Tanzania EMPOWER Community Center
Some people still believe that Africa is in poverty because Africans are lazy and they don’t put any effort into anything. But in fact, the reason they suffer from poverty is mostly due to environmental, social reasons rather than personal reasons. It takes a whole day to get drinkable water by feet, and even though the people want to work there’s no job openings, leaving them hopeless. What the African youths need is the opportunity to be self-reliant.
Tanzania, where E3Empower conducted the project is an East African country suffering in poverty with a population of 45 million and an average income of $600. Supply of electricity in the country is so poor that the electricity distribution rate is only 2%. The moderate wage for youths are $100/month and the cost of living for a family of four is around $150~$300, which could differ among regions. E3Empower has been conducting self-reliance projects for the locals in Brazil, Lebanon, Ethiopia, and now they’ve established the EMPOWER Community Center in Tanzania to give the youths the opportunity to be self-reliant and have an increase of wage.
The first EMPOWER Community Center was successfully established on October 2013. From the success E3Empower has constantly provided the locals with opportunities to open Micro Businesses using the center’s infrastructure such as arranging training for micro businesses, and opening an internet café, phone charging booth, printing shop, stationery shop, and water purifying facility.
The success of the EMPOWER Community Center was introduced in the Tanzanian mass media and the locals are also welcoming they’re efforts. Requests to open more centers in different regions are pouring in. Such results are in line with the vision of E3Empower, ‘Empower One, Empower the Village’ meaning that if one person becomes self-reliant, it would make the whole village self-reliant.
E3Empower is planning to establish a second community center in 2014 to increase the opportunity of local youths starting a business in other regions.
E3Empower plans to support the youths open their businesses in two locations:
-At the first Empower Center at Dodoma they will support a local youth named Oswad by providing loan and management support so that he could open a wholesale shop that delivers to more than 50 shops and restaurants.
-They will also set up the base for the second Empower Center at Gongali, opening three new micro businesses, and providing microfinance, training for the 7 upcoming micro businesses preparing to open.
The funds received will only be used in purposes directly related to opening Micro Businesses. The funds needed for setting up the base of the second Empower Center(such as solar panel, computers) will be obtained separately.
THE BRIDGE Together 