In the past 3 years, the Social Impact Award has constantly developed. We have moved from one winning project in our first year, in 2009, to 4 winning projects in 2010 and 4 winners plus one community vote. Below you can find a short description of all the winning projects.

2009

2009 was the first year of the Social Impact Award in Austria. Our first winner was Project-E, a school for Ethiopian orphan girls. PROJECT-E organizes educational projects for these women in Ethiopia. Through Selam Children’s Village, the organization educates young women to become office assistants, one of the most needed qualifications in the country.  It was designed in collaboration with companies and the German development agency and became financial self-sustainable through alumni fees.

2010

In 2010 more partners got interested in supporting young social entrepreneurs in Austria. Therefore, we were able to raise the number of projects that could be supported with Social Impact Award Stipends and four projects could be awarded by the jury:

Compost Paros

By composting organic waste on a Greek island, the project means to decrease the local waste disposal by up to 45%. Furthermore, the project intended to fertilize the eroded soil on the island and improve the environment. By being a social business, compost paros aims to maximize its social impact.

The Social Impact Award enabled Jan and his team to move to Paros for a certain time and to be able to talk directly with authorities, beneficiaries and other stakeholders involved in the project. Unfortunately, due to the current economic and financial situation of Greece, the project is not going to be implemented on a short- to medium-term basis. Still, Jan and his team has learnt and experienced a lot about project concerned with composting and working with foreign authorities. Furthermore, this experience inspired them to start another social venture: Good Wear.

Made IN-Made BY  

Made IN-Made BY is a Social Business that conducts clothing manufacture and offers fair working conditions to female immigrants living in the city of Vienna, and facing disadvantages or difficulties in meeting the requirements of the labour market. Through an empowerment approach, MIMB aims at encouraging women to find productive self-realisation in a protected environment.

Luisa has developed to be the driving force behind the project. With the help of the Social Impact Award, she has received further support on different levels and could start the first workshops for the female immigrants she is working with. And in the second half of 2011 they had their first offer  on cotton bags that they sew and decorate.

Solar Projekt Senegal

Solar Projekt Senegal aimed to research the use of the new technology of solar cooling for applications in developing countries. Through microfinance , the project intended to make this technology available to local businesses.

venim la voi

‘Venim la voi’  makes it possible for Romanian villagers to get access to affordable basic aliments. It is based on the idea that supermarket chains resided in nearby cities dispose aliments for free which they cannot sell anymore due to various reasons, e.g. package damages, nearing expiration date. By this means, ‘Venim la voi’ can realize budget-friendly prices.

Jakob is the driven force of thisproject. He had experience with social work in Romania and knew how important the implementation of a project like that would be for the local population. However, he tried to find a way of combining the implementation of  ‘Venim la voi’ and his studies in Vienna. Therefore, he started a cooperation with an Austrian foundation being involved in social supermarkets in Romania.

2011

In 2011 the Social Impact Award still took place in Austria only. In this year the jury selected the best four projects out of a the finalists. Those were Footprint, Lüxing Laoshi, New Solar Pump, and the Connection. Additionally we included the online community actively in the evaluation process as people were supposed to vote online for the winner of the Community Award: whatchado.

Footprint

Footprint is active against trafficking in women with its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The principle of their work is to inform all affected women about their rights and possibilities and to offer them the best possible options to improve their living conditions.

After winning the Social Impact Award 2011, Hannah and Hannah were also able to convince the jury of ‘Ideas Against Poverty’, another social competition in Austria. With the seeding funding out of both competition and the additional support they were able to open a space where they offer workshops and courses for their beneficiaries, a buddy system and sport courses for everybody interested.

Lüxing Laoshi

The project aims to establish an educational training program for Chinese construction workers by providing a pop-up school on site – a flexible, spontaneous and portable teaching environment. The training empowers migrant workers to strengthen their working skills and expertise through a network of teachers, international trainers, NGO’s and other experts. The program gives rural migrants the opportunity to improve their social status within the Chinese urban society and simultaneously increases the construction quality of buildings.

Clarissa and Ulrike have been working in the theoretic framework of their project and were able to combined their research with their master thesis. Now they are working on identifying the most promising stakeholders in the whole working process that are able and interested in including an innovation like Lüxing Laoshi in their projects.

New Solar Pump

The “Solar powered Water Well Pump” is maintenance-free, saltwater-resistant that enables you to pump water out of water wells easily, for free, efficiently and up to a depth of more than 150 metres. Furthermore, the NSP Solar Water Pump system can replace pre-existing and installed water hand pumps or windmill water pumps - as found in rural and remote areas. Our solar well pump is vital to reducing water shortages in Africa, Australia, America, Asia and Europe.

Dietmar and Birigt are steadily working on their innovation. The Social Impact Award Stipend enabled them to start a project in Mozambique where the first New Solar Pump is going to be build up in the first half of 2012.

the Connection

The connection is a coffeehouse that enables young unemployed persons with migration background to gain their first work experience to improve their chances on the labour market. Besides making them experience a regular working surrounding, they are supported by a hugh offer German and special skills courses. An additional buddy system should help them to get first hand experience and continuous support on their first steps toward being included in the labour market. Furthermore, it helps them to build up new networks other than their family and friends.

Valerie and Diana could open the Conncetion in the beginning of 2011. The Social Impact Award has helped them to raise more awareness to their project in the media and therefore to find some new cooperations. When you pass by in Vienna, we recommend you to visit the Conncetion to have great coffee and experience integration closely.

whatchado