HelpMum, Safe Place, The Roothub among 77 Groups selected for Facebook’s Community Accelerator Program

Four Nigerian communities – HelpMum, Safe Place, The Roothub and Utiva – have been selected by Facebook for their Community Accelerator program.

Facebook shared the news on Monday, revealing that the four communities are among the 77 selected across the globe to participate in the program.

The Community Accelerator program, according to Facebook, will have communities receive “growth-focused training, hands-on mentorship and funding to grow their communities.” This funding will be up to $30,000.

Speaking about the 2020 cohort, John Cantarella, VP, Community and Impact Partnerships, said:

We are thrilled to have such a strong and diverse cohort of leaders and organizations motivated to grow their communities. These communities are intentional about creating a positive impact on people’s lives.

Meet the four Nigerian communities:

HelpMum
In 2017, Abiodun Adereni started HelpMum to tackle maternal and infant mortality in remote rural areas in Nigeria. HelpMum provides Clean Birth Kit for hygienic delivery to pregnant women and provides immunization reminders and health information to nursing mothers. It has reached 27,000+ pregnant women and nursing mothers with the HelpMum Clean Birth and vaccination tracking system.

Safe Place
In 2016, Hauwa created Safe Place Nigeria to provide a stigma and judgment-free space for young people to talk about mental health related issues. It has become a community for young people to learn, feel connected, get support and feel a sense of belonging. Its 22,000+ members have benefitted from free telephone counseling, support groups and mental health resources.

The Roothub
Roothub was started in 2014 to provide a safe space for youths to build their ideas, grow their businesses, and access support. Now its 15,000+ members participate in trainings and activities within communities of the Niger-Delta region to find jobs, advance career paths, and drive self-reliance through entrepreneurship.

Utiva
Utiva is a decentralized ecosystem that helps Nigerians access technology skills training regardless of their location and internet barrier. They have a community of 10,000 people learning through the platform and 4,500 people have completed their structured learning programs and transitioned to new roles. Currently, they have young members across 9 states in Nigeria and have plans to scale to 36 states in Nigeria.

South African communities Creative Nestlings, enke: Make Your Mark, Future Females, Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS), Visual Arts Network of South Africa, and WomEng, and Kenyan communities Mental 360 and Metta, also made the 2020 cohort.

You can learn more about the Facebook Community Accelerator here.