Spice Without Borders Partners with KEMEN!
Spice Without Borders partners with KEMEN! SpiceTalks X SpiceTalksX are candid conversations curated by Spice Without Borders and are hosted in your own space. The platform is about identifying the social issues that affect our day today life and reaching possible solutions to these challenges. These platform functions through partnerships like this by Kenya Men Empowerment Network (KEMEN) where Spice Without Borders has been tasked to take KEMEN Circles, the grassroots empowerment circles, to the heart of communities right at the backyards by highlighting social issues that affect a modern man. KEMEN acknowledges that effective community impact to the underserved can only be realized through strategic partnerships and ofcourse a collective resource mobilization strategy that ensures the underserved communities are impacted by the sharing of credible information and knowledge so that they can make choices for themselves. About Spice Without Borders The Founder Spice Without Borders (SwB), Erick Inghatt Matsanza is the 2023 winner for the Non Profit Leader of the Year. Spice Without Borders is a non profit organization that serves as a global leadership academy and incubator for social change innovation that helps define social change by equipping; activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators and innovators from the margins of society with necessary tools and skills they need to start and grow their ideas into sustainable projects that impact their communities. It provides mentorship and one-on-one training that aims to nurture passions elevating participants into socially responsible leaders that support the local economy. Participants are exposed to methods, techniques and theories that are relevant to their personal ideas for them to develop and start businesses or projects that make impactful change happen in their communities. SwB’s mission is to equip a new generation of change leaders from the backyards of society with ideas and skills necessary to sustainably accelerate social change through innovation and cultural transformation. SwB’s idea is that of a catalytic training that equips participants with leadership and creative entrepreneurship skills relevant to their personal ideas for them to develop and start projects that bring impactful change to their communities. Spice Without Borders envisions an open-minded society creatively transformed by authentic social change accelerators with the virtue of equity and equality. About KEMEN The founder Kenyan Men Empowerment Network (KEMEN), Antony Kamnao lauded the partnership with Spice Without Borders as a way of reaching the margins of society especially the male gender. KEMEN is an association of Kenyan men living in the diaspora. KEMEN aims, through strategic partnerships, to create a forum where men identify issues that affect them and find appropriate solutions to tackle them. KEMEN aspires to engage, inform and educate the male gender through mentorship, networking and strategic partnerships. KEMEN Circles are grassroots empowerment circles that seek to equip individuals with the necessary knowledge on social issues that affect them and come up with relevant solutions to the challenges they face.
Spice Without Borders supports the Sustainable Development Goals
What are the Sustainable Development Goals? Adopted by the United Nations in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 goals with 169 targets that the UN is committed to working towards through the year 2030 with the hope of creating lasting positive change and freedom in the general areas of People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership. The purpose of these goals is to create a framework for development programs that will focus on eradicating poverty, hunger, violence, fear, and disease and promoting literacy, equality, human rights, sanitation and hygiene, education, and physical, mental, and social well-being. These goals are meant to build on the Millennium Development Goals and work towards the three key areas the UN identifies for sustainability, which are economic, social, and environmental development. Why we support the Sustainable Development Goals? Spice Without Borders exists to define and drive social change by empowering activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators, and innovators from the margins of society. We equip them with the necessary tools and skills to initiate and grow their ideas into sustainable projects that make a meaningful impact on their communities. https://youtu.be/RpqVmvMCmp0?si=kr2vGYtiQFuQU8PY The Goals No poverty More than 700 million people, or 10% of the world population, still live in extreme poverty and is struggling to fulfil the most basic needs like health, education, and access to water and sanitation, to name a few. The majority of people living on less than $1.90 a day live in sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide, the poverty rate in rural areas is 17.2 per cent—more than three times higher than in urban areas. Having a job does not guarantee a decent living. In fact, 8 per cent of employed workers and their families worldwide lived in extreme poverty in 2018. Poverty affects children disproportionately. One out of five children live in extreme poverty. Ensuring social protection for all children and other vulnerable groups is critical to reduce poverty. Poverty has many dimensions, but its causes include unemployment, social exclusion, and high vulnerability of certain populations to disasters, diseases and other phenomena which prevent them from being productive. Growing inequality is detrimental to economic growth and undermines social cohesion, increasing political and social tensions and, in some circumstances, driving instability and conflicts. read more… Zero hunger It is time to rethink how we grow, share and consume our food. If done right, agriculture, forestry and fisheries can provide nutritious food for all and generate decent incomes, while supporting people-centered rural development and protecting the environment. Right now, our soils, freshwater, oceans, forests and biodiversity are being rapidly degraded. Climate change is putting even more pressure on the resources we depend on, increasing risks associated with disasters, such as droughts and floods. Many rural women and men can no longer make ends meet on their land, forcing them to migrate to cities in search of opportunities. Poor food security is also causing millions of children to be stunted, or too short for the ages, due to severe malnutrition. A profound change of the global food and agriculture system is needed if we are to nourish the 815 million people who are hungry today and the additional 2 billion people expected to be undernourished by 2050. Investments in agriculture are crucial to increasing the capacity for agricultural productivity and sustainable food production systems are necessary to help alleviate the perils of hunger. read more… Good health and well-being Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers associated with child and maternal mortality, but working towards achieving the target of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030 would require improvements in skilled delivery care. Achieving the target of reducing premature deaths due to incommunicable diseases by 1/3 by the year 2030 would also require more efficient technologies for clean fuel use during cooking and education on the risks of tobacco. Many more efforts are needed to fully eradicate a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues. By focusing on providing more efficient funding of health systems, improved sanitation and hygiene, increased access to physicians and more tips on ways to reduce ambient pollution, significant progress can be made in helping to save the lives of millions. read more… Quality education Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to creating sustainable development. In addition to improving quality of life, access to inclusive education can help equip locals with the tools required to develop innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems. Over 265 million children are currently out of school and 22% of them are of primary school age. Additionally, even the children who are attending schools are lacking basic skills in reading and math. In the past decade, major progress has been made towards increasing access to education at all levels and increasing enrollment rates in schools particularly for women and girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet bolder efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. For example, the world has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but few countries have achieved that target at all levels of education. The reasons for lack of quality education are due to lack of adequately trained teachers, poor conditions of schools and equity issues related to opportunities provided to rural children. For quality education to be provided to the children of impoverished families, investment is needed in educational scholarships, teacher training workshops, school building and improvement of water and electricity access to schools. read more… Gender equality While the world has achieved progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Millennium Development Goals (including equal access to primary education between girls and boys), women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence in every part of the world. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and
Take ACTION for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but what are they?
But what are Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom. It always seems impossible until it’s done.” ~ Nelson Mandela The Challenge There exists social issues that keep marginalizing people at the backyard of communities around the world today. With inadequate knowledge of techniques that help create change, many only seem to see these problems but they do NOT take action. It takes only one reason to become problem solvers for those who understand. Social Change Accelerators who have overcome adversity play a key role in creating change in their communities, providing solutions to these problems expanding the equality, diversity and inclusion space. THE GLOBAL GOALS The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2000-2015 In 2000, the United Nations issued the Millennium Development Goals; to focus international development efforts around 8 key issues for a period of 15 years (2000-2015). The Millennium Development Goals provided one of the most important and most successful global agreements where governments, NGOs and business came together to fight poverty, hunger and other key global issues. Achievements were made – more children went to school, poverty and hunger reduced. However, the MDGs were not as successful as they set out to be. They were viewed as being for poorer countries only and that rich countries only role was to help fund the achievement of the MDGs. They were created by a small group of people/countries and most of the world still does not know what the MDGs are! The MDGs have been responsible for a lot of positive change in meeting some of the needs and rights of the worlds’ poorest. But… much still remains to be done! Hence a new set of Goals are now in place, called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These 17 Goals will span a further 15 years: taking us from 2015 -2030. In the year 2015, leaders from 193 countries of the world came together to face the future. And what they saw was daunting. Famines. Drought. Wars. Plagues. Poverty. Not just in some faraway place, but in their own cities and towns and villages. They knew things didn’t have to be this way. They knew we had enough food to feed the world, but that it wasn’t getting shared. They knew there were medicines for HIV and other diseases, but they cost a lot. They knew that earthquakes and floods were inevitable, but that the high death tolls were not. They also knew that billions of people worldwide shared their hope for a better future. So leaders from these countries created a plan called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This set of 17 goals imagines a future just 15 years off that would be rid of poverty and hunger, and safe from the worst effects of climate change. It’s an ambitious plan. The 17 Goals are as below; Who are we? Spice Without Borders is a global leadership academy and incubator for social change innovation that helps define social change by equipping; activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators and innovators from the margins of society with necessary tools and skills they need to start and grow their ideas into sustainable projects that impact their communities. We provide mentorship and one-on-one training that aims to nurture passions elevating our participants into socially responsible leaders that support the local economy. We expose them to methods, techniques and theories that are relevant to their personal ideas for them to develop and start businesses or projects that make impactful change happen in their communities. Our Commitment at Spice Without Borders Spice Without Borders is committed to equipping a new generation of business leaders; activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators and innovators with necessary tools and skills through mentorship, training and networking so that they can start and grow ideas into impactful sustainable projects in their communities. Our Vision We see an open-minded society creatively transformed by authentic social change accelerators with the virtue of equity and equality. Take ACTION now! Download a presentation about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and share with your peers! You can do something about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and create change in your own way however small it may be. What about taking time to talk to your peers about it? Add your voice, because together we can make a difference. Talk about what matters to you most. Take ACTION now! Download a presentation about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and share with your peers! Apply for the Spice Accelerator Program Mentorship and Training now! The Spice Accelerator is our mentor-driven accelerator program for those at the margins of society. The selective 6-month program that equips a new generation of sustainable business leaders through mentorship, training and networking is cohort-based, and it leverages the passion and expertise of individuals and organizations across the globe to provide participants with the connections and resources needed to initiate social impact projects in their communities. Apply for the Spice Accelerator Program for Mentorship and Training now!
Spice Without Borders Clinches Top Honors as Digitally Fit Community Based Organization of the Year 2023
Spice Without Borders Clinches Top Honors as Digitally Fit Community Based Organization of the Year 2023 Spice Without Borders emerged as the Top Digitally Fit Community Based Organization of 2023, securing the title at the Digitally Fit Company of the Year awards. The accolade recognizes Spice Without Borders’ outstanding achievements and commitment to social change in the ever-evolving community impact scene. Matsanza expressed his enthusiasm for the recognition, stating, “This award is a testimony to the Spice Without Borders team’s hard work and commitment. Spice Without Borders has always strived to stay at the forefront of social change revolution, offering programs and activities that transform mindsets at the backyard of society. Winning the Top Digitally Fit Community Based Organization is a proud moment for all of us.” About Spice Without Borders Spice Without Borders is a global leadership academy and incubator dedicated to fostering social change innovation. Our mission is to define and drive social change by empowering activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators, and innovators from the margins of society. We equip them with the necessary tools and skills to initiate and grow their ideas into sustainable projects that make a meaningful impact on their communities.
SHE IS A WOMAN! – Invest in her to accelerate progress!
Invest in women | Accelerate Progress Today we celebrate all the women who rise up each single day and toil to mother the world making it a habitable place for us all. You can get her love in the form of a; Sister, Friend, Beloved, Wife in the form of mother and in the form of Grandmother. To accelerate progress, purpose to respect and invest in her. SHE IS A WOMAN!
The Spicy Theory of social change by Spice Without Borders is a mind boggling one.
Spice Without Borders’ theory of change is that accelerating social change by investing in the leadership development of an entrepreneur focused on social impact will result in enterprise growth and, ultimately, exponential social impact. Erick Inghatt Matsanza is the Founder and Social Change Catalyst of Spice Without Borders. Founded in 2015 on the belief that growing socially conscious leaders is the best strategy for solving complex social problems and achieving social change for global good. Social change in the world today needs to be more bottom-up rather than top-down. Nurturing passions is the central underlying factor that must be in place in order for any bottom-up development to take place because only if skills are nurtured can people come up with and take responsibility and ownership of different solutions. People have the right to speak directly rather than be spoken for as this creates an environment where we are able to understand and appreciate each ones abilities. Talents could be packaged in any form; activism, creative, entrepreneurial, initiation or innovation. We believe that creating opportunity platforms for active citizen participation are key to the development of a democratic society. To change the way people think we have to nurture the freedom of expression and disrupt the status quo. Individual passions are a powerful social change tool that can be used to recreate the world. Community passions and culture can become a global movement today because of the cost of technology and the ease of distribution, which presents the possibility that the needs and knowledge of the underprivileged from the margins of society can be heard on a massive scale. An informed citizenry that enjoys freedom of expression with access to platforms that ignite and nurture passions is necessary to the proper functioning of a democracy. Developing community spaces for expression and skill development is a vital way to highlight concerns of the people in developing countries, allowing the underprivileged citizens from the margins of society to be able to make a contribution to the local economy and advocate on their own behalf. About Us Spice Without Borders is a global leadership academy and incubator dedicated to fostering social change innovation. Our mission is to define and drive social change by empowering activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators, and innovators from the margins of society. We equip them with the necessary tools and skills to initiate and grow their ideas into sustainable projects that make a meaningful impact on their communities. Spice Without Borders seeks to urgently disrupt and change perceptions as it develops emerging change leaders who are passionate about transforming mindsets, monetizing their abilities and creatively impact those at the backyard of society by generating engagements that enable partnerships for local action. What do we mean when we talk about Social Change impact? An individual zooming into their personal life to search for an idea and discovering that which they can do to transform their own lives and that of others. An individual bringing their passion to life, and reaching out to make an impact through their idea as a business opportunity. An individual coming up with a unique technological design that tackle a community problem An individual starting a community empowerment space focused on horning basic skills for the underprivileged. It could be a musician or artist connecting with people through their medium and creating an open space for expression that brings out social transformation. Probably this individual is a documentary filmmaker or blogger telling the stories of under-represented communities and bringing out unheard stories. Yes! An individual who has a thought of doing something and has the determination to define their abilities.
The Spicy Chili that symbolizes Spice Without Borders brand
Chili is our identity symbol. A chili comes in different colours; red, purple, orange, green and yellow, but with the same taste. It grows in the backyard, almost forgotten and unrecognized yet a valuable ingredient for our meals as a blood purifier. It never loses its spiciness whether boiled or dried and crushed, a symbol of the inner uniqueness in each individual irrespective of their different abilities no matter what they have to go through in life. A chili actually changes the taste of food yet the food can never change it. To us a red chili represents a social change agent ready to creatively apply their individual passions in solving the most pressing problems in their backyards which they are apart of, creating more inclusive communities free from all forms of discrimination hence Spice Without Borders. These diverse change makers; activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators and innovators, use their uncensored “creativism,” a term that to us means activism at the intersection of creative arts and social justice. That makes our spicy brand! About Us Spice Without Borders is a global leadership academy and incubator dedicated to fostering social change innovation. Our mission is to define and drive social change by empowering activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators, and innovators from the margins of society. We equip them with the necessary tools and skills to initiate and grow their ideas into sustainable projects that make a meaningful impact on their communities. Spice Without Borders seeks to urgently disrupt and change perceptions as it develops emerging change leaders who are passionate about transforming mindsets, monetizing their abilities and creatively impact those at the backyard of society by generating engagements that enable partnerships for local action. Our Commitment Spice Without Borders is committed to equipping a new generation of business leaders; activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators and innovators with necessary tools and skills through mentorship, training and networking so that they can start and grow ideas into impactful sustainable projects in their communities. Our Values Creativity and Authenticity: We challenge each individual to think like there is no box, new ways, ideas, insights and partners to stretch the boundaries of possibilities for change only comes by creatively pursuing opportunities without the fear of failure. Equity and Equality: We believe that all human beings are entitled to basic rights and equitable access to opportunities and resources regardless of sex, ethnicity, race, birth, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or other status. Integrity: It is at the core of what we say and do as we build genuine relationships based on respect and sense of equality. We are accountable and answerable for our conduct to each and all others and strive to maintain high ethical and professional standards in our relations. Our Believe at Spice Without Borders The world is celebrating diversity and is in a period of an accelerated shift. Conducting business is becoming more decentralized, automated and driven by values. The skills that are needed in the future are different than those of the past. Leadership matters. Business culture is shaped by people and impact is driven by people. We must be led by value-based leadership that operates from a place of self-awareness, maturity, competence, and connection. To find that leadership, we think about influence. We identify authentic, strong, bold, morally courageous voices from the margins of society and we do everything we can to amplify their work. The value of personal work is amplified through connection; communities of practice are critical. By identifying the right people, mentoring and training them on cutting edge content, and connecting them with like-minded individuals, we are constructing and designing a networked ripple effect. At critical mass, Spice Without Borders participants will bring about more authentic, equitable, transformative solutions. They will change their backyards through their unique ideas. Spice Without Borders as an all-inclusive space Spice Without Borders is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to challenge discrimination through celebrating diversity, promoting equality, and embracing inclusion. We therefore do not discriminate participants based on gender, ethnicity, race, colour, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, socio-economic status, disability or any other status.
Spice Without Borders Founder, Erick Inghatt Matsanza, wins the Nonprofit Leader of the Year 2023 at KEMEN Awards.
Erick Inghatt Matsanza, the Founder Spice Without Borders won the Nonprofit Leader of the Year 2023 at KEMEN Awards. The prestigious accolade was presented to Erick Matsanza during the inaugural Kemen Awards hosted on the 15th December 2023 at Maanzoni 680 Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya where Matsanza’s dedication to impacting the lives of those at the margins of society in Kenya and beyond was applauded. The Kenyan diaspora has become a powerful force in community impact at a time when globalization has eliminated obstacles and enabled smooth cross-border collaborations. Kenyan Men Empowerment Network (KEMEN) is an association of Kenyan men living in the diaspora. The group aims to create a forum where Kenyan men in diaspora address issues that affect them and find appropriate solutions to solve them. The recognition of Matsanza’s community leadership showcases the exceptional contributions in empowering those at the backyards and making an impactful contribution to the entrepreneurship and social change ecosystem. His unwavering dedication, innovative approaches, and commitment to catalyzing social change has made a profound impact in the nonprofit sector and beyond. About Us Spice Without Borders is a global leadership academy and incubator dedicated to fostering social change innovation. Our mission is to define and drive social change by empowering activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators, and innovators from the margins of society. We equip them with the necessary tools and skills to initiate and grow their ideas into sustainable projects that make a meaningful impact on their communities.
What is so spicy about the Spice Accelerator Program?
The Spice Accelerator Program The Spice Accelerator is our mentor-driven accelerator program for those at the margins of society. The selective 6-month program that equips a new generation of sustainable business leaders through mentorship, training and networking is cohort-based, and it leverages the passion and expertise of individuals and organizations across the globe to provide participants with the connections and resources needed to initiate social impact projects in their communities. Eligibility Criteria » You will need to be a woman or man aged 18 years or older. » You will need to have social change or business idea that needs to be nurtured. » You could be running a social change project already or wanting to start one. » We respect individuals’ academic performance however; selection is not based on academic performance or qualification. » Are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking basic English. » Basic knowledge in using a computer » Willingness to learn and share your skills with peers and mentors. » Ability to share your skills with your intended project beneficiaries. » Have been faced by adversity and overcome a social ill. » Be part of the social community you seek to transform. » Ready to share your personal story to a public audience and have it published on our platforms. » You must be coming from the East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi). » Be able to personally travel to Eldoret City twice a month within the training period for a physical meetup. » Must be ready to avail yourself when called upon by our Catalysts » Pay a Tuition fee of Kes. 24,000/- for the six month mentorship and training period. Participant Benefits Individuals at the backyard of society across communities and globally need to join hands and work together to come up with solutions to new global challenges. At our Spice Accelerator program, you gain from; » Mentorship Empowered to see the visible or invisible barriers in your life. We believe in sustained mentorship and that these long-term relationships provide participants with the lasting support they need to be successful. Our participants are exposed to mentors with a diverse realm of expertise. We leverage this network of mentors, many of whom are alumni of our accelerator programs, and their expertise to provide participants the opportunities to connect with the resources necessary to avoid potentially costly mistakes, develop and hone their business models based on individual passions. » Resources In addition to mentorship, participants have access to direct resources such as basic legal services, proforma development, pitch preparation, and graphic design support at special discounted rates. Additionally, participants will have full access to our coworking space. A dynamic and creative space to grow and develop yourself and your social change or business idea. » Peer – to – Peer Networks Learning from different perspectives by fellow participants. We believe that some of the most valuable long-term connections an entrepreneur can make are with other entrepreneurs facing similar challenges at a similar stage. We work to build these peer-to-peer connections throughout the program between current participants as well as our extensive alumni network. As a cohort-driven program we celebrate wins, big or small, together. » Pitch Development and Practice Safe platform to share your personal story and validate your experience. Once you have the right story, a great pitch will help you sell it. We work with professional pitch coaches who will support you to hone your pitch narrative and materials. Participants finish the accelerator with a refined, compelling pitch and pitch deck to bring to any meeting with an investor or customer. » Networking Being part of Social Change Catalysts movement with new and meaningful connections and relationships. Throughout the program, participants are invited to exclusive networking events hosted by Spice Without Borders. These events, which are in both physical and virtual environments, are attended by alumni, board members, investors, and change makers that provide opportunities for participants to connect and form part of the growing creative spicy accelerators movement of individuals committed to creating a better world for all Apply Now! Apply Now!