Applications are open for the NOW-Us! (NOthing about us Without Us) award 2019. The award which honors inclusive initiatives from Africa and Asia. Further, triggering empowerment of otherwise excluded groups. Also, this award is a partnership between Partos, The Spindle and Voice to celebrate inclusion as part of the Annual Partos Innovation Festival. Moreover, The Spindle and Voice have joined forces for the second edition of the NOW-Us! Award. The NOW-Us! The award recognizes inspiring inclusive initiatives from Africa and Asia that work to promote diversity and inclusion to trigger the self-empowerment of marginalized and also,  excluded groups and communities. Further, The NOW-Us! Award accepts initiatives from organizations that are led by, and have been fully developed by, the groups or communities themselves to promote their inclusion in society. In particular, these initiatives should promote one or more of the following themes:

• Improved access to (productive) resources (finance, land, and water) and employment
• Improved access to social services, health, and education in particular
• Spaces for political participation

Prizes

• The 10 shortlisted initiatives win a 5-day trip for 2 persons to the Netherlands to participate in the NOW-Us! Innovation boot camp from 7-12 October (travel expenses and stay are by the NOW-Us! Award). Further, Per team, we have a place in the NOW-Us! week for one of each gender.
• The 10 shortlisted initiatives win tickets to the Partos Innovation festival. Nothing about us, without us! in action.
• Further, The numbers 1, 2 and 3 win a Voice grant (worth € 25.000, € 15.000, and € 10.000, respectively) to take home the lessons learned of the NOW-Us! a week and implement the proposed initiative.

Eligibility

• Your organization is legally registered*.  with a working bank account in your local currency, in any country considered least grown, low-income countries, and/or lower-middle-income range in Africa and/or Asia (See the full list here). Voice focus countries are especially encouraged to apply.
  * If you are not a registered organization, then you can list a host institution that can serve as the legal and financial host for your initiative.
• The organization is led by individuals (staffing, governance, in design and in implementation) that belong to the same target group that you serve and benefits
•  organization has an annual turnover of fewer than 2 million Euros
• Your initiative was or has been in implementation for over two years
•  Able to join us in the Netherlands from the 7th until the 12th of October, to participate in the NOW-Us! Awards week and attend the Partos Innovation Festival (your travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by us).