Project Inspire 2012 - Be the change you want to see

Project Inspire 2012: 5 Minutes to Change the World 

Project Inspire is a joint initiative by MasterCard Worldwide and the Singapore Committee for UN Women, which aims to bring together young people across the world to share their life-changing ideas and fulfil their visions of a better world for disadvantaged women and children in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa.This is the second time MasterCard and the Singapore Committee for UN Women are joining hands to launch Project Inspire.
Project Inspire presents 18-35 year olds with a 5-minute platform to pitch their inspired idea to the world and win a US$25,000 grant. The grant must show creativity and sustainable impact in the lives of women and girls across Asia, Pacific, the Middle East or Africa through entrepreneurship. To qualify for the US$25,000 grant, the project must meet the following requirements:

• The program must enable disadvantaged women and girls to attain sustained livelihood through entrepreneurship
• Beneficiaries must be women or girls in Asia/Pacific, Middle East or Africa
• The winner(s) of this competition will have to commence the fieldwork by 1 December 2012
• The project is designed to be implemented with a US$25,000 budget

Vote for the People's Choice Award NOW!

The project entry that garners the highest number of online votes will receive the Project Inspire People’s Choice Award. This Award gives fans a chance to support their favorite project entry, and gives finalists the opportunity to increase the visibility of their projects.

So cast your vote NOW for the People's Choice Award, and share this with your friends! You get one vote, so make yours count!

Public voting concludes tomorrow on 28 August 2012.
Note: The People's Choice Award is independent of the grand prize of a US$25,000 Women's Empowerment Grant, which will be awarded by an esteemed panel of international judges during the Grand Finals held in Singapore on 31 August 2012.

Project Stitch 
Philippines
To provide support and livelihood to displaced women in the poor communities of Manila through sewing co-operatives.
Team: Marian Santos (Philippines), Soleil Manzano (Philippines), Jose Maningat (Philippines)
 

Women's Private Personal Market Place  
India
To facilitate women entrepreneurs in Rajasthan educate & sell hygiene products through a mobile app.
Team: Rustam Sengupta (India), K.V. Kanchana (India), Nicole Darabian (France)


The Gudri Project  
India
To facilitate underprivileged women and girls in Jaipur to form self-owned cooperatives that sell products made using the gudri technique.
Team: Darshna Goswarmi (India), Pippa Reid (UK), Edwina Ong (Singapore)


Project Light  
Indonesia
To train women entrepreneurs in the Riau Islands, Indonesia, on the use and sale of affordable solar lamps.
Team: Gloria Arlini (Indonesia), Fairoz Ahmad (Singapore)

Empowering Nepali Women
Nepal
To empower women in two isolated villages of Chitwan to generate income through cow-keeping and leaf bowl production
Team: Binod Prasad Poudel (Nepal), Chandra Adhikari (Nepal), Veronica Schindler (USA)


Carpets for Communities  
Cambodia
To help mothers in Poi Pet, Cambodia, earn income through microbusinesses and producing carpets.
Team: David Bacon (Australia), Rowan Klaassen (Netherlands)


E-learning for Change  
India
To expand training sessions for the members of the Self Employed Women’s Association Manager School in Gujarat through e-learning.
 Team: Chitra Iyengar (India), Ishan Thakore (India) and Prachi Shah (India)


Cents for Seeds  
Uganda
To empower local women in Orum County, Northern Uganda, through an agricultural micro-loan program.
 Team: Rachel Hardy (USA), Caitlin Barrett (Australia), Eloise Wellings (Australia)


LIFE
Sri Lanka
To help women in the resettled villages of N. Sri Lanka enhance their entrepreneurship capacities on income-generating activities.
Team: Dulma Kandaramage (Sri Lanka), Selina Kumar (Sri Lanka), Ashokumar Jegatheepan (Sri Lanka)


The close of public voting is just a few days away, so please follow the simple steps below to get your vote in. The last day of public voting is 28 August 2012, so vote today! And help us spread the word!

How do you vote?

1) Click https://www.facebook.com/ProjInspire/app_177914495580579

2) Select ‘View Entries’

3) Click on the entries to view the video submissions

4) Click “Vote” to show your support, and share to spread the word!