Global Finalists Announced in Small-Business Challenge

World Challenge 10, a global competition seeking to highlight and reward small businesses around the world that demonstrate enterprise and innovation, has announced its 12 finalists.

The competition–run by BBC World News and Newsweek, in association
with Shell–aims to identify and reward people and businesses bringing
economic, social and environmental benefits to local communities through
innovation and enterprise at a grassroots level. 

Since its inception, World Challenge has awarded financial grants to 15 projects across the globe.

BBC World News will broadcast six 30-minute programs profiling each of the finalists, and they will also be covered in Newsweek magazine. The audience and readers are then invited to vote online for their favourite project or business from September 27, 2010 to November 12, 2010. 

The finalists are (alphabetically by country):

• Denmark: ‘Africa: Cyber Capital’ – MYC4 – inviting people worldwide to connect directly with African entrepreneurs who cannot obtain capital to develop their businesses, allowing African enterprise to attract investment at an interest rate that they are willing to pay.
• Guatemala: ‘A Class Apart’ – Tecnico Maya Vocational School – creating better employment and education opportunities in Comalapa. A popular park has already been created, but the goal now is to create a mixed academic and vocational school, built from recycled waste such as car tires and bottles. 
• India: ‘Burn After Eating’ – Husk Power Systems – using an innovative technology mix to run off-grid mini power stations fired by rice husks–a by-product that would otherwise be thrown away and release methane as it rotted. In the state of Bihar in India, an estimated 50,000 villagers are lighting up with bio-power. 
• Kenya: ‘Double-Boiled’ – Jompy Stove – a lightweight and inexpensive stove-top device that sits between a cooking pot and an open flame to rapidly boil water. This incredibly simple technology could save millions who die from drinking contaminated water. Households can cook a meal and sterilise dirty water at the same time–both lives and fuel can be saved.
• Madagascar: ‘One Reef at a Time’ – Blue Ventures – offering researchers and volunteers the chance to work with local communities to protect the reefs using sustainable marine conservation areas. Blue Ventures’ project in Madagascar–home to both the world’s fourth largest coral reef and a rejuvenated octopus fishing industry–is working with local communities to make sustainable livelihoods a reality. 
• Malawi: ‘In a Nutshell’ – The Full Belly Project – helping to improve life in developing countries, an Africa-wide project to promote easy-to-make and easy-to-maintain technologies to improve agricultural-output sustainability.
• Mexico: ‘Saving from a Rainy Day’ – Isla Urbana – developing a simple collection and filtering system which harvests rainwater, mainly using materials from local hardware stores and installed by specially trained local plumbers.
• Peru: ‘Pass it On’ – Sierra Productiva – passing on the knowledge to improve organic techniques to dramatically boost production from both livestock and crops. The main technology has been harnessing springs and the use of drip irrigation systems, freeing the farmers from dependence on rainfall that gave them only one harvest a year.
• Philippines: ‘The Only Way is Up’ – Running Water Uphill – using the power of a river’s flow to literally push water uphill without any other energy input, it’s proving to be a benefit for poor villagers living in mountainous regions. The ram pump can save both hours of back-breaking work carrying water and cash where expensive water pumps are replaced. 
• Philippines: ‘Growth Cycle’ – Bamboosero –training and supporting bike building in developing countries, using local, sustainable bamboo. The bikes sell locally, but entrepreneurs particularly love the idea of exporting their products to Europe and the USA, where there is a market for the unique and increasingly high-quality frames.
• Rwanda: ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ – e.quinox – offering a solution to rural villages left in the dark, the little shop of light has set up its first solar energy kiosk in Gakenke district in Rwanda. Sealed ‘battery boxes’ are on constant charge rotation, when the lights go dim villagers can come and swap their box for a fresh one. 
• Tanzania: ‘Ok Coral’ – Chumbe Island Coral Park – involving local fishermen and providing sustainable employment opportunities based on a protection model that pays its way. The evidence is a string of pristine coral islands that provide refuge for 400 fish species and  a string of solar powered eco-lodges that do the same for tourists.

The winner will receive a US$20,000 grant from Shell to invest in their project, while the two runners-up will each receive US$10,000.