In August 2010, Community Toolbox, a global resource of free information on essential skills for building healthy communities had announced the Out of the Box Prize 2010 to honor innovative approaches to promoting community health and development worldwide. NGOs and other groups working in the areas of community health, education, urban or rural development, poverty, the environment, social justice or other related issues of importance to communities in any part of the world were invited to apply for this Prize.
There were two prizes under this award: Grand Prize which had $5000 cash award and Second Prize with $2000 cash award and both the prize winners would get a free customized WorkStation for their group.
According to a recent announcement, Uhuru Child in Kenya is the winner for the Grand Prize for its Jikaze Internally Displaced Persons Resettlement Village Project implemented in Maai Mahiu, Central Province, Kenya. The project is a sustainable re-settlement village for 900 internally displaced persons following the Kenyan post-election violence in 2008 executed through a microfinance loan project for families and educational scholarships for their children.
The Second Prize winner is the Fountain of Hope Life Center that is working to help HIV and AIDS-infected children receive equal opportunities academically and in extracurricular activities. In 2007, it implemented an innovative project to address the high dropout rate of girls from school. Girls were dropping out from school and were struggling academically because of staining their uniforms during menstruation. Fountain of Hope organized donations of sanitary pads from community shops and supermarkets starting by asking for just a single packet of sanitary pads, according to James N. Waruiru, Fountain of Hope’s Project Coordinator. The initiative now supports more than 250 young women.
You can read about other finalists of this Prize at this link.
