Promising Projects and Ideas from #SparkTheRise Round 1; Applications for Round 3 Are Open

Spark the Rise is an online platform for change-makers across India to connect with one another, collaborate and exchange ideas, procure volunteers and donors, and to compete for monthly grants from Mahindra. On 1st November, Mahindra announced 8 project and 4 ideas as winners of the first round of spark the rise entries. Of numerous entries, the winners were adjudged on the basis of impact, feasibility and the innovation of the ideas and projects.

Here are the top 8 projects that have won the first round of Mahindra's Spark the Rise -

1.  FUZION CRAFTS INTERNATIONAL - A handicraft training and production center which aims to provide training and expertise to the rural women and others for the manufacture of decorative items from Water Hyacinth.
2. PROPOSAL OF BRAILLE TRANSCRIPTION CENTRE -  A project with an aim to provide the visually impaired with books, faster by substituting Brailler with the Braille Embosser which can print 300 pages in an hour.
3. Empower Generation Next - A project with an aim to enhance the quality of education in Govt. schools by providing trained teachers along with remedial classes and extracurricular activities such as yoga, sports, arts and music.
4. Lights for Life - Shramik Bharti (SB), a partner of TERI in “Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL)” program, to bring clean light by solar lamps to rural parts of India
5. Khabar Lahariya: Women Making News Waves -  a rural weekly newspaper for the impoverished and complicated regions of Bundelkhand and north Bihar; a local language (Bundeli and Bajjika) newspaper produced by a team of rural women.
6. Rural Primary Health Care - A multi-pronged health initiative with a primary aim of providing affordable and reliable primary health care to the rural people
7. Online Solar Shop Center with a Physical Presence - An Online Solar Shop Center establishment with block level in partnership with rural entrepreneurs, to increase accessibility and awareness about solar lanterns. 
8. Isha Vidhya - Educating Rural India  - A not-for-profit education initiative of Isha Foundation, , which provides high-quality school education to underprivileged rural children, who cannot otherwise access or afford it.

The winning idea's from the first round of Spark the Rise are -

1. K.H.E.L - Changing lives through Sports - A novel program that uses sports and games as a platform to impart essential life-skills to young girls and boys from disadvantaged backgrounds.
2. Eco-friendly and Affordable Sanitary Napkins - A plan with an aim to introduce low cost, eco-friendly sanitary napkins to the rural female population and spread awareness about proper use and disposal of sanitary napkins, for a healthy hygienic life.
3. Information is most valuable asset - Maza Shivaar - An 'Information Warehouse' that aims to solve, information and knowledge related issues.
4. A solution to: Poverty, the problem of villagers - A Village Holistic Development Partnership Institution which will be a non profit, non government organization, which is established by the villagers, for the villagers and of the villagers, where all the villagers are members and equal share holders, partnering with government, companies and public at large to provide salaried jobs to villagers at priority

The Winning Projects will receive a grant of 4 Lakh each, while winning Ideas will receive 2 Lakh each. Winning Sparks will be decided by a combination of public voting and Jury evaluation. The top 2 Projects and top 1 Idea from each month will be eligible to participate in the Grand Finale.The remaining 6 entries – for a total of 18 participants in the Grand Finale – will be chosen by an expert Jury.

Feel free to use the comments section to congratulate the Round 1 winners of the Rise.

You can also apply for the next Round of Spark the Rise. Click here to know more.

Click here to know more about Mahindra's Spark the Rise Campaign.