The Freedom Plan entrepreneurial competition awards ceremony
On Thursday, October 13, 2022, the awards ceremony for "The Freedom Plan" entrepreneurial competition was held in Arusha, Tanzania, to recognize the five best business plans by women entrepreneurs. The day before, school supplies were also handed over to the city's juvenile detention center. These events mark the first social project sponsored by Zaion in Africa, and led by Florian Ngalesamy, former Project Manager trainee at the CX Factory. This initiative is the first symbol of the successful collaboration between Zaion and Projects Abroad.
Zaion supports women around the world
Zaion aims to reward the entrepreneurial initiatives of women in the most impoverished areas of Africa and promote the development of their economic independence. Florian spent 1 month on site as a volunteer microfinance analyst for the American company Projects Abroad, world leader in volunteer missions. With 416,442 inhabitants, an average net salary of $163 per month and 23% of the population living below the poverty line, the city ofArusha was chosen for this project.
Business plan and obtaining a zero-interest microcredit
Under the supervision of Glory Matoi, Director of Projects Abroad's subsidiary in Tanzania, Florian worked for 4 weeks with female project leaders to help them draw up a business plan and obtain a zero-interest microcredit. Once the business plans had been collected, a rigorous selection phase followed. For this, a series of well-defined criteria were taken into account, such as the viability of the business plan, the accuracy and veracity of the information provided, and innovation and creativity. At the ceremony, each of the five winners received a prize including a sum of money to develop their business, as well as a certificate of qualification issued by Zaion and Projects Abroad. The younger generations are our future and Zaion knows this, which is why we decided to finance school and sports equipment for the children at the Arusha juvenile detention center, where Florian also gave English and math lessons for almost a month. This action will enable them to study and forge their educational future in better conditions.
Zaion is proud to have sponsored the highly human initiative of one of its former trainees, which contributes to the economic empowerment of Tanzanian women and to education as a means of rehabilitating children in prison.
According to Florian Ngalesamy, "These social actions carried out over the past four weeks are a source of hope for the local population. I would like to thank Zaion for the trust they have placed in me and for helping me turn this wonderful project into a reality."
Key points of the project :
- Collaboration between two major companies from different sectors, working together for the same social cause (Zaion and Projects Abroad).
- Contributing to the economic empowerment of women in Africa through the transfer of entrepreneurial skills.
- Promoting the importance of education as a means of rehabilitating children in prison, through donations of school and sports equipment.
