Kumwe Logistics

CUSTOM CHALLENGE; RWANDA

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Technologies and services used for logistics services and freight. Kumwe will stimulate the transporter network by building a platform to easily connect the organizations and individuals in need of transport with transporters. 

Learn more about the Custom Challenge and why we only fund ideas that focus on distributing proven poverty interventions. 

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

Freight transportation costs 60% more than in developed countries, which has a crippling effect on economic development. Kumwe is lowering these costs by connecting shippers and truck owners via an online marketplace. By working with Kumwe, shippers gain access to a larger network of price-competitive transporters, and these transporters gain access to more jobs. Kumwe started operation in Rwanda in August 2016 with 23 completed transports in the first month, and is expanding its operations into Uganda in early 2017.

Kumwe will establish a mobile-based freight brokerage system, Kumwe. Instead of searching for trucks through countless channels, you send one request to a freight broker, either through an online portal or directly through a person. You specify the load details - time, pick-up, drop-off, size, cargo type, etc. - and immediately receive quotes from several carriers. You then select one carrier, considering both the price and past service levels which the broker carefully tracks. Any issues with the transporter are reported back to the broker. 

On the back end, the broker is primarily a digital platform. Drivers and their trucks are kept in a database; when a request for transport comes in, it is forwarded via mobile phone to carriers that meet the order needs. Drivers then use their mobile phones to bid on or ignore the request. Once you select a driver, the deal is confirmed and payment held by the broker. Upon completion of the job, drivers are rated by the customer based on metrics like on-time pickup, on-time delivery, cargo damage or shrinkage. After confirming there are no major issues, funds are released to the driver. 

 

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Register 20 independent truck driers and freight companies

• Establish 1-2 main partners to build volume backbone 

• Offer free trial period to get sticky with user base 

• Register 100 drivers and freight companies by the end of year 1 

• 150+ transactions per day by year 2 

 

FOUNDING TEAM

Cyril Khamsi

Chris Creyts

Nora Weisskopf

Charles Dokmo

Emily Gooding

REACH

FLIPPED CLASSROOM CHALLENGE; UGANDA

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Flip the classroom intervention, providing schools with low-cost and sustainable learning materials and innovative instruction methods. 

Learn more about the Flipped Classroom Challenge and why new education models, like flipping the classroom or deskilling a class curriculum, offer a solution to the vast teacher shortages in the developing world. 

 

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

1. Provide students with government-approved textbooks with which they learn the lesson materials before coming to class each day. 

2. Train teachers on how to facilitate engaging activities that use low-cost and easily accessible materials in order to further students' understanding of the topics studied at home. These materials are drawn from Bridge International's hands-on primary education tools. 

For the pilot, the team identified Grade 6 as a critical year for intervening in the classroom and maintaining students' interest in school with the potential to significantly improve their learning outcomes and increase primary school completion rates. By focusing on Mathematics, they aim to enable all students to develop the quantitative skills required for them to succeed at Primary Leaving Examinations (Grade 7) and complete primary school. REACH will work in collaboration with education officers and schools in Uganda to create strategic partnerships to expand and strengthen the model. 

Books donated during the implementation will be kept by each school and can be used by new student cohorts the following years. The team will build on the expertise of current teachers - who remain in one school for an average of 10 years - to ensure the quality and continuity of the project. The team will work closely with education officers and Center Coordinating Tutors to help supervise and scale the program. Teachers who have gone through the training and program will be able to join the REACH Fellowship Network. 

 

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Target 30 out of 256 public primary schools in Wakiso, the largest district in Uganda based on population. 
• Benefit 15 teachers 
• Reach between 1,500 and 1,800 students 
• 2017: train an additional 120 teachers 
• 2018: train an additional 300 teachers, reach 56,550 students 

 

FOUNDING TEAM

Clara Bicalho- Operations Manager

David Kafambe- Training and External Relations Manager

Eduardo Campillo - M&E Manager 

Angelina Micha Djaja- Finance and Logistics Manager

sharEd

FLIPPED CLASSROOM CHALLENGE; INDIA

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

High-quality educational curricula and resources. 

Learn more about the Flipped Classroom Challenge and why new education models, like flipping the classroom or deskilling a class curriculum, offer a solution to the vast teacher shortages in the developing world. 

 

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

In low-income preschools across the globe, teachers stand in front of classrooms of 3 and 4-year-olds without any training in early childhood education (ECE) and without any materials to aid in play-based learning. Furthermore, low-income schools in countries like India and Bangladesh can't afford expensive, privately published curricula or the games and toys needed for age-appropriate instruction, so teachers make up lessons as they go. By lowering the cost of these materials through a subscription-based sharing model, sharEd operates as a solution provider to the affordable preschool market in India, helping schools to deliver quality education at a fraction of the cost. 

Research has shown that quality preschool curricula, like Creative Curriculum, with structured step-by-step instructions can be an effective intervention even when run by an untrained teacher or facilitator. However, these products are too expensive for most schools. We realized that preschools using these products only use a fraction of their physical materials at any given time, while the rest sit on the shelf. With sharEd, instead of paying thousands of dollars to buy materials, schools can access quality resources immediately by renting one new learning unit each month for as low as $10. When schools subscribe, they get access to monthly themed lesson plans with structured activities, quality story books, and all the play materials they need for that unit. 

Schools that subscribe to sharEd become part of a community of local teachers who meet every month. At monthly meetings, sharEd teachers return their materials, get a new themed lesson plan, and receive training in early education best practices and classroom management. 

In order to reach customers, sharEd will leverage a two-pronged approach.

1. A top-down approach, targeting large groups of schools which are run through a public-private partnership with other non-profits and NGOs and the Indian government. These schools will pay no fee. 

2. A bottom-up approach, targeting the fragmented private school market through a grassroots movement. The strategy will leverage sharEd's local teacher trainers to identify and sign up schools for a minimal monthly fee. 

sharEd will operate in local markets by contracting experienced, trained teachers to rent out the materials and run monthly training sessions. These employees will be recruited by the Regional Program Director and paid a competitive rate to run training sessions. 

 

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Onboard 20 preschools and reach approximately 600 children

• 2016-2017 school year will collect valuable feedback from pilot schools to improve the product and onboard 60 additional schools for the next school year

• In 2017, scale to 80 classrooms and provide quality early education to another 2,400 children

• In two years, provide quality early education to over 12,000 children and empower teachers wtih 3,300 total hours of training

• In 2018, scale to 300 schools

 

FOUNDING TEAM

Bobby Powers - Chief Executive Officer 

Nihar Shah - Chief Financial Officer 

Kate Geremia - Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Procurement Officer 

Derrick Wolbert - Chief Information Officer