Nelly Cheboi of TechLit Africa and Teresa Wanjiku Njoroge of Clean Start Solutions emerged among the 12 winners of the 2023 Elevate Prize Award.
In the competition that recognises entrepreneurs on a mission to drive change together and impact leaders for social good, the duo was selected for their outstanding work.
The winners were announced on Monday, January 23 with Joseph Deitch, the chairman of the Elevate Prize Foundation, indicating that the 12 were selected instead of the usual 10 due to the uniqueness of the individuals.
"I want them to reach their potential and they all have massive potential, passion, and purpose," he added.
Each winner is set to receive Ksh62 million (USD500,000) divided into a Ksh37.2 million (USD300,000) unrestricted grant to continue their work and an additional Ksh28.8 million (USD200,000) in support services to help reach a wider audience.
"We are excited to announce the 2023 Elevate Prize Winners. A tenacious group of leaders, visionaries, and activists on a mission to solve some of the world’s most critical challenges," announced the award organisers.
Wanjiku's enterprise works with women and children impacted by the criminal justice system, to restore dignity and hope for successful reintegration.
"We bridge the gap between prison and the community by ensuring successful reintegration of women and children leaving prison," the organisation stated on its website.
On the hand, Cheboi's non-profit organisation uses recycled computers to create technology laboratories in Kenya.
In December 2022, Cheboi was named the CNN hero of the year for her philanthropic work that has helped over 4,000 children.
"We need to rewrite what it means to grow up in rural Africa because people can work glamorous jobs and still work in your community," she announced during the ceremony.
Other winners include Cyrstal Echo Hawk of IllumiNative (United States), Cynthia Fast of APOPO (Belgium), Atif Javed of Tarjimly (United States), Namya Mahajan of Rocket Learning (India), and Elijah McKinnon of Open Television (United States).
Additionally, Sana Mustafa of Asylum Access (United States), Rachel Silverstein of Miami Waterkeeper (United States), Piyush Tewari of SaveLife Foundation (India), and Bianca Tylek of Worth Rises (United States) were also named as winners.
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