Innovative Empowerment

Ripple effects of multi-dimensional poverty is an issue of global concern today. These effects are manifesting in the form of insecurities, such as terrorism, illegal migration, banditry, kidnapping, prostitution, internet fraud, robbery and suicide. As the world is becoming too more expensive to live in, the weaker ones among this class of people resolve to suicide. the strong ones indulge in all these negative effects while only the extremely strong ones fight in the right ways.

According to World Bank and United Nation 2023 reports, 700 millions of people on Earth are living in extremes poverty. 485 millions of this 700 million lives in sub-Sahara Africa. over 133 millions of this people lives in Nigeria.

This problem cause and sustain by Corruptions, Bad Governance and Inherited Poverty have become even a nightmare to Global decision maker. Many individuals and organization have done their best and are still doing their best but one amazing things is that the problem is scaling up instead of declining. This failure is largely due to the approaches applied. Most of the empowerments tailored towards this region still find it way to the hands of the well to do in the same communities, hence corruption is the major factor that sustain this problem.

Research conducted by our team in Oyo town, Oyo State Nigeria reveal that 75% of the young people whom parents are living under extreme poverty are ready to do anything to get rich in order to escape their parents like situation. Public opinion review that societies in those area dominated by Multi-dimensional poor people reward those who have a lots of money irrespective of how they make their money without asking them question(s). Leadership in those regions are basically on the bases of the wealth one acquired. when such leaders bought their way into power they also buy the Judiciaries who are supposed to be the last hope of the common man. To this effect the youths of the region are either giving up hope or find role model in the evil ones, hence empowerment without proper field monitoring wouldn't ever achieved the results it was design to achieved.

Though this problem is created in some regions of the World and those regions received the worst consequences, but the effects are Global.  

Our goal is to apply innovative empowerment system uses existing technologies through skill acquisitions program such as  specialist fashion designing skills coupled with business incubation and acceleration program and a micro-credit scheme. At the same time provide them with remedial Mathematics, English Language, Business courses and moral standard of living.

We identify opportunities within and around the reach of the people of the communities we want to serve and then empower them with what is required of them to tap into the opportunity. We deployed the latest technologies to train them such that they become competitive anywhere in the world. We provide them with micro-credit which enable them not just to raise start up capital but also operational capital because we understand that all of them will not make it at first attempt. Business Incubation and Acceleration program is to help further develop their skill and become acceptable and employable worldwide. English Language help influence their communication with the larger world. Mathematics and Business courses aids their calculation and business dealing. Moral lessons is to help redirect the already corrupt mindset. Mentoring and monitoring is a vital part of our program. even when they are established, we keep checking on them to ensure they are accountable, up and doing. We deployed all these mechanism to ensure they are doing better than their peers who indulge in all these social vices. 
100 youth will be taken for the program every year for the next five years. At the end of the five years, a minimum of 500 youths will be fully empowered.

To achieve these results, Direct Impact Empowerment Foundation is starting by setting up a training center in Apata Ibadan Nigeria. We will acquire computerize sewing, weaving, and other modernized machines for our training centers, hire best hand in fashion industries to train these people. Expose them to e-payment and transactions system.

Direct Impact will take in for the Empowerments, a minimum of 100 youths between the ages of 18-35 years every year for the next 5 years.(a minimum of 500 youths will be empowered between 2024-2029), within Apata, Ibadan, Nigeria.

These people are or from multi-dimensional poor family depriving of all basic needs and essential of life including foods, medical, social, education and many more.

After the training they will be able to access credit facilities through Direct Impact Micro-credit scheme for the setting up of their own businesses and operational cost, under the supervisions of Direct Impact Empowerment Foundation. And they will be able to generate revenue on their own and become Bread Winners of their families while also training more family members and others in the skill. They will be able to feed themselves, and also meet up with their own medical, clothing, education and other social amenities. And also contribute to the GDP of their respective countries.

 Customer discovery is one of the greatest tools we deployed in arriving at this empowerment system. while others within the region believes in having the good heart to help and understand the need of these people, we take our time to find out from them what they really need. We dig deep into the root of the problem. We target the root of the problem not the effects. One Organization may target payment of school fees, another feeding, another housing, yet another medical but we are aiming their revenue generation capacities that will enable them to provide all these for themselves and yet contributing meaningfully to the development of their communities, country and the entire world.   

Our Team leader; Reuben was born and grew up in Nigeria. He has spent the last 12 years of his life living in Apata, Ibadan Nigeria where the Headquarters of our foundation is currently located. To this effect he knows and understands inside-out the plights of the poor people in Nigeria. Being from extremely poor family, he understands the gravity of the problem and also a victim himself several times which prompted him to start serving those who are more under-privileged than himself at an early age. His association with Femi who have been doing everything within her best for over 10 years to assist the extremely poor Nigerians is just a perfect match of selfless service to humanity. Femi physically live in UK and witnesses the plights of illegal immigrants from Nigeria to UK. Her heart bleeds every time another mayhem takes place in the Mediterranean Sea, seeing children dying of hunger, people dying as a result of no access to medical. She has been paying medical bills, school fees, feeding, accommodations for many of these people for years now.

Joyce is another strong member of the team who have been fighting the root of the problem back home and discouraging human trafficking of Nigerians for prostitution at home and in the diaspora.

We have been in these for years but understand that it's not sustainable in that format hence the birth of the team that leads to Direct Impact Empowerment Foundation. Formerly Best 3+ Team.

Our Team did not just understand the problem at hand as living witness. We understand that there are many NGOs doing similar things in the region with no visible outcomes. To this effect we embarked on the research journey as per why those before us failed. We engaged the community and the ordinary man on the street in conversation, make consultation, send Mr. Reuben on training on how to run a successful NGO. He has also done MIT Solve Business and Impact Planning for Social Enterprises. We understand the dynamics of the challenges at hand and how to avoid the pitfalls by learning from other mistakes and success.

Evidence from our research shows that John-Bosco even though a profits organization but with similar ideas as ours is the most successful Empowerment in Nigeria till date.

We have so far touches over 50 lives directly in different forms.

We have set up 10 small scale businesses, monitoring their progress and mentoring them. Some of those people are now feeding themselves, paying their children school fees and medical bills.

We have supported the feeding of extremely poor families especially in difficult economic hard time. Supporting the feeding of the elderly and helpless people. Distributing foods to families who can't afford it during Christmas celebration and cash gifts.

We have paid hospital bills and school fees.

Basically, the main source of our revenue so far have been the contributions among the 3 of us. We will identify our next project, value the cost and then contribute according to everyone capacity per that time. Then some contributions do come sometimes from friends and well wishers.

We are grassroot organization and lack the needed exposure and voice to reach our targets. We have solutions to mega challenges around the globe and needed a platform to amplifying our voice to the needed audience, both donors and beneficiaries. For instance, the British "stop the small boat" trying to adopt every possible means to solve the problem of illegal immigrants, those in the small boat can't be stop by force because they no longer fear even death. The only solution is to give them hope of achieving what they are looking for in thousands of miles away within their backyard. We strongly believe that Solve platform will offer us the needed voice to get to the decision maker as our approach can be adopt by any well-meaning organization as well, even United Nation because speed is also important to world of this challenge now.

We understand that the only way to success is to learn more daily. Tapping into Solve wealth of experience personalities and resources should be one of the best things to have ever happen to us.

There's no doubt that we have serious financial constraints because we are doing something different, so it requires a lot of resources, different approaches and cost a lot. We have a large area to cover as well.

We are limited in knowledge and needs more partnership not just in the financial area, but also in mentorship, specialist in industries, training and retraining of our staff. Donations of machines that we need for the training centers and many more.

We don't just train our beneficiaries in the know how which is the common thing been done by all other organizations but rather we trained them as specialist and make them competitive anywhere. We did not end there, we inculcate business incubation and acceleration into the system to ensure they leave us confidentially as professional, making us to be the first to practices that in the region. And we hope others will follow soon.

Our micro-credit is another unique feature. Instead of us to give them free money which they will not value and cherish, we lend them the money which make them to be serious so as to be able to pay back the money. While this help to put them on their toes, it also helps us to have a financial recirculation policy that ensure money is available to get to empower more people. The repayment policy is also another unique feature. They repay in instalment while at the same time make savings. For instant, someone is to repay $10 in a month, he/she will instead repay $11, $1 dollar will go into his/her savings. So, by the time he/she finishes repayment, the person already has a savings to remain in business. The simple and most effective way of monitoring is, after paying the money we lend them, they are mandated to keep up the savings with a fixed amount monthly. When someone doesn't come to save in a month you know something is wrong and we reach out to such a person immediately   

Skill acquisition is an empowerment system that many organizations do render to the underserved, which is a good thing in itself, but the problem is that almost all the beneficiaries can't afford startup capital. 99% of them ended up not using the skill. Other organizations give start up kits which is an improvement, but many beneficiaries ended up selling the kits. So, making these people a part of our life journey is the most innovative thing.  

Direct Impact work by training the underserved people in our society in skill acquisitions', provide them with micro-credit scheme to enable them raise start-up and operational capital, mentoring and monitoring them till they get established. We provide business incubation and acceleration program to enhance their further development. Providing them with remedial Mathematics, English Language, Business courses and Moral classes.

Our immediate goal is giving these people we trained the ability to generate revenue on their own thereby creating sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families and contributing to the GDP of their respective countries.

This immediate goal link to our long-term outcomes of reducing criminals, fraudulent and violent activities in our communities that made up the world. These activities include illegal migration, rubbery, kidnappings, prostitutions', internet fraud, terrorism, banditry, and ritualist thereby creating a peaceful and secure coexistence in the world. 

We have test-run this link in Apata and Fiditi communities in Ibadan by trained some people within the communities and equipped them with startup capital. The results show, these people can now feed themselves within few months of operating, send their out of school children back to school. Few of them who were depressed before came out of depression to a healthy lifestyle. Huge numbers of people within these 2 communities and the neighboring communities who are underserved on hearing about our program from those we trained and rumors making round the communities about us came out in mass to express their interest in participating in the program. the population was so much that our capacity cannot accommodate them. It also shows that mentoring and monitoring is a vital tool in their early stage. We have also research to the past in Nigeria when John Bosco was operating in Nigeria, and the result show that Nigerians who attended John Bosco training centers were doing very well and contributing positively to the developments of Nigeria economy, either in their workplace or businesses. 

Our primary impact goal for this project is to significantly reduces multidimensional poverty in Sub-Sahara Africa by 2050. This will lead us to a broader outcome which manifest our ultimate aims of solving multiple problems through this project.

To check this, we will rely on United Nation population of people living in this region who are underserved. Lacking almost all essentials of good and healthy life (People living in extreme poverty).

Indicator: Number or percentage of the population living below the United Nation (UN) poverty line either by age, sex, employment status and geographical location.

Our second impact goal is to significantly reduces all forms of violence and related death rate by 2050.

This can be check through United Nation reports on all forms of violence including violence against women and children and death related to such violence.

Indicators: 

1. UN conflict-related deaths per 100,000 population by sex, age and cause.

2. UN Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population by sex and age.

3. Research review on proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live after dark.

4. Proportion of the population subject to; physical violence, sexual violence and psychological violence as reports by the United Nation in the area within the time frame of the measurements.

5. Public perceptions on the increase or decrease in violence within their neighborhoods and the reasons for that through a survey system.

Our next goal is to significantly reduces traffic of all forms. We will check this through UN and countries bureau of statistics on all form's exploitation, abuse and trafficking's of people for labor and prostitutions. Indicator is survey of the area, UN number of human trafficking per 100,000 by sex, age and all forms of exploitation.

Ensure quality health care, education and economic growth. Ensure by 2050 a significant number of the population have access to quality Healthcare, children and youth both male and female have access to quality education and build a prosperous economy.

Indication: UN Reports on the number of out of school children in the region within the time frame. We will adopt a survey method as well as UN and WHO mortality reports.

Promote Gender equality. Ensure equal participation by women and girls in our program at all levels. Practice, promote and encourage women and girl child development in the society.

Indicator: Numbers of women and girls participating in our program at different level in reference to men and boys.

Our solution is more of evidence-based knowledge by collecting existing ideas, remove their barriers and maximize their benefits to benefits human kinds. We utilize existing technology to birth those ideas and bring them alive. Research work, survey, experimentations, data collections and analysis are the core pioneers of our solution. To bring those ideas into practical reality, we deploy modern technologies into actions. Like in the Fashion designing center where we are acquiring computerize sewing and weaving machines and the advance printers.

Board of trustees - 4 people.

Full-time Staff-18

Volunteer Staff -3 people.

Contractors - 30 people.

Femi have been working on this for over 10 years, Reuben for over 10 years as well and Joyce for over 7 years. But coming together as a team is now 1 year.

Beginning from our Board of Trusses, Reuben is from the Northern region of Nigeria, Femi is From the Western region, and Joyce is from the South-Eastern region. The staff of the organization are diverse such that you have different Ethnicities, Religious, Culture and Tribal background.

None of our requirements for consideration into any post being it staff or students involved displaying your religious, culture or gender identity except in a case where we need to deliberately consider women if they are lacking behind. Or a particular tribe, culture, religious or any group lacking behind in social sphere or deliberately being ignored by other organizations or groups due to the reasons of them not having a voice or needed exposure.

Direct Impact Business Model.    Prepare by: Eka Reuben.   Prepare For: MIT SOLVE.

        Key Partners

Individual donors.

Organizations.

Stakeholders.

Key Activities

Training in skill acquisitions.

Provisions of micro-credit.

Business incubation program.

Business acceleration program.

Mentoring.

Business support and evaluation.

Fashion designing.

Value Preposition

Specialist training.

Access to startup capital.

Equality, Equity and Transparency.

Access to business incubation program.

Access to business acceleration program

Customer Relation

Community engagement.

Entrepreneurs support.

Customer Segment

Extreme poor families.

Women and Girl child.

Unemployed youth.

Key Resources

Training centers.

Training coaches.

Training materials.

Channels

Direct Impact training centers.

Direct Impact website.

Direct Impact social handles.

Cost Structure

Acquiring of training center.

Acquiring of training materials.

Employee.

Contracts.

Technological infrastructures.

Setting up business incubation center.

Capital for acceleration program.

Welfare.

Revenue Stream

In-kind donations.

Individual donations.

Donations from organizations.

Rendering of service to the public.

Contracts.

We are adopting several revenue generating models to ensure sustainability and smooth running of our programs. This includes the following.

1. Donations based: We are generating and will generate revenue true different kinds of donations and grants to include:

a. In-kind Donations: Donations from our board members. We have been practicing this method right from inception and so far, it has proven to be successful. We identify our next project, value its cost and then throw a donation floor open in our meeting and everyone contribute according to his/her capacity. Other time we can ask who will help us sponsor this particular project. Instances includes when Femi sponsors course we sent Mr. Reuben to study