The World Bank and its partners have presented awards to the winners of the Development Marketplace Global Competition on Climate Change with the theme “100 Ideas to Save the Planet.”
One hundred finalists from 47 countries worldwide were selected from over 1,700 entries. Of them, 26 received awards of up to 200,000 USD.
Of the winners 13 are from Latin America and the Caribbean; five are from East Asia and the Pacific; three are from sub-Saharan Africa; two are from India and one each from Djibouti, Russia and Serbia.
The competition challenged applicants to be innovative and prove the value of bringing fresh voices and ideas to the discussion and turn good ideas into tangible results.
According to the organisers, Nidia Matamoros’ "food forest" project is expected to benefit 2,500 under-nourished children in indigenous communities in Nicaragua.
An idea to create a radio drama of Nnaemeka Chidiebere Ikegwuonu from Nigeria will help small farmers learn how to better manage risks when growing crops in extreme weather conditions including storms and droughts.
Each of the projects confronted the reality that poor people and the most vulnerable, including women, children, the elderly, the disabled and indigenous communities, are often the hardest hit by climate change, said the World Bank Institute’s Vice President, Sanjay Pradhan.
The winners will use 4.8 million USD in funding to launch projects that will reduce the effects of climate change on some of the most adversely affected communities and environments in the developing world.
The competition’s sponsors include the Global Environment Facility, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.