In response to the effects of climate change, the South African Women Entrepreneurs for Climate Change Award (SIAWECCA) aims to support eight women entrepreneurs whose start-ups contribute to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in South Africa.
Now in its second year, the initiative focuses on innovative solutions in the water, clean energy, biodiversity, waste management and sustainable agriculture sectors. Applicants will consider the green economy challenges in South African rural communities and townships. “Solutions that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as nature-based approaches that benefit ecosystems and livelihoods,” say the organisers.
In South Africa, coastal cities are increasingly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. The latest floods in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal province, in April 2022 resulted in the death of at least 443 people, the destruction of many buildings and power cuts. The disaster also caused the loss of livestock and the livelihoods of local people. In this context, the SIAWECCA initiative will build on the competing projects to propose to the government a sustainable mechanism for climate resilience.
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The winners of this year’s competition will each receive a grant of R85,000 (over $5,400), six months of mentoring including participation in four workshops and national profiling. The SIAWECCA initiative is funded by the Flemish government in Belgium and jointly supported by several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in South Africa such as Indalo Inclusive, the Climate Innovation Centre and Women for Climate Justice.
For more information on the call for applications, click here.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi