Spice Without Borders

Spice Accelerator

Turning Ideas Into Impact

The Spice Accelerator is the flagship program of Spice Without Borders, designed to ignite the potential of changemakers from marginalized communities across East Africa. This intensive, mentor-led experience runs over three months, empowering grassroots individuals to transform bold ideas into purpose-driven, sustainable solutions that create lasting social impact in their communities.

Through a cohort-based approach, participants gain access to expert mentorship, hands-on training, peer learning, and global networks. Whether you’re just starting or seeking to scale your idea, the Spice Accelerator will equip you with the skills, tools, and confidence to lead change from the grassroots up.

What You’ll Gain
  • Leadership & Entrepreneurial Skills: Learn how to lead and manage impactful, ethical, and sustainable ventures.
  • One-on-One Mentorship: Get matched with experienced mentors and changemakers from diverse fields.
  • Practical Training: Learn how to launch, sustain, and grow your idea using proven social entrepreneurship tools.
  • Peer-to-Peer Learning: Collaborate, grow, and thrive within a supportive cohort of like-minded changemakers.
  • Access to Networks: Tap into local and international networks of alumni, experts, and supporters.
  • Pitch & Storytelling Practice: Craft, refine, and deliver your story with power on platforms like SpiceTalks.
  • Workspace & Resources: Use our creative coworking space and access support services in design, legal, and branding.
  • Certificate of Completion: Receive formal recognition of your training and commitment to social change.
Eligibility Criteria

“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” ~ Farrah Gray

To apply, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Be 18 years or older
  • Have a social change or business idea—or be running one already
  • Be able to articulate a challenge you’ve faced or a social injustice you’ve overcome
  • Be part of the community you aim to transform
  • Be willing to share your personal story publicly (published on our platforms)
  • Be proficient in basic English (reading, writing, and speaking)
  • Have basic computer literacy
  • Be eager to learn, grow, and contribute to your peers’ growth
  • Be a resident of East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, or Burundi)
  • Be available to attend two in-person meetups per month in Eldoret City during the 3-month program
  • Be willing to respond promptly to communication from our team
  • Be ready to commit to the full program duration and pay the tuition fee of KES 24,000

We welcome applicants from all walks of life and do not discriminate based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic background, disability, or sexual orientation.

Program Cost & Logistics

Tuition

  • KES 24,000 for the entire 3-month accelerator
  • Heavily subsidized thanks to our generous partners (actual value is higher)
  • Covers:
    • Daytime training & workshops
    • Printed training materials & workbooks
    • Mentorship & coaching
    • Lunch and teas during physical sessions


Travel and accommodation are not included.

Duration & Structure

  • 3 months of intensive learning and development
  • Includes:
    • Bi-monthly in-person meetups in Eldoret City
    • Virtual support & check-ins
    • Project fieldwork and implementation
    • Peer engagement and feedback loops
  • Followed by a 6-month off-session mentorship phase, giving you extended guidance as you grow your initiative.

 

Travel & Accommodation

Participants are responsible for their own transport and accommodation. We recommend arriving the day before each physical session and leaving the day after to avoid fatigue and maximize engagement.

What to Expect in Training

Our program blends theory with action. Each session is immersive, experiential, and customized to the participants in the room.

Session Highlights:

  1. Integration & Orientation
    • Get grounded in the program
    • Learn frameworks for adaptive leadership and systems thinking
    • Set personal and group intentions
  2. Owning Your Vision
    • Refine your social change idea
    • Develop storytelling and communication strategies
    • Understand your “why” and learn how to pitch it

  3. Articulating Justice
    • Explore social justice through personal identity and community dynamics
    • Learn from examples of transformative and restorative practices

  4. Vision Exchange
    • Engage in co-learning through “unconference” formats
    • Practice empowered networking and visibility

  5. The Journey Ahead
    • Connect with seasoned changemakers and resource allies
    • Learn how to sustain your idea beyond the program

  6. Pitch Your Idea
    • Present on our SpiceTalks platform
    • Receive feedback and build confidence in storytelling
    • Craft a compelling pitch deck for donors, investors, and partners
Who Participates?

We support changemakers who see possibilities where others see limitations. Participants come from various backgrounds, including:

  • Activists – Advocating for justice and equity in their communities
  • Creatives – Using art, music, poetry, and storytelling as tools for social transformation
  • Entrepreneurs – Building socially responsible businesses to address pressing issues
  • Initiators – Starting innovative grassroots solutions to community problems
  • Innovators – Designing and applying new technologies to create positive change
What Do We Mean When We Talk About Social Change Impact?

Social change impact begins with an individual — someone who chooses to look inward, to reflect deeply on their personal story, talents, struggles, and dreams. It starts when a person dares to believe that their idea, no matter how small, can spark transformation — not just in their own life, but in the lives of others around them.

Social change impact could look like:

  • 🔍 An individual zooming into their personal life, uncovering a story, experience, or injustice that sparks a solution — a turning point that becomes the genesis of an idea for transformation.

  • 💡 A passion turned into purpose — someone launching a social enterprise that addresses a pressing need while creating livelihoods, dignity, and community impact.

  • ⚙️ A young innovator designing a simple yet brilliant technology that solves a real problem — from access to water, education, energy, or health — and reshapes the future for their village or neighborhood.

  • 🧵 A grassroots leader setting up a safe space where underprivileged youth can learn basic skills, gain confidence, and reclaim their power to dream again.

  • 🎶 A musician or visual artist who uses their voice, brush, or beat to challenge stereotypes, heal trauma, inspire hope, and open up new conversations.

  • 🎥 A filmmaker, photographer, or blogger documenting the unheard stories of marginalized communities, shining a light on injustice, and making the invisible seen.

And sometimes…

  • 🌱 It’s simply an individual who chooses to believe in their own capacity — who dares to take the first step, however uncertain, toward making life better for themselves and for others.


At its core, social change impact is the courage to act — to connect your personal story to the world’s pain and possibility — and to build something that matters.

Whether you are a builder, a dreamer, an artist, a coder, or a community weaver — if you’re using your idea to improve lives, challenge systems, and reimagine what’s possible — you are a changemaker.

And the world needs more of you.

Ready to Apply?

If you’re driven by purpose, connected to your community, and ready to spark change—this is your moment. Join a growing movement of grassroots innovators who are rewriting the story of social change from the margins.

Apply now and turn your passion into purpose, your idea into impact.

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