UN Women Singapore and MasterCard Unveil Top 10 Finalists for Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World

The Singapore National Committee for UN Women (UN Women Singapore) and MasterCard have unveiled the top 10 finalists for Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World. Launched in commemoration of the 100th year of International Women’s Day, Project Inspire is a worldwide platform for socially-inspired 18-35 year-olds. This initiative gives youth from around the world the chance to empower disadvantaged women or girls in Asia/Pacific, Middle East or Africa. Youth representing 50 countries from Africa to Asia to Middle East, the Americas & Pacific Islands submitted hundreds of life-changing ideas as 5-minute pitch videos (or written proposals) for a chance to win a US$25,000 grant. The grant will be used to bring to life the winning idea through education, skills training, financial inclusion or social entrepreneurship. The public is invited to cast their vote to help determine who gets the US$25,000 grand prize. The winning project will be determined by a combination of online votes and judges’ scores during the ‘live’ pitch event in Singapore on August 24, 2011. Additionally, a special grant of US$10,000 will be awarded to the team with the best financial literacy/livelihood proposal aimed at helping women. Cast your vote now at www.5MinutestoChangetheWorld.org/Vote Public voting concludes on 19 August 2011. WHAT: Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World presents 18-35 year olds with a 5-minute platform to pitch their inspired idea to the world and win a US$25,000 grant. Additionally, a special grant of US$10,000 will be awarded to the team with the best financial literacy/livelihood proposal aimed at helping women. Each pitch idea was evaluated based on whether the idea was sustainable, impactful and provided economic or social benefit to disadvantaged women and girls in Asia/Pacific, Middle East or Africa. Ten finalists were shortlisted from hundreds of entries from around the world. The finalists will pitch their inspired ideas in front of a judging panel, including today’s top global development and social entrepreneurial experts, and social advocates in Singapore on 24 August 2011. The winning project will be determined by a combination of public votes and judges scores from the ‘live’ pitch on 24 August 2011. Project Inspire is jointly organized by UN Women Singapore and MasterCard and supported by INSEAD, Bain & Company and Channel NewsAsia. WHEN: Public Voting is Now Live. Voting closes on 19 August 2011 WHERE: Vote at www.5MinutestoChangetheWorld.org/Vote WHO: For full profiles of finalists and their projects, visit www.5MinutestoChangetheWorld.org/Vote Project: Grandma Jenny's Women's Centre: Skills for a Lifetime Team: Genevieve Radnan, Josh Bell, Stephanie Radnan (Australia) Who the project helps: Uneducated or lowly-educated women in Karunga, Kenya Project: Empowering Women in Nepal Team: Steph Woollard (Australia) Who the project helps: Disabled women in Nepal Project: Painting the Road to Empowerment Team: Madhura Dutta, Moyna Chitrakar, Imran Chitrakar (India) Who the project helps: Women and girls in Chandipur Village, India Project: UPLift Initiative Team: Jennifer Jones, Nobel, Mark Cox (Thailand) Who the project helps: Oppressed Burmese women migrants and their families in Thailand Project: Malnutrition Haunts Ghana Team: Odelia Ofori (Ghana) Who the project helps: Disadvantaged women and girls in Ghana Project: Empowering Women Rose Farmers Team: Nadya Saib, Heliana Lubis, Amirah Adlia Alkaff (Indonesia) Who the project helps: Women entrepreneurs in Lembang and Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia Project: Back to the Roots: Women’s Empowerment through Community Farming Team: Erika Rey Saturay (Philippines) Who the project helps: Women and girls in Sitio Panusungin, San Joseph, Antipolo, Philippines Project: The Hapinoy Program Team: Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Michelle Pabalan, Mark Ruiz (Philippines) Who the project helps: Women micro-entrepreneurs in Southern Luzon, Philippines Project: SMU Pendeza Team: Gary Lee Rui Jie, Diana Teo Bi Yun, Genevieve Tham Kai Lin (Singapore) Who the project helps: 150 girl orphans in Kenya Project: “Daughters of Tomorrow” Team: Carrie Tan (Singapore) Who the project helps: Underprivileged women in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, India HELP: Spread the Project Inspire movement in support of women’s empowerment: Join the Project Inspire Facebook Causes group at http://www.causes.com/causes/597940 View other Project Inspire videos on the Project Inspire YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/projectinspire5mins Why Women’s Empowerment? Learn more at http://5minutestochangetheworld.org Help spread the world via Twitter #ProjectInspire

The Singapore National Committee for UN Women (UN Women Singapore) and MasterCard have unveiled the top 10 finalists for Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World. Launched in commemoration of the 100th year of International Women’s Day, Project Inspire is a worldwide platform for socially-inspired 18-35 year-olds. This initiative gives youth from around the world the chance to empower disadvantaged women or girls in Asia/Pacific, Middle East or Africa.

