The Dell Social Innovation Competition is an annual event which seeks out college students worldwide who have an innovative idea to solve a social ill.  The 2009 competition winner was announced on May 7th with Gardens for Health International (GHI) led by Emma Clippinger and Emily Morell awarded the coveted $50,000 grand prize.  The two runners up were INeedAPencil.com: Free Online SAT Prep and Embrace: a $25 Infant Incubator for Developing Countries.

GHI works with communities in Rwanda to provide support and training to develop gardens for people who have tested positive for HIV/AIDS.  To combat the ubiquity of HIV/AIDS in Rwanda, treatment for a multi-drug regimen called anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has been made freely available to people who tested positive for the disease. However, this treatment can be demanding on a patient’s body, especially for patients who are malnourished, leading to ineffective treatment, and cases of patients giving up treatment altogether.  (GHI) is working to solve this societal ill by establishing cooperative gardens and other agricultural programs throughout Rwanda.

According to the Dell Social Innovation website:

“(GHI) aims to enable people living with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda to develop a sustainable means of nutritional support for themselves and for their families. GHI provides a unique program that complements the country-wide availability of ART: legal support to form cooperatives, land advocacy, home gardens, seeds and tools, training in sustainable agriculture and nutrition.”

Here is a video overview of their venture:

Contributor Profile: Erik

Erik is a perpetually curious social innovator. As a serial entrepreneur, Erik knows a thing or two about change. As a co-founder of SocialEarth, Erik hopes to channel his passion for social advocacy into an innovative venue of social awareness for others. Website: SocialEarth
Twitter: @erikeliason

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