By Eliza Chatchuka and Silas Otieno.

On May 28, four Mastercard Foundation Scholars were selected as the Ubuntu Prototype finalist 2025, joining the program’s 6^th cohort. The Ubuntu Program is a Pan-African innovation and mentorship initiative grounded in the spirit of Ubuntu, which means "I am because you are." This program promotes collaboration, empathy, and community-centered innovation. Organized by the Ubuntu team, the program brought together different hubs from across Africa, with the goal of nurturing young African innovators by equipping them with skills, mentorship, and funding opportunities to turn their ideas into impactful solutions. Representing the USIU-Africa Ubuntu Hub, a team from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program participated under the mentorship of Ms. Dolly Mwiti, Careers Placement Officer, and Ms. Rahab W. Cheche, Recruitment and Selection Officer.

The informative and engaging training sessions were held online covering the whole process from ideation, incubation, pitching, and prototyping. This was to ensure equal access to knowledge for all teams from the different hubs across the continent, creating a supportive environment for creativity and learning. The Ubuntu program embraced environmental consciousness by integrating respect for mother nature into its values and activities.

The program began with 896 participants. Of these, 312 successfully completed the program and received certificates, representing around 40% of the initial participants. Towards the end of training phase, teams were invited to submit their ideas for a competitive chance to prototype seed funding. 33 prototypes were submitted, 17 of these prototypes advanced to the second round, and 11 prototypes were selected during the final virtual event which also served as the graduation ceremony and the announcement of the finalists. The 11 prototypes selected will receive a total seed funding of USD 20,000 to support implementation.

USIU-Africa was one of the most successful hubs with 7 out of the 12 initial prototypes making it to the second round and 4 being among the 11 selected for seed funding. These award-winning prototypes include, APex Edtech- Library Without Walls project which aims to establish digital libraries for schools in Malawi that are struggling to build and maintain physical libraries. These offline digital learning devices will be preloaded with thousands of eBooks, video tutorials, and AI assistants, providing students in rural areas, who lack access to traditional libraries, with rich educational resources.

The second prototype is Empowering Women Through Pig Rearing which seeks to uplift widows, single mothers, and disadvantaged women in Tembwe village, Mchinji, Malawi by equipping them with the skills and resources to succeed in pig farming. The project promotes group-based pig rearing, enabling women to share responsibilities, access training, and reach markets collectively as well as fostering financial independence.

The third project is Refugee Employment Accelerator and Career Hub (REACH) which is designed to reduce youth unemployment in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement in Uganda. REACH empowers youth refugees through an integrated model that combines a physical hub and a custom-built digital platform, providing access to market-driven skills and real-world opportunities.

The last project is the Youth Soft Skills Training Program which focuses on equipping young people with soft skills that will complement the hard skills trained in school as they transition to the professional world.

Pech Lim Gatluak, the Founder of REACH, expressed that his experience as a refugee and witnessing the struggles of skill mismatch and missed opportunities drives his passion. “Being an Ubuntu Prototype finalist and winning this challenge is a milestone,” he remarked. “It acknowledges our innovative path towards the challenges of my refugee community, broadening our reach with investors and mentors who will help see this vision come to life,” he concluded.

For Elizabeth Chatchuka, one of the founders of Empowering Women Through Pig Rearing project, stated that participating in the Ubuntu Lab Institute was a deeply transformative experience that offered her a unique opportunity to reconnect with the core values of Ubuntu, a philosophy that reminds that “I am because we are.” Chatchuka elaborates that throughout the program, they were reminded of their shared humanity and the importance of community, empathy, and interdependence. “From the very beginning, the atmosphere encouraged openness, vulnerability, and authentic connection,” she narrates. “We engaged in powerful conversations, storytelling moments, and reflective practices that helped us uncover not only our individual journeys but also the collective wisdom we carry as a group,“ she concluded.