Youth representing 50 countries from Africa to Asia to Middle East, the Americas & Pacific Islands submitted hundreds of life-changing ideas as 5-minute pitch videos (or written proposals) for a chance to win a US$25,000 grant. The grant will be used to bring to life the winning idea through education, skills training, financial inclusion or social entrepreneurship.

The public is invited to cast their vote to help determine who gets the US$25,000 grand prize. The winning project will be determined by a combination of online votes and judges’ scores during the ‘live’ pitch event in Singapore on August 24, 2011. Additionally, a special grant of US$10,000 will be awarded to the team with the best financial literacy/livelihood proposal aimed at helping women.

• Cast your vote now at www.5MinutestoChangetheWorld.org/Vote
• Public voting concludes on 19 August 2011.

WHAT:

Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World presents 18-35 year olds with a 5-minute platform to pitch their inspired idea to the world and win a US$25,000 grant. Additionally, a special grant of US$10,000 will be awarded to the team with the best financial literacy/livelihood proposal aimed at helping women.

Each pitch idea was evaluated based on whether the idea was sustainable, impactful and provided economic or social benefit to disadvantaged women and girls in Asia/Pacific, Middle East or Africa.

• Ten finalists were shortlisted from hundreds of entries from around the world.
• The finalists will pitch their inspired ideas in front of a judging panel, including today’s top global development and social entrepreneurial experts, and social advocates in Singapore on 24 August 2011.
• The winning project will be determined by a combination of public votes and judges scores from the ‘live’ pitch on 24 August 2011.

Project Inspire is jointly organized by UN Women Singapore and MasterCard and supported by INSEAD, Bain & Company and Channel NewsAsia.

WHEN:

Public Voting is Now Live. Voting closes on 19 August 2011

WHERE:

Vote at www.5MinutestoChangetheWorld.org/Vote

WHO:

For full profiles of finalists and their projects, visit www.5MinutestoChangetheWorld.org/Vote

• Project: Grandma Jenny’s Women’s Centre: Skills for a Lifetime
  • Team: Genevieve Radnan, Josh Bell, Stephanie Radnan (Australia)
  • Who the project helps: Uneducated or lowly-educated women in Karunga, Kenya
• Project: Empowering Women in Nepal
  • Team: Steph Woollard (Australia)
  • Who the project helps: Disabled women in Nepal
• Project: Painting the Road to Empowerment
  • Team: Madhura Dutta, Moyna Chitrakar, Imran Chitrakar (India)
  • Who the project helps: Women and girls in Chandipur Village, India
• Project: UPLift Initiative
  • Team: Jennifer Jones, Nobel, Mark Cox (Thailand)
  • Who the project helps: Oppressed Burmese women migrants and their families in Thailand
• Project: Malnutrition Haunts Ghana
  • Team: Odelia Ofori (Ghana)
  • Who the project helps: Disadvantaged women and girls in Ghana
• Project: Empowering Women Rose Farmers
  • Team: Nadya Saib, Heliana Lubis, Amirah Adlia Alkaff (Indonesia)
  • Who the project helps: Women entrepreneurs in Lembang and Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia
• Project: Back to the Roots: Women’s Empowerment through Community Farming
  • Team: Erika Rey Saturay (Philippines)
  • Who the project helps: Women and girls in Sitio Panusungin, San Joseph, Antipolo, Philippines
• Project: The Hapinoy Program
  • Team: Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Michelle Pabalan, Mark Ruiz (Philippines)
  • Who the project helps: Women micro-entrepreneurs in Southern Luzon, Philippines
• Project: SMU Pendeza
  • Team: Gary Lee Rui Jie, Diana Teo Bi Yun, Genevieve Tham Kai Lin (Singapore)
  • Who the project helps: 150 girl orphans in Kenya
• Project: “Daughters of Tomorrow”
  • Team: Carrie Tan (Singapore)
  • Who the project helps: Underprivileged women in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, India

  HELP:

  Spread the Project Inspire movement in support of women’s empowerment:

• Join the Project Inspire Facebook Causes group at http://www.causes.com/causes/597940
• View other Project Inspire videos on the Project Inspire YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/projectinspire5mins
• Why Women’s Empowerment? Learn more at http://5minutestochangetheworld.org
• Help spread the world via Twitter #ProjectInspire