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Leading digital transformation practice, dY/dX, again facilitated Cape Town’s RE:SOLVE Challenge with the Craft and Design Institute as part of their ongoing vision to fast-track innovative solutions that have the potential to change South Africa’s economic outlook.

Taking place over a period of eight months, the RE:SOLVE Challenge, funded by the City of Cape Town and managed by the Craft and Design Institute (CDI), a non-profit company with 20 years of success in developing creative people, small businesses and the craft and design sector in South Africa, aimed to inspire the entrepreneurial spirit of some of our country’s most future-focused entrepreneurial spirits.

As sponsors, dY/dX was given the opportunity to identify an initiative to support that could tangibly provide solutions to improve the lives of the country’s most vulnerable. Out of the 6 RE:SOLVE finalists receiving grant funding to prototype their solutions, their chosen initiative, Flamingo Sanitation Solutions, was named as the winner, demonstrating that their idea has clear potential to make a substantial impact on the informal settlement community. Judges included representatives from the CDI, dY/dX, The City of Cape Town and the Consulate of the Netherlands.

Prioritising innovation today is the key to unlocking growth for the country as we begin to re-build, re-set and re-emerge in the wake of the pandemic. To truly grow and thrive it is critical that South African innovators are given the space needed to take their ideas from concept to sustainable reality. With an unwavering belief that design thinking can change the world, dY/dX’s sponsorship focused mainly on the design thinking components of the challenge and contestants had the chance to be part of a hands-on learning experience, exposing them to business building experts as well as grant funding available for prototyping of selected projects.

“We are always inspired to work with strong visionary women”, says Jesslynn Shepherd, partner at dY/dX. “We actually spent a very long time seeking out a women-led project that was bold in its innovation to completely challenge the status quo and leave a long-lasting and tangible impact on communities. We were inspired by this astounding group of women innovators who have unharnessed their creative thinking to find a way to solve such a prevalent issue that so many women face which is why we are stepping in to provide not only funding, but also our time from a consultancy point of view to help grow the business and bring it to the market.”

Flamingo Sanitation Solutions was founded to change the lives of women living in poverty who have no choice but to live in the conditions dictated by their informal settlements. These women face the unending battle of severely lacking systemic and infrastructural challenges – in particular sanitation. The struggle of having to venture outside, often across far distances, every time a child needs the toilet or is sick, coupled with the stress of leaving other children alone and exposed is debilitating. Trudging through streets littered with waste and sewerage during the cold winter months with the ever present danger of being attacked in a country wracked with horrendous, violent crimes against women and children is something that nobody – let alone a vulnerable woman – should ever have to face.

From a sustainability perspective, preventing waste from entering the failing wastewater system will start to address the current waste, contamination and pollution problem communities are facing.

The women-led initiative is rethinking South Africa’s infrastructure and sanitation in order to keep more women and children safe while also conserving dwindling water resources. Their blueprint is achievable, sustainable and has the potential for substantial job creation because it enables women within communities to become empowered contributors to the cause through recruitment and upskilling. It simply needed support to make it a real-world working model.

Talitha Bertelsmann-Scott, Founder of Flamingo Sanitation Solutions says, “We will consider our efforts to create a better South Africa for women and children a success once we see that our circular economy approach delivers on their safety and dignity, when we have created sustainable jobs and incomes for communities, when sanitation no longer needs water and when waste is repurposed and not dumped into oceans or other water ways. We are so grateful for dY/dX’s support as we believe we can achieve this goal faster with their invaluable insights and funding. Being part of the RE:SOLVE Challenge has been a game changer for Flamingo Sanitation Solutions.” Flamingo Sanitation Solutions also wins a consultation with an Investor Readiness Specialist.

Enabling entrepreneurship is a crucial step in economic recovery. Innovation brought to the country through the RE:SOLVE challenge, aided by invested sponsors like dY/dX, offers the prime opportunity for existing entrepreneurs to shift their concepts to the next level – for the betterment of society as whole. “We have a responsibility as businesses to help those who are striving to develop real solutions for some of South Africa’s toughest problems. We are simply not prepared to look the other way and leave economic development to somebody else when we know that we have the expertise to unlock such incredible potential. We feel privileged and excited to have played a pivotal role in the RE:SOLVE Challenge and we can’t wait to see the long-term impact that will unfold as the winning innovators shine.” Concludes Shepherd.

Click to read more about the RE:SOLVE ChallengedY/dX and Flamingo Sanitation.

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