The 1%CLUB is the marketplace that connects smart development projects with people, money and knowledge around the world at onepercentclub.com.
Have a look and be part of it!
Foremost, a massive thank you for all the submissions that were sent to the 1%CLUB for the #my1pc crowd-funding campaign. From a group of hikers that wants to raise funds to plant trees in Mt. Kenya after a forest fire destroyed forest cover worth Sh8 billion, to initiatives that ensures no girl misses class simply because she can’t afford sanitary towels.
The #My1PC team is currently evaluating all the entries, and will shortlist the best five projects that will be put up on the 1%CLUB website, a platform that connects smart development projects with people, money and knowledge around the world. It simply aims at getting you and your friends to chip in with 1% of your resources, time or skill.
You may ask yourself how your 1% can help an idea become a reality. We get that question all the time. Quick answer, imagine if you and your 49 friends each contributed Kes. 500 every last Friday of the month, for three months towards a needy project that only needs Kes. 75,000 to be set up? It’s all about doing BIG things, in simple ways.
Once shortlisted, the #My1PC campaign will seek crowd-funding for these projects on the 1%CLUB platform. The team in Nairobi will also host a number of social media workshops that will not only see the project owners brainstorm on how to Make It Work, but will also have a hands-on experience on how the 1%CLUB turns ideas into action.
As usual, we all love success stories. Here is a list of projects that have been achieved under the 1%CLUB, simply using the 1% concept.
The online fundraising will take place every first Friday of the month, dubbed “fundraising Friday” Project owners will use their network to help fundraise using Kenya’s popular mobile money payment systems (Mpesa, ZAP, Orange Money and YU cash).
As the Swahili saying goes, Haba na Haba hujaza kibaba, it’s time for you and your friends to make it work, bit by bit, and have fun while at it
On March 22nd 2012, World Water Day, Butterfly Works launches a serious, but fun game about water scarcity in slums. The game and supporting Facebook campaign aims to create awareness amongst Dutch youth about the life of young people living in slums and especially in relation to water and the environment.
World wide, nearly 1 billion people live in slums and the number is growing, water is a basic necessity and providing access to clean water and sanitation for the world’s poor is one of the millennium development goals set for 2015.
Recently the popularity of ‘Games for Change‘ is growing, whereby the help of gamers is enlisted to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. GetH2O Challenge is a game about the challenges that slum dwellers face getting (clean) water. A fun game based on real life situation, with an educational purpose the game allows you to experience the race against the clock managing water, housing and pollution.
In the game you play the role of a ‘Change Maker’ who is working for the good of the community.
Your aim in the game is to build houses and manage the water supply while keeping the pollution in check, you can build water tanks and wells to improve the supply but time is always against you. In the end the best way to win the game is to build a community centre where the whole community come together to take action to solve the problem for once and for all.
On the accompanying Facebook campaign page Ben and Winnie, two students who live in Kibera, (an informal settlement of Nairobi) Kenya, share a video message giving you a glimpse into their life and the challenges they stumble upon getting water everyday.
By playing the flash game Dutch young people can experience slum life and what choices you can choose from and in that way learn to understand just how difficult things can be. Young people motivated to do something about the issue can share the game and the video messages with friends on Facebook, or donate money to one of a selection of water projects through the crowdfunding site 1%CLUB who is collaborating in the campaign.
1%CLUB organised a Co-creation with ABN AMRO on March 6th. 25 trainees from the latter worked on four different cases. Fei An Tjan represented one of these cases, BARRACO #55. In this guestblog she talks about the Co-creation.
In the process of setting up a hostel, we soon realized that, as in so many cases, our biggest concern is to get our financials together. That basically means that we are relying on DINERO/MONEY/GELD to make our plans tangible once we’re in Rio de Janeiro. So we needed a plan, which was luckily supported by the people from 1%CLUB.
We had only send in our project a short while ago, when one of the organizers approached us if we were interested in participating in one of their offline events called ‘co-creations’, meaning that another group with a certain expertise would dedicate one afternoon to a problem you were facing. In our case, this was a group of ABN AMRO trainees, who would look at our project from a financial, economics and business point of view.
