Celebrating Purpose-Driven Excellence

IFC’s Finalist Stories at the 4th Annual Anthem Awards

The Anthem Awards honors transformative, mission-driven work from individuals, companies, and organizations that are making a lasting impact worldwide. By elevating voices that drive positive change, these awards set a new standard for social impact efforts, inspiring others to take meaningful action in their communities.

We are proud to announce that seven impactful IFC stories have been selected as finalists in various categories for the 4th Annual Anthem Awards, recognizing our commitment to sustainability, equity, and innovation across the globe.

Celebrate our finalist stories in the Anthem Community Voice by clicking on the Award Category below. Scroll to find the story labeled "IFC-World Bank Group," and click "Celebrate." Thank you for helping us amplify the impact of our stories.

Stories of Impact


 

Rebuilding Lives in Brazil

Imagination and inspiration shaped a pilot program in Brazil that trains refugees to be woodworkers, but the government agencies, international organizations, and private-sector businesses behind the plan had an even more ambitious idea: employing the new woodworkers to help convert abandoned commercial buildings into “green” residential apartments they rent at a discount. This story shows how creative problem-solving can transform refugees’ lives and revitalize urban communities.


Award Category
Responsible Technology

Malawians Move Towards a Digital Future

In Malawi, efforts are underway to ensure access to reliable, affordable internet and to train the workforce for a digital future. Investments in digitalization could lead to an increase in productivity growth for African businesses, raising wages and creating jobs. Companies and regulators are searching for ways to overcome the high price of smartphones and expand internet access so that small businesses can benefit from the tech innovations emerging across Africa.

Filling the Prescription for Better Medical Equipment

Delivering a healthy baby requires good prenatal care, including ultrasound machines — but high cost equals short supply in African nations like Cote D’Ivoire. Without the backing of a bank loan, this and other medical equipment is out of reach, resulting in lack of access to health care services. The Africa Medical Equipment Facility, an innovative partnership, helps small and medium-sized healthcare providers In Africa secure loans to purchase or lease needed medical equipment.

Meet the Women Sowing Senegal’s Future

Home-grown rice is critical to food security across Africa, but high temperatures and erratic rainfall, attributed to climate change, have created a “rice crisis.”  Senegal’s unique solutions include empowering women to support the country’s National Rice Self-Sufficiency Program. Women now play a key this sustainability strategy, and their leadership has created a new generation of activists pursuing economic and social equality. 

Kigali’s Big Shift to Small Electric Motorcycles Brings More Than Just Climate Benefits

In East Africa, battery-powered motorcycles are steadily replacing their oil-guzzling predecessors. Ampersand, an electric motorbike start-up in Rwanda, is Africa’s first electric vehicle and EV energy company.  Its e-motorbikes, powered by lithium-iron-phosphate batteries that Ampersand manufactures, cut emissions. The company is leading an energy transition that capitalizes on the billion-dollar market for electric two- and three-wheel vehicles and the energy that powers them. 

It Takes a Village to Raise a Fish Population

The “Mighty Mahseer,” Pakistan’s national fish, is central to the livelihoods of communities along the Poonch River. Although decades of poor river conditions endangered the Mahseer, a new approach to sustainability has boosted their number and revitalized natural resources. By spotlighting the voices of local teachers, conservation activists, government officials, and business leaders, this immersive story shows how the community’s attitude toward sustainability changed.