(December 12, 2018) –
World Vision Social Innovation Challenge 2019 focuses on the burgeoning waste problem in the Philippines
MISSISSAUGA, ON - World Vision is seeking out the sharpest brains across Canada to design next-generation solutions that will solve some of the world’s crucial development challenges.
This year’s Social Innovation Challenge will focus on the waste problem in the Filipino city of Iloilo, within the communities of Santo Nino Sur and Santo Nino Norte. Iloilo City churns out over 300 tons of trash daily, clogging up its river arteries and putting thousands of young children at risk of water- and air-borne diseases. Spurred chiefly by rapid economic growth and increasing population, the South East Asian country is currently ranked as the third worst plastic polluter (behind China and Indonesia), contributing nearly two million tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste every year to the ocean.
“I am looking forward to hearing how teams plan to tackle the waste management challenge in the Philippines,” said David O’Leary, Director of Impact Investing, World Vision Canada. “By offering a springboard for community development, the World Vision Social Innovation Challenge has positively impacted the lives and general well-being of children and their communities across the world and aided Canadian small businesses and start-ups on their mission to solve important development issues.”
Now in its fourth year, the challenge, open to all Canadian residents, gives innovators the opportunity to compete for seed capital to fund ideas. A panel of experts will evaluate the entries to choose proposals that have positive social and economic consequences, financial sustainability and an environment-friendly purpose. The finalists’ proposals will be shared with the Filipino communities of Santo Nino Sur and Santo Nino Norte to ensure that the ideas are practical and can be implemented.
The final round of the World Vision Social Innovation Challenge will be a face-to-face pitch event and will be held in June 2019 in Toronto. The selected winner will receive $25,000 in funding for implementation over a 12-month incubation period. The deadline for submission of proposals for the challenge is February 22, 2019.
Past winners of the World Vision Canada’s Social Innovation Challenge have helped farmers in Nepal increase their crop yields by improving soil moisture, while another winner showed farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa how to convert agricultural bio-waste into fuel briquettes.
Quick Facts:
- The Social Innovation Challenge supports Canada's brilliant minds in creating market-based solutions to address some of the world's most difficult development challenges.
- The selected winner will receive $25,000 in funding for implementation over a 12-month incubation period.
- This year, World Vision puts the spotlight on the waste management problem in Iloilo City in the Philippines, which generates more than 300 tons of waste daily.