One day before the big event, I had a short Skype meeting with our facilitator Bart, who explained how and what we could expect and also to get a clear view of what our project was all about. I told him that, as we did not have any background in economics, we could really use some help in structuring our business plans. No experience, no background and no contacts made him conclude laughishly that we ‘must be very creative’. And although this wasn’t a nice thing to hear, I’m afraid he was painfully right…
On March 6th 2012 then, I went to ‘s Gravenhekje #1 in order to get lunch and go home with a structured financial plan. When the trainees arrived, they apparently didn’t know yet what was awaiting them. After a short introduction by moderator Marleen, we were divided into groups and I found myself explaining for the first time officially I think, what BARRACO #55 was all about. After I explained to them what we needed from them [a structured business plan] they were set to work with the information provided.
After half an hour I was called back with a rough version of their findings and brain spins, leading to a more structured version of what our finances should look like and indeed, how to structure them. To be honest, when I was sitting there at the moment I wasn’t so impressed by the new info they offered me because most of it was already written out, but when I thought of it later, I realized that the little change they made in the plan could actually make our whole project’s document a lot clearer!
In the final presentation, the trainees were given the assignment to present the final results to the case owners in a creative way. The group that treated our project came up with a role play in which they pretended to be us and future sponsors. What came out was that we should focus more on the cultural aspect and also that we would become self-sustainable and helping the community, which would be beneficial for name building of the future sponsors. They also provided us with a better version of our financial plan on a USB.
A really productive way I would say and unfortunately a whole new agenda to work on for us…
Project owner Hasan Giire joined the Co-Creation on February 22nd. He looks back on this day in this guest blog.
ExtendedBITS is a small IT company from the Netherlands owned by two Dutch citizens. The company has a local IT factory in Borama city, Awdal region of Somaliland. They work with partner foundation ADO (Awdal Development Organization) to improve the lives of the citizens of Somaliland.
ExtendedBITS is having some difficulties in getting assignments and investments to let the business grow. The directors of ExtendedBITS asked 1%CLUB to help the company achieve his goals. They took part in the 1%Co-creation on February 22nd 2012 at the office of 1%CLUB. As the director of ExtendedBITS, I was not sure what to expect because this was the first co-creation for ExtendedBITS.
The session started with an introduction by our beloved Marleen where she stated the aim of the gathering of this afternoon. She started by welcoming everyone and stated the reason. She gave an introduction of three projects, including our project.
After a short introduction of every participant, the co-creation started. The co-creation was divided in three sessions. Our group was a very interesting group with Riek as moderator. First I gave a 20-minute introduction of the company and the team. The group asked questions and most importantly: showed me the need to present the whole team in every occasion.
After the introduction, the group started working without me. After an hour and a half, the group presented a summary of the idea they got. I was asked to choose one idea and the group started developing this idea. The big challenge for us, according to the group, was how to present the company in a short amount of time. It’s called creating pitches for different groups (investor, partners and clients).
The group held a short presentation at the end of the evening. The group was very pleased to take part to this endeavor and wishes that ExtendedBITS will succeed.
After two weeks and few days, the group sends a document with the suggestion on how to present the company.
ExtendedBITS wishes to thank every participant on this co-creation. We got the support of the whole group that took part in the advisory board for ExtendedBITS. I have a great appreciation to 1%CLUB and to all the participants. Most of all I wish to express the deepest gratitude to Riek Viehoff.
ExtendedBITS has setup an advisory board for the company by creating a private group in Linkedin. Already Riek, Judith and Tabitha become members of this group. I wish and hope that all the other participants will join the group.
An adage goes: An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea. We can’t agree any more. It could be something that looks so simple at the advance stages, months later it’s the talk of the town, something of fortune, something that benefits the community, not only today and tomorrow, but for more than even five years!
As 1%CLUB, we love great ideas!
It could be setting up a plastic cutting machine which recycles waste plastic and sells them for a fortune, or a community cyber café where people empower themselves with knowledge about technology, and see how it can help them improve their lives. It could be a project to help provide education (remember they say when you educate a girl, you educate a nation). It could be an idea to eradicate poverty.
It’s all about impact, which starts as an idea!
We are looking for you, with that idea. Together we are going to help turn it into an action. We want to connect smart development projects (your idea) with people, money and knowledge around the world.
It is possible, you and me coming together, including our friends and chipping in 1% of what we can. Here is a video of how we are going to Make It Work!
Are you ready with your idea? Does it conform with the following conditions? Examples of GREAT ideas we loved and became actions are available via this link.
Foremost, a massive thank you for all the submissions that were sent to the 1%CLUB for the #my1pc crowd-funding campaign. From a group of hikers that wants to raise funds to plant trees in Mt. Kenya after a forest fire destroyed forest cover worth Sh8 billion, to initiatives that ensures no girl misses class simply because she can’t afford sanitary towels.
