UNLEASH Rwanda
UNLEASH Rwanda is the very first Innovation Lab for the Sustainable Development Goals that UNLEASH has ever organized on the African continent.
1000 young changemakers from 136 nationalities got together in Kigali during the first week of December 2023, where they co-created 200 solutions for the most pressing challenges that our planet is facing.
The Program
December 2
Opening Ceremony
December 3 – 6
Innovation process in teams | Cultural activity
December 7
Innovation wrap-up | Dragons’ Den
December 8
Closing Ceremony | Farewell party
December 2
Opening Ceremony
December 7
Innovation wrap-up | Dragons’ Den
December 3-6
Innovation process in teams | Cultural activity
December 8
Closing Ceremony | Farewell party
Leaving no one behind
UNLEASH’s vision is to become the most inclusive platform for the Sustainable Development Goals, that’s why we piloted a partnership with UNHCR in Rwanda to integrate 100 refugees into the Innovation Lab.
These young participants were part of the cohort of 1000 young changemakers who adopted the UNLEASH Methodology to develop solutions that tackle vital challenges in their communities.
The Top Solutions from each SDG Track
Each Innovation Lab tackles the Sustainable Development Goals by assigning Teams in different SDG Tracks, which are co-created with the UNLEASH Community and focus on challenges related to the region where the Innovation Lab is hosted in.
Learn about the SDG Tracks that Teams worked on during UNLEASH Rwanda here, and find out more about the winning solutions of each SDG Track below.
Guests
H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda
(In collaboration with Hanga Pitchfest ’23)
Rt. Hon Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, Dr. Edouard Ngirente
Hon. Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation of the Republic of Rwanda
Ms. Signe
Winding Albjerg,
Danish Ambassador to Rwanda with residence in Uganda
Mr. Lars
Løkke Rasmussen
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Online)
Mr. Achim
Steiner
Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
(In collaboration with Hanga Pitchfest ’23)
Mr. Mamadou
Dian Balde
Regional Director
UNHCR
Regional Director
UNHCR
Prof. Senait
Fisseha
Director of Global Programs
Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation
(In collaboration with Hanga Pitchfest ’23)
Julie Gichuru
Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer
Mastercard Foundation
Albert Munyabugingo
CEO
Vuba Vuba
Solutions from previous Innovation Labs
“I met wonderful people during the Lab and came up with the idea for Permalution, a start-up focusing on fog and cloud water harvesting technology, tackling the world’s challenges in water access and drought.”
– Tatiana Estevez Carlucci,
UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017,
Denmark
Read More
“During the Lab, I was surrounded by people who were truly passionate about solving the challenge we focused on: sustainable fashion. My solution is the digital wardrobe app Whering, which allows you to manage your wardrobe from your device.“
– Bianca Rangecroft,
UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2019,
Shenzhen
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“At Test At Home Pte. Ltd., we are now developing ‘Lollipop-like’ and ‘Chewing gum-like’ devices and technology to enable easier, convenient, cheaper, accessible, and home-based healthcare testing.”
– Vivek Manoharan,
UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2018,
Singapore
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“OneDay Health launches sustainable health centers in remote Ugandan communities which previously had no access to quality healthcare. It is amazing how far both our team and OneDay Health had come during the Lab.”
– Nicolas Laing,
UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017,
Denmark
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