Africa is home to the world’s youngest population, with over 60% of its people under the age of 25. When climate change impacts the continent, it disproportionately affects young people by worsening existing barriers to essential health services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH).

Extreme weather events make it even more difficult for youth — especially young women and girls — to access vital SRH services, increasing their vulnerability to unplanned pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, and gender-based violence (GBV).

Recognizing these challenges, UNFPA launched the Let’s Hack Climate Change Hacklab in 2024. This initiative aims to build climate resilience through innovation-driven, youth- and women-led action.

With support from Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) Kenya, Nailab provided coaching and mentorship to 14 innovators selected from a competitive pool of over 100 applicants. These 14 innovations include teams from nine counties across Kenya, with over half of the finalists currently living in rural areas or informal settlements.

During an intensive bootcamp, Nailab connected these young innovators with top entrepreneurs for mentorship on product development, business modeling, go-to-market strategies, and pitch preparation. UNFPA further equipped them with insights into the link between climate change and SRH, ensuring their solutions addressed this critical intersection.

Following the bootcamp, the innovators presented their projects at a public pitch event, where two finalists were awarded $5,000 in seed funding to further develop their ideas. These finalists went on to represent Kenya at the Regional Hacklab Pitch Competition in Kigali, Rwanda, on November 7, 2024, during the YouthConnekt Africa Summit.

Competing against winners from Mozambique, Madagascar, and South Sudan for a chance to secure an additional $10,000 grant from UNFPA, Gabriel Mwaingo, CEO of ECO-PRINTS GENERATION, emerged victorious. After winning at the national level, Eco-Prints triumphed at the regional pitch event in Kigali, securing an additional $10,000 to scale their innovation.