A social incubator in Madagascar

The incubator Change 2R Lab is not ONE but SEVERAL social projects that will contribute to the economic growth of Madagascar!

This project proposes two innovations to develop Madagascar in several aspects:

- An Anticafé! Have you ever heard of this term? This is a disruption of a "normal" cafe where you do not pay for what you drink and eat, but for the time you spend, which also makes it ideal place to work. A perfect mix of cafe and coworking space! It would be the first in Madagascar!

- A social incubator! We are keen to boost social entrepreneurship among young people. This project will also be an incubator where we will accompany social projects, and where we will organize entrepreneurial and social events such as workshops, trainings and meetups!

Being a social incubator, we touch on several sectors and therefore have an important role to play in the economic growth of the country, but also in the dynamism of the population.

After traveling in Europe, after a few experiences in incubators and startups, and, especially, after being in contact with many social entrepreneurs with positive initiatives for the society and the planet, I could see the potential of social entrepreneurship and the impact it could have on a life, a society, a country or even the world. I've also seen in it a future for the African countries, where we have a high number of self-employment ( from the vegetables sellers in the streets, to the independant small shops, etc). I said to myself that if all of these small entrepreneurs could offer services and products that may have a positive impact, developing countries could move out of poverty. The missions of Change 2R begin in Madagascar, where 70% of the unemployed people are young, due to the lack of qualification, or difficult access to education. The solution lies in entrepreneurship, or further, in the social entrepreneurship.

It is why I have created Change 2R, to raise awareness of social entrepreneurship and to the 17 SDGs among young people in Africa. We have noticed a huge interest from the Malagasy young people and an urge to act, but to really achieve all our goals, we have the project to create the social incubator Change 2R Lab. The goal is not only to educate, but to make them act and enable them to become themselves a changemaker by giving them all the necessary tools. In only 2 months in Madagascar, we have raised awareness among more than 200 young people through our workshops and our trainings, and created 18 social projects, involving agriculture, responsible consumption, ethical fashion, health & well-being, etc. Now imagine what we can do by installing this incubator in the country...

Being originally Malagasy and having grown up in Madagascar, I've seen and lived poverty! So I always had the urge to change things, and I first studied Journalism with the idea to use my writings to denounce, raise awareness and educate. I then had the chance to travel, experience several jobs and meet many changemakers inspired me. I am happy and enthusiastic today to be able to share all my knowledge to young people, like me, who are just as motivated, but do not know how and where to start. I have created Change 2R at the beginning of 2018, while I was 23 years old, and I am very proud of what we could accomplish so far. There are more to come, with this incubator, we hope!

Everything is still to be done on this project, hence our great need for funding, the only factor that prevents us today from moving forward. The funds raised will be used, among others:

- for the premises to install anticafé = 1300 €

- to purchase all necessary equipment: upcycled furniture, internet connection, printer, coffee machine = 1000 €

- to human resources = 1000 €