Submitted by H. Hutton on Tue, 30/10/2018 - 16:43
31 October 2018 – Last night, Unilever and the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership announced that Adepeju Jaiyeoba - founder of Mother’s Delivery Kit - has been chosen from eight winning entrepreneurs as the recipient of this year’s HRH The Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize.
In Nigeria, 1 in 13 women are at risk of dying during childbirth, with mothers often relying on birth attendants who lack the medical skills and equipment necessary to provide life-saving support.
Mother’s Delivery Kit strives to support expectant mothers in rural Nigerian communities by providing the supplies they need at childbirth at an affordable price. Over 500,000 delivery kits have been sold so far, and more than 4,000 birth attendants have received vital training thanks to Adepeju and her team.
Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, said:
"These are exceptional young leaders, finding solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing humanity and helping to make this a better world for all. Together they are an unstoppable force for good."
Dame Polly Courtice, Director of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership said:
“Tackling the world's most pressing challenges requires the talent and ideas of leaders who are willing to challenge business as usual. The 8 inspiring winners of the Unilever Young Entrepreneurs Awards remind us the power of passionate young leaders, who perceive the change that’s needed and are innovating to chart a course towards a better world.
My congratulations to Adepeju Jaiyeoba, Founder of Mother’s Delivery Kit, winner of the HRH The Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize, for pursuing her vision for all women and babies to survive childbirth regardless of economic and geographic circumstance. At Cambridge, we look forward to working with her and the other 7 winners over the next year through our mentoring support programme as they scale and grow the impact of their ventures.”
Over 5 years, the Awards have reached over 5,500 entrepreneurs and 37 winners from over 150 countries - supporting and celebrating inspirational young people who have initiatives, products or services that are tackling some of the planet’s biggest sustainability challenges. This year, the Awards recognised initiatives in eight categories, aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
2,120 entrepreneurs from every continent entered the competition, and after a comprehensive selection process, eight winners were chosen. These inspiring young innovators and business leaders were flown to Cambridge for an all-inclusive accelerator programme, delivered by CISL and designed to help the winning initiatives achieve scale for impact.
As the HRH Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize winner, Adepeju will receive a €50,000 cash award and the remaining seven winners will each receive a €8,500 cash award. All winners benefit from tailored one-to-one mentoring sessions for 12 months provided by experts from Unilever and CISL.
The seven other winners are:
Andrew Almack, Founder of Plastics for Change
A social enterprise based in India that leverages mobile technology to create dignified income opportunities for waste pickers while helping brands meet their extended producer responsibility.
Waliullah Bhuiyan, Co-Founder of Light of Hope
A business that can fit a solar panel-powered classroom into a backpack, bringing education to thousands of Bangladeshi children with no electricity.
Diana Chao, Founder of Letters to Strangers
A global youth-run organization destigmatizing mental illness and increasing access to affordable quality treatment with letter writing, peer education and political advocacy.
Samir Lakhani, Founder of Eco-Soap Bank
A humanitarian non-profit working to save, sanitize, and supply recycled soap with hygiene education to the developing world.
Mayank Midha, Co-Founder of GARV Toilets
A business using smart technology to give low-income families in rural areas of India access to clean and well-maintained toilets.
Priya Prakash, Founder of HealthSetGo
An education organisation building India’s largest network of sustainable health-promoting schools with the vision to empower children to adopt healthy habits at a young age.
Abi Ramanan, Co-Founder of ImpactVision
A machine learning company applying advanced imaging technology to food supply chains to reduce waste, maximise yields and improve quality.
