2022 Fletcher D-Prize Winners

One of my favorite annual blog posts is the announcement of winners of the Fletcher D-Prize Poverty Venture Solution Competition. The D-Prize awards seed capital to an entrepreneurial anti-poverty proposal in the areas of agriculture, clean water, education, energy, health access, livelihoods, and public services. Our congratulations this year to MIB students Daniel and Wabei and MALD student Ashira for “Blessed Breakers,” an educational pilot program aiming to combat sexual exploitation of young women and girls in Zambia. Blessed Breakers will raise awareness of older men (known as “blessers” or Sugar Daddies) soliciting sexual favors by giving gifts and money to younger women and girls, a vector for unwanted pregnancies and HIV infection. The student trio will head to Zambia this summer to roll out the pilot.

Interested readers can read the full program proposal here.