Omake Charity Organization

I will use the Elevate Prize funding and support very productively in advancing our work through the following activities:

• Acquire a  piece of land from the local municipality
• Feasibility Study
• Local and International Consultants
• Local/International Contractors, expertise (BOT) and Auditors
• Construction of the incubation facility
• Official launching of the project: Ground breaking and Handing over
• Centre Equipment’s
• Marketing, Training, Research and Development
• Preliminary Incubation Events (Presentation, workshops, seminars etc.)
• Acquire a vehicles for outreach purposes
• Development of  Training  Manual
• Star-Ups Mapping
• Program design and Program Management (Business Support Services)
• Human Resource and (Personnel Recruitment)
• Extend network and build synergies 
• Development of Training Manuals 

VISION

To grant wishes that will give hope to children, youth and women in need in communities across Namibia.

MISSION

To generate resources through fundraising initiatives and community partnerships, and use those funds to make an impact in the lives of children, youths and women.

To attract volunteers and partners who are passionate about helping children, youths and women to achieve their hopes, dreams and full potential.

To transform communities through helping children, youth, women and their families who need support.

FUTURE GOALS:

To acquire space and build a community and business incubation center over the next two years

Acquire equipment and machinery for youths and women to be trained and franchise from the center over the next two years

Problem:

In Namibia, preconditions for start-ups, setting up enterprises and upscaling of small business are inadequate. Support structures are only a few and confined to the central areas and in Windhoek the capitals city of Namibia. In general, start-ups especially led by women and girls do not grow and entrepreneurs lack capacity and a high rate of failed business. For most start-ups, access to financial services, such as start-up capital and growth financing is a challenge. Improved access to financial information and funding sources should enable medium to long-term financing of product and business development and strengthen the performance of start-ups.

Solution

We enhance socioeconomic transformation through Women and Girls Empowerment by constructing a Start-up Incubation and Innovation Centre in Otjiwarongo with mobile outreach units to all other constituency within the Otjozondjupa in Namibia. By doing so, we will improve conditions for the establishment and growth of women and girls-led start-ups. Start-ups will have the potential to drive the creation of new jobs in Namibia and can have a fundamental impact on overall economic productivity. Start-ups can also contribute to economic growth by spurring innovation and injecting competition. 

As a Charity organization, we have for long partnered with TJF Investments CC, A social entrepreneurship enterprise with the right capacity and network. Through this partnership, we have engaged a local training institution with a similar ideology of start-up incubation and franchise. 

We have seen members from vulnerable communities enrolling, especially young girls and women being able to be trained and offered an incubation opportunity through a franchising. So, this is a very unique model in the sense that graduate trainees are offered an opportunity to mentor and train others while in the same time marking and selling their skills. This in return has positive social and economic advantages for our communities. 

Although, there is no one shoe fits all approach here, together with our partner TJF Investments CC, we conducted an informal survey. We analyzed the responses closely did various literature review including the online publication of the five principles for achieving impact September 27, 2016 By Mark Reed 

1. Design - Understand the context of the project. We organized our ideas, materials and processes for the purpose of achieving a goal

2. Represent - Involve the right people. We made sure power dynamics between individuals are considered and attention is paid to selecting individuals who have the power to make a difference.

3. Engage - we build capacity for engagement. Include basic training activities to improve knowledge exchange and co-production. We build trust and personal relationships. 

4.  Early impact - We work for mutual benefit and spend time finding out what people want from the process and try hard to deliver this.

5. Reflect and sustain - We use regular feedback to adapt techniques and deal with problems as they arise. We also learn from others who have achieved impact.