Paul Polak Innovation Fund: Farm Rainwater Harvesting and Plastic Solutions

We caught up with two of our winner's for the Paul Polak Innovation Fund, Najeeb and Hamidatu, and asked them about innovation. Read along to learn about their experiences:

Q: What does Innovation mean to you??

Najeeb: I think innovation is a new idea that is easy to practice and adopt to help solve existing challenges or problems that can create impact in a community.

Hamidatu: What innovation means to me is being creative, having new ideas or improving on an already existing product or services. At first I thought the Paul Polak funds was just for people outside Ghana, so I never bothered to understand what is all about until I came out with this innovative idea.? Our Country Director @Abdul-Mumin Damba Tahidu asked @Jake Meyers to coach me about the funding. That was when I understood what the 3 three stages of grants means and how to apply for it, there I had a different understanding on who can apply for the grants. This made me so excited about my project and I did a lot of research with the help of my team members.

Q: What was the journey like from the moment you heard about the award to the moment you hit submit? What were you feeling and why??

Najeeb: The journey was full of suspense, because it was my first-time hearing about innovation funding and applying for it. It got to a point where I had to sit back and question myself, whether I will be able to make this dream come true. So I went back to my country manager and asked further questions on my idea about rain water harvesting and women’s empowerment. He carefully took me through the entire process and motivated me to believe in myself. I left his office with some new energy to continue putting my ideas together. With the help of my team, I put together the pitch.

Hamidatu: On the day of submission I had a mixed? feeling, I kept asking myself if my pitch had all the requirements, will it really speak for itself, will it be funded, will this dream make sense?. I asked myself again if this is not funded what is the next step, should I get funding elsewhere? To answer these questions I paid our Country Director @Abdul-Mumin Damba Tahidu a visit to his office but he assured me I will get the fund because he believes in Me (I gave in a tiny smile and my head was about to explode)? and he will help me source for more funding if the need arises, I felt more relieved

Q: Describe the moment you opened your email and saw the announcement. What did it feel like??

Najeeb: It was unbelievable. I honestly couldn’t believe it. It was like a dream. Tears started to roll down. I thought about how this was the moment I had been waiting for, a moment of change and impact for smallholder women farmers. I jumped and shouted, “Change is coming!!!”

Hamidatu: I was getting ready to call it a day when I had an email notification, It was not about a task from a colleague but an email from our CEO @Elizabeth Ellis .I quickly opened it. All I saw was Ghana with my project name Plastic Sanitation Solutions. I began to scream and my colleague? who was with me kept asking what was wrong and if I was okay. I quickly gave her a big hug and told her the results were in and we made it. I continued with my screaming to @Mohammed Baba Najeeb's office so we could jubilate more, I was told he had left but I can still catch up if I am fast. On my way out I met him, we started screaming and jumping around with so much joy. This was a feeling one cannot explain till you are in our shoes. On my way home I cried, not because I am sad but because I just cannot believe this, my first ever project and I won it!

Q: What does it feel like to have your idea be shared and celebrated across a global organization of 1,300? What are you excited for next?

Najeeb: It will be fantastic to share my ideas so others can learn about them and possibly replicate them in other countries. I am excited to be rolling out the project and help empower women smallholder farmers and increase food security.

Hamidatu: I felt on top of the world, more determined and more confident. I would be excited If I can get connected to other country offices who are into recycled plastics to share more ideas to help end poverty and net zero atmosphere. In a year's time, I want to come up with solutions for high pricing on building materials in Northern Ghana by using plastics to enable people in last mile communities to own affordable, comfortable, durable and easy to clean toilet facilities.

The Paul Polak Innovation Fund contributes to iDE's culture of innovation, helping us transform how we think and operate. We encourage staff at all levels to share their innovative ideas and apply to the fund! Click here to learn more about the Paul Polak Innovation Fund.