We’ve been hard at work for the last few months with much to share, and I’m looking forward to letting you in on a few stories from my travels across the African continent as the Field Partnership Liaison. From the successful wrap-up of our Spring H-Accelerator, visiting Mercyline Masanya, founder of AfyaChapChap in Kenya and this year’s Impact Summit Spring 2022 winner, discovering Mara Agribusiness in Uganda (the founder, Boby Ogwang personally showed me around), an extended stay in South Africa where I met Pallo Mazothana, the founder of Milisa Imbo and Mandla Higa, the founder of 4iR Student, to a delightful lunch with Dee from iKapa and Jo and Chené from Global Startup Awards (GSA); it’s been a whirlwind of experiences.
It’s been four months since I left Paris and began traveling through South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania. During a precious 30 minutes in Lesotho on a hike from SA, I had the wonderful opportunity to learn from Mercyline about her MedTech company and how a number of users across Kenya rely on this platform for many of their healthcare needs. MARA Agribusiness’ Boby Ogwang personally showed me his company’s facilities in Kampala and brought me along with his team on a field trip to the Elgon region. It was amazing to see, up close, how the company supplies genuine, accessible, and affordable agro-inputs to coffee farmers to produce high-quality, sustainable, and traceable coffee, as well as economic empowerment for youths throughout the region.
Getting my H2H business cards delivered to my hostel in Cape Town took seven weeks, allowing me to meet an incredible Ugandan entrepreneur that will be joining our Summer Cohort, and sleep in a van with friends on a drive to Tanzania. I’m currently hiking in the North East region in Tanzania and staying in a small hostel that costs 1.1 euros/night. Leaving in a week or so after this five month mission, I will be flying out of Dar Al-Salam back to London. It will be quite the change of scenery with much to be missed, although I’ll be leaving with much excitement about Africa’s bright future. I can’t wait to see what H2H does next in accelerating this African impact ecosystem!
A bientôt!
Thibault & The Humans to Humans Team
Thibault meets Afyachapchap, winner of the 2022 Spring Impact Summit
I had the fantastic opportunity of meeting Mercyline, the founder of the Kenyan-based venture Afyachapchap and recent winner of our 2022 Spring Impact Summit.
Through her Healthcare and IT studies as well as her work on the ground, Mercyline witnessed many people struggling to pay for healthcare; this is an issue she observed too many times in her travels across African countries. As a result, she created a one-stop shop for all healthcare needs.
Through Afychapchap’s app and web platform, users access certified healthcare providers and emergency medical loans. On the platform, users earn Chapchap points that can later be converted to income-generating activities.
In the future, Afyachapchap will be looking into building affordable medical insurance options, with the goal of expanding throughout the continent as a lack of similar products persists in many African nations.
Afyachapchap greatly benefited from the H2H students’ collaboration. The team covered three components of business operations and developed comprehensive growth strategies: Huanxing worked with platform users, Tuhin with healthcare providers, and Riddhi handled credit providers. Mercyline shared how invaluable the students’ extensive knowledge was for her company and highly recommends the H-Accelerator to other entrepreneurs.
Through her Healthcare and IT studies as well as her work on the ground, Mercyline witnessed many people struggling to pay for healthcare; this is an issue she observed too many times in her travels across African countries. As a result, she created a one-stop shop for all healthcare needs.
Through Afychapchap’s app and web platform, users access certified healthcare providers and emergency medical loans. On the platform, users earn Chapchap points that can later be converted to income-generating activities.
In the future, Afyachapchap will be looking into building affordable medical insurance options, with the goal of expanding throughout the continent as a lack of similar products persists in many African nations.
Afyachapchap greatly benefited from the H2H students’ collaboration. The team covered three components of business operations and developed comprehensive growth strategies: Huanxing worked with platform users, Tuhin with healthcare providers, and Riddhi handled credit providers. Mercyline shared how invaluable the students’ extensive knowledge was for her company and highly recommends the H-Accelerator to other entrepreneurs.
Thibault’s Trip to the Elgon Region with MARA Agribusiness
The Ugandan venture MARA Agribusiness finished in second place in the Impact Summit. I was also grateful for the chance to meet its founder, Boby Ogwang, in person. During my visit to the country, Boby very generously invited me to join him on a field trip to the Elgon region in eastern Uganda.
MARA’s mission is to empower youth in the coffee industry in their home country. They provide advisory services to coffee farmers as well as genuine, accessible, and affordable agro-inputs. They then buy the coffee from their trained youth farmers and sell it under the Aramah brand internationally.
I was even lucky enough to experience a VIP coffee tasting of MARA’s Aramah brand with the entire MARA Agribusiness team.
On the left, I am meeting MARA’s team in Kampala. On the right, MARA’s field team is discussing strategies with coffee farmers.
MARA’s mission is to empower youth in the coffee industry in their home country. They provide advisory services to coffee farmers as well as genuine, accessible, and affordable agro-inputs. They then buy the coffee from their trained youth farmers and sell it under the Aramah brand internationally.
I was even lucky enough to experience a VIP coffee tasting of MARA’s Aramah brand with the entire MARA Agribusiness team.
On the left, I am meeting MARA’s team in Kampala. On the right, MARA’s field team is discussing strategies with coffee farmers.
Thibault Meets H2H Entrepreneurs in Mthatha
While traveling across South Africa, I had opportunity to stop in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape region and meet with two previous H-Accelerator entrepreneurs: Pallo Mazothana, founder of Milisa Imbo and member of our Spring 2022 cohort, as well as Mandla Higa, founder of 4iR Student and a 2021 alumnus. Milisa Imbo collects plastic waste and processes it into building and paving blocks, while 4iR Student empowers youth by teaching them about technology and entrepreneurship.
We are also looking forward to future collaborations with the Global Startup Awards. GSA is based in Cape Town and scouts thousands of African startups for their global pitch competition. It was a lovely time meeting Dee from iKapa, and Jo and Chené from GSA.
Meeting up with Pallo in the left picture and Mandla in the right picture. Having lunch with Jo and Chené from GSA and Dee from iKapa (below).
Meeting up with Pallo in the left picture and Mandla in the right picture. Having lunch with Jo and Chené from GSA and Dee from iKapa (below).
Thibault’s Photo Gallery
Between meeting innovative entrepreneurs and creating meaningful partnerships, I was fortunate enough to make memories that will last me a life time. And of course, here are some of my best shots to go along as I reflect on the past few months.
Climbing up a 30m ladder to camp overnight at the top of the second highest waterfall in the world, Tugela Falls in Drakensberg, South Africa was well worth every windy and cold second. At 3,100m high, there were times I was afraid my tent would fly away but the view from above the clouds was breathtaking.
Another notable hike was climbing Mount Sabyinyo during my time in Southern Uganda because at the summit of 3,600m, Uganda, Rwanda, and the the Democratic Republic of Congo intersect. In fact, due to the border tensions as well as the wild elephants and gorillas, 5 guards actually accompanied me and my two hiking friends.
In Tanzania, close to the border of Kenya, I visited the world’s only carbonate lava volcano, Mount Ol Doinyo Lengai. This active volcano has black lava and is incredibly cold at 510 °C. During one of the nights, my friends and I had the best time hiking 3166m in 6 hours to the top. I will miss and forever cherish the relationships I’ve formed throughout my time in various parts of Africa.
