Erbil, KURDISTAN (November 16, 2017) Rwanga Foundation – in partnership with COSV, with the generous contribution of the European Union/MADAD Trust Fund – announced the 10-shortlisted application of the Call for Ideas launched in the framework of FURSA project. The Call addressed entrepreneurship ideas in Media Sector, designed to promote inclusive and sustainable growth in the Kurdistan Region – Iraq.
FURSA’s Livelihood Micro Projects activity started on September 21st 2017, aiming to implement soft incubation and accelerating opportunities for entrepreneurship ideas of young people (Host communities, refugees and IDPs) in Erbil, Duhok and Suleymaniya (KRI). “One of the objectives behind the partnership between COSV and RWANGA is to serve the youth in providing them with a path to start their own business. Happily, we received a large number of valuable business concepts, that made the evaluation process very competitive!” said Kawa Ghafoor, Rwanga Foundation’s Assistant Director of Projects and FURSA Project Coordinator.
Until October 31st – deadline of ideas submission – 161 applications were collected. Then, a committee composed by six members (three members of COSV, one member of the Rwanga Foundation and two independent media experts Salwan Zaito and Khidher Domly) evaluated all the ideas. Through several evaluation steps, the best 20 applications were filtered out, according to the criteria of job creation, sustainability and budgeting. Salwan Zaito, media expert of the evaluation committee highlighted that “many concepts submitted were built on an effective strategy to merge business through media”.
The evaluation process ended with the selection of the 10 best applications. The owners of these ideas will be involved into a “Capacity Building Program” that will be held by Rwanga Foundation from November 26th to December 6th. The training will provide participants with an in-depth knowledge of Business Development, Marketing, Communication and Project Management. FURSA will last until December 31st, 2017. At the end, each one of the final four selected ideas will receive a maximum of 15.000 Euros as a kick-start support funding. To assure continuation and sustainability to the projects, Rwanga will monitor the launched business projects for the next 4 months, ensuring support taking on the role of advisor.
The details of the 10 selected ideas are as follow:
- Candidate Name: Zana Mahmood Ahmed
Project summary:
Developing a digital media software to manage and organize social media platforms for businesses so as to reach more people and increase sales. - Candidate Name: Zagros Aziz Taha
Project summary:
Opening an audio studio for dubbing, movie production and advertisements. The aim is to educate the society and make them recognize different foreign cultures, be familiar with the scientific level and universal movies. - Candidate Name: Hersh Yousif Ismail
Project summary:
The project is to produce a number of TV show episodes to teach young people how to start their own business as entrepreneurs. - Candidate Name: Sary Abdullah Najib
Project summary:
Creating Kurdish audiobooks, recording Kurdish books that can be listened to rather to be read, it can be a narrative speech or an abridged version of a book. - Candidate Name: Shahla Abdullah Kakasur
Project summary:
Handmade online shopping, in which all the introduced products either will be made by refugees and local needy people or the products that donated by others, to be sold in the website. Overall, the profit will go to the refugees and needy people themselves. - Candidate Name: Alan Daudey
Project summary:
Establishing a digital portal called iKurdistan to promote online local products and service providers of KRI through the portal and social media. - Candidate Name: DOCD org
Project summary:
Opening a local channel for refugees, IDPs, host community. The channel will be dedicated for coexistence, humanitarian, development, in order to bridge between refugees, organizations and community. - Candidate Name: Shlama Foundation
Project summary:
Establishing a radio station for the purpose of creating jobs for the youth, give a platform for the youth to express their arts, make something that the youth from different ethnicities and religions can connect with each other. The radio station would be built in coordination of the Chaldo-Assyrian Student Youth Union in Alqosh. - Candidate Name: Majid Sharaf
Project summary:
Development of a website for the Kurdistan and Iraq doctors guide: tabibiraq.com, and this by increasing the number of doctors in the guide so as to cover the rest of the Iraqi cities in addition to Erbil, Sulaymani and Dohuk and creating an application for Android and IOS to provide the site services for the largest possible segment of people. - Candidate Name: Reshan Hemo
Project summary:
Community awareness through satirical program (Comic criticism) under the name of (Reshanism) which is currently ongoing and has a fair impact to the society.
