Port-Vila, Vanuatu - A “Social Impact Incubator” program dedicated to supporting Vanuatu’s social change actors was launched in Port Vila on Tuesday 12 April 2022, between V-Lab, a charitable association dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship in Vanuatu and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Office in Fiji.

The 20 successful participants or ‘Champions of Change’ of which 10 are women will receive extensive support from V-Lab until August 2022 in the form of training, coaching, and networking opportunities with a view to help them grow their social idea, project, or business.

The “Social Impact Incubator” Program will follow the social change actors who will be working on the ground to improve the lives of more people in their communities through initiatives in health, sanitation, waste management, youth, and women empowerment.

Ms. Eslyn Aru who is involved in transforming coco-based products said, “I am looking forward to the commencement of training and I believe that there is so much I will learn in this program.” Ms. Aru empowers women in her community by encouraging them to create more local products.

Another successful participant who runs a non-profit organization focusing on awareness and prevention of Cervical and Breast Cancer Mr. Max Albert said, “This is such a unique opportunity for me to grow my organization. Through this program, I hope to develop my managerial skills and be able to connect with a wide range of partners who will help me to reach out to as many people as possible.”

Participants in this program include community organizations and social enterprises based in Port-Vila and operating on a variety of islands, including Efate, Epi and Pentecost.

V-Lab President Mr. Marc-Antoine Morel said, “Social actors play a critical role in improving the well-being of people and are often leading efforts to foster innovation in any given country. Their contributions in the development of countries should therefore not be underestimated, particularly in times of crises such as the COVID one.’’

UNDP is supporting the development of the Social Impact Incubator program. UNDP’s Inclusive Growth Deputy Team Leader Mr. Patrick Tuimalealiifano said, “For a sustainable future and to accelerate progress towards the Global SDGs, it is very important that development partners and decision makers invest in unlocking the potential of our youth as leaders and as innovators, especially in social entrepreneurship.”

The 20 ‘Champions of Change’ were identified through a selection process undertaken by V-Lab and UNDP following a call of application that was released in March.

For more information, please contact:

Emma Hivo from V-Lab. Email: emma@v-lab.org

Rita Tamton, Programme Management and Monitoring Support, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji.
Email: rita.tamton@undp.org