The Young Water Fellowship (YWF) is a programme implemented by Young Water Solutions, that empowers young entrepreneurs to lead the solutions to water issues in their communities, by offering them a year of support consisting of training, mentorship and seed-funding for their initiatives.
For its YWF 2019 Young Water Solutions will offer 10 young entrepreneurs (‘’Fellows’’) the possibility to participate in a one-month start-up training in Europe. Fellows will also be assigned mentors, get the chance to exponentially increase their supporting networks in the water and entrepreneurship sectors, and apply for seed-funding for the first steps of implementation of their social enterprises.
WORTH
Start-up training: The training is delivered by a partner organization, cewas, a Swiss water start-up incubator that since 2011 trains water entrepreneurs. The training in 2019 lasts 35 days. You can read more about the training content on cewas’ website. Notice that the training is designed for entrepreneurs with little to medium business knowledge. It is not a training for advanced people, so If you have a business degree or a lot of business experience, you might not find it useful.
Seed funding for pilot project implementation: If you meet the conditions, you will be offered seed funding between €3000 and €5000. The amount is decided based on your specific needs and the available funds.
Mentor matching: After seed funding is assigned to you and you begin the implementation phase, we will assign you at least one mentor whose profile matches your needs and can complement your skills. This mentor will guide you and provide you advice through the pilot project.
ELIGIBILITY
Be 18 to 30 years old at the time of the application
Be the founder or co-founder of an initiative that contributes to the solution of a well-defined water problem in your country. The initiative should be in its initial stages and have the ability to be turned into a social enterprise (i.e have a long-term sustainability component or business model).
Be a resident from a low or middle-income country.
Have a valid passport and be available to attend a workshop in Europe from August 3rd to September 7th, 2019 (note that these dates might be subject to change),
Be able to communicate in English (an intermediate level at least).
All training costs are covered by the organization (flights, transportation in Europe, accommodation, meals), but participants must cover their visa expenses and transport costs to the closest international airport in their country of residency.
DEADLINE: March 24 2019
To apply and for more information visit here