Entraide "Empowering Africans"
Brazzaville, Congo (Brazzaville)
Organization type:
nonprofit/ngo/citizen sector
Growth
Budget:
$10,000 - $50,000
Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
The program is designed to teach the basic entrepreneurship mind set by using real world case studies and examples. The case studies include; a pig farm, cleaning service, simple cellphone shop, and small restaurant business. The course will help the students to learn by asking critical questions and providing hands on exercises. As the capstone of the program, the students are required to create their own business plan. This program will empower the students to start their own business and increase their ability to be effective workers.
The goal of Entraide is to empower the people in the Republic of Congo and all Africa by providing an entrepreneurship-skills training program. The training program is not designed to cover all of the expenses associated with the services. Therefore, in order to self-sustain our program, we initiate IGA (Income Generating Activities) or supportive business. The business has two purposes:
1. Provide sustainable financial support to the training program
2. Serve as the laboratory for the students to learn and apply their new skills
In the Congo, our plan is to launch a chicken farm business of 500 birds initially to sustain the whole Entraide program. The team worked with Dr. Paul Johnston, former Director of Benson Institute at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, to create a highly effective operation to provide quality products to the consumers. With the business established, Entraide will have the capability to self-sustain the training program and its employees. Moreover, this business will generate employment opportunities for local Congolese. The revenue from the farm will serve to:
- Pay salaries of all Entraide employees
- Provide scholarships for the poorest students, especially women with children
- Facilitate the expansion of Entraide
- Meet other financial needs of the whole program such as attending conferences, marketing, research and development, future rent and other expenses.
Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?
With the price we offer for the training, there will be no co petition with local institution. Instead a program designed in the US to help Congolese will attract thousands of Congolese than will local institutions. However, several international institutions provide a fast training in basic business concept that is very different from what we will offer.
- HOPE international (HOPE):
A non-profit organization that provides microfinances and basic business skills operated in 16 countries. HOPE Congo has partnered with KIVA to provide their program in Brazzaville Congo.
- MUCODEC:
A microfinance institution that does not provide business training
- CAPPED:
A local microfinance institution that provides approximately the same program than HOPE. They provide fast and basic business training.
- Private schools, there are number of institution provides general education to business area as well.
However, most of the people cannot enter to the school because of the high cost of the tuition.