Akilah’s student finalists from two innovation competitions.

It’s one thing to study innovation in the classroom — it’s another to pitch your innovations to strangers and implement your ideas outside the safe confines of campus. But that is just what some of Akilah’s enterprising students did last month.

In February, three Akilah students emerged as finalists in two innovation competitions for their creative business solutions to pressing social problems.

A New Way of Hearing

Sandrine Sangwa studies Information Systems at Akilah. Her tech skills, combined with her entrepreneurial mindset, secured her third place and a cash prize of Rfw 300,000 in the Gera Ku Ntego Social Enterprise Competition. The contest, organized by the youth empowerment organization DOT Rwanda, rewarded innovative ideas that would create lasting social impact.

Sandrine pitched the idea of a mobile phone application that enables people with speech and hearing disabilities to make phone calls. The application converts voice into text for people who cannot hear and text into voice for those who cannot speak.

Sandrine developed the app after learning of a friend’s tragedy.

“I was inspired by my friend who lost her hearing in an accident when she was five years old. Recently, her mother fell in their house and needed help. But because my friend couldn’t call anyone for help, nobody came to help her, and her mother died from the fall. That’s when I decided to use my skills to come up with a solution,” Sandrine explains.

Sandrine pitched her idea and made it to the top three finalists out of 32 contestants — she was the only woman among the winners. She will use the prize money to develop her prototype into a finished product and plans to launch the app in July 2017.

“It is such an amazing opportunity to win this award. Now I will go into the real development stage and make the app even stronger. Some features are already done, but some still need some work before I’m ready to launch it,” she says.

With her accomplishment, Sandrine hopes to inspire other girls to use their skills to make innovative solutions that will benefit their community.

“I’m hoping that when girls see me pitching and winning, it will open the door for other girls to find the courage to create their own projects. As girls we have strong ideas, but we are often limited by fear and shyness.”

Informing Youth About Reproductive Health

In the same week, two other Akilah students, Diane Niyibogora and Brigitte Niyoyita, impressed judges at the iAccelerator Pitch Contest organized by the Imbuto Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The competition sought youth-led solutions to sexual reproductive health issues among Rwanda’s young people. Diane and Brigitte made it to the top 10 finalists out of 623 submissions with their idea for The Optimistic Magazine, a publication featuring articles and information for youth about sexual and reproductive health.

Brigitte and Diane pitch their idea for a magazine at the iAccelerator Pitch Contest.

“We want our articles to give young people good information on topics like preventing teen pregnancies, promoting family planning, and standing up against gender-based violence. We want to collaborate with other students to make good content and [provide] inspiration from influential voices in society,” Brigitte explains.

The two girls are planning to produce the magazine in both print and online versions and to use their Akilah education in the process. Diane studies Information Systems and will be in charge of the online platform and the technical aspects of the magazine. Brigitte is pursuing a diploma in Hospitality Management and will use her customer service and financial management skills to oversee marketing, customer relations, and accounting.

The girls are confident they will succeed.

“We learned so much from this. It was our first time to pitch in front of many people. We told ourselves ‘we can do this’ and shook off our nerves and shyness. Next time I think we will be the winners — now that we have the confidence to go even further,” Diane says.

The competition encouraged the girls to keep working on their idea. The next step is to develop a business proposal and pitch it to potential partners and investors.

“It has made me believe I can be part of shaping Rwanda’s future in a positive way. We got the chance to meet with other people with much more experience, exchange ideas, and hear their opinions. It showed me that my ideas can also be right and make a change,” Brigitte explains.

All three students agree that using their skills outside the classroom helped them grow as entrepreneurs. They also say that the leadership skills they gained from Akilah were key to standing out in the competitions.

“Before coming to Akilah, I was very shy. I would have never thought about applying to any competition — I did not have the confidence,” Diane says. “But my instructors made me believe I can do this, that I can achieve something big for myself and my community.”