for the most viable business cases.

The Nature Challenge offers access to a mix of national and international seed capital, working capital and/or equity, as well as linkages to buyers and technical support for viable biodiversity business models that directly contribute to sustainable use of natural resources and conservation in Kenya.

2010 Sukuma Afrika Young Entrepreneur’s Award organised by UNDP and the UN Millenium Campaign

Sukuma Afrika was established in recognition of the critical role young entrepreneurs and the Diaspora play in the fight against poverty as the generation that will be responsible for reaching the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. The competition encourages young people across Africa to engage in ventures with a social angle and is opened to African youth up to 35 y/o presenting a for-profit business model which contributes to one of the MDGs.

Ecopost was the winner of category 7 which awards initiatives that work towards a better environment.

2010 SEED Awards for entrepreneurship by UNEP and IUCN

The SEED Awards for Entrepreneurs in Sustainable Development is an annual awards scheme designed to find the most promising, innovative and locally led start-up social and environmental entrepreneurs in countries with developing and emerging economies. An international jury of experts selects enterprises which have the potential to make real improvements in poverty eradication and environmental sustainability while contributing to a greener economy.