The Polak Fund is risky. That’s the thing about big ideas. You don’t know if they’ll work or not until you test them. As Nadia Campos, iDE’s Director of Global Design says; the Polak Fund “was meant to support projects [and] experiments that other donors will never dare to do.” That’s why we are so …
This year, we are celebrating our 40th anniversary by spotlighting 40 entrepreneurs who are changing their communities and helping end poverty, all before the age of 40. Amina Bacar and Aspara Timilsina are two of the 40 Under 40 entrepreneurs featured. Both possess the strength and commitment to take on traditional gender roles and turn …
Ethiopia Ghana Newsletter Zambia
Your enthusiasm and support of the Her Time to Grow project has been inspiring! In just over one year, you have donated nearly 70% of the matching funds needed to see this project through its four-year implementation. That’s $527,996!! That is a HUGE accomplishment – THANK YOU! Another thing that’s needed to get big projects …
“I run alongside, cheering her on.” This is how iDE Canada board member Lindsay Poggemiller Smith describes her mentorship with Polak Fund winner Abdul Rahman Hamidatu. Hamidatu won a Fail Fast Grant worth $20,000. She is testing her big idea that using recycled plastics in the construction of toilet facilities will make them more affordable …
Meet Chetan, a farmer from Nepal. Chetan runs a small farm. Like many farmers in his region, he faces a chronic shortage of fertilizer. Fertilizer he needs to help his dragon fruit trees grow and produce more fruit. With the support of iDE Canada donors through the Paul Polak Innovation Fund, three community-managed projects began …
Thursday May 11, 2023 The iDE Canada community had the pleasure of hearing from and engaging in discussion with Deepak Khadka, iDE’s vice president of Asia operations. Deepak brings over a decade plus technical and leadership experience in designing and implementing projects in Nepal focused on private sector market development, access to financial services for …
Ethiopia Ghana Nepal Newsletter Zambia
Every parent knows that caring for young children doesn’t leave you with time that is truly your own. In the case of mothers who are pursuing entrepreneurship, time can be the difference between just getting by and creating a better future. In 2021, a Paul Polak Innovation Fund Spark Grant was awarded for the development …
Ethiopia Ghana Newsletter Zambia
Ired Chuumbwe, 46, is focused on growth, not only for herself and the five children she’s raising as a single mother, but also for her community. As a Farm Business Advisor, or FBA, she works with more than 200 farmers, providing women with training in Conservation Agriculture, post-harvest management, and food processing and preservation. These …
Want to know what’s percolating with the Paul Polak Innovation Fund? The fund provides grants to test and implement our locally-led solutions, including two grants already awarded this year. The first reflects an evolution of an existing partnership between iDE and Denver, Colorado’s Queen City Collective Coffee. Together, they’re creating a more equitable supply chain …
Riding a bike is about balance, and for P.L. and Kristen Meindertsma, their upcoming journey will be about finding balance in extraordinary circumstances. P.L. was turning 50 and feeling lost. “I was searching for meaning. I found myself questioning that there must be more to life than this,” said P.L., who chose to abbreviate his …
