GE’s healthymagination Mother and Child Programme has graduated its second cohort of social entrepreneurs who completed training and mentorship that is designed to scale impact, thereby improving maternal and child health outcomes in Africa.
The graduation of the second cohort builds on the success of the first group of entrepreneurs, all of whom have reported a notable impact of the programme on their businesses. One such entrepreneur is Dr. Steve Adudans whose HewaTele has attracted over US$2million in additional investment since completing the programme in March 2017.
“The skills and practical knowledge we received has enabled us to transform our business model for greater impact. Thanks to the programme, we managed to secure investment from global development partners for the expansion of 2 additional oxygen plants which will increase access to affordable, safe and quality life-saving medical oxygen in Kenya,” indicated Dr. Adudans.
“We are proud of the major strides that the first cohort of enterprises have made since they graduated, and are thrilled that a second stellar group of passionate entrepreneurs is now better equipped to expand their reach and save the lives of more mothers and children across the continent,” said Robert Wells Executive Director, New Growth Markets, Business Innovations at GE.
“GE is committed to continue partnering with Social Entrepreneurs to support sustainable healthcare development especially through capacity building and skills transfer” he added.
After a rigorous evaluation process, the social enterprises selected to feature in the second cohort of the healthymagination Mother and Child Programme attended a three-day, in-person workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa followed by a six-month online accelerator program that included weekly in-depth mentorship from Silicon Valley-based executives and local GE business leaders.
This approach is designed to assist entrepreneurs operating in the healthcare space to acquire business fundamentals that will help them build and grow their impact. The accelerator and mentorship programme culminates in an investor showcase event during which the finalists pitch their respective enterprises to an audience of potential investors and supporters.
Speaking at the graduation event, Pamela Roussos the Chief Innovation Officer at Miller Center stated, “We are delighted to graduate the second group of change agents who are now ready to scale their work and offer their communities a path to better, healthier lives.
Addressing challenges in maternal health calls for sustained efforts and we will continue to leverage GE’s healthcare and information technology expertise combined with Miller Center’s capacity development portfolio to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit in Africa.”
Launched in 2016 by GE in partnership with Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, the programme set out to tackle maternal and child health by building the capacity of social enterprises operating in Africa with a view of improving outcomes for mothers and children on the continent which is in line with the company’s sustainability culture to make a meaningful difference in communities where it operates while improving productivity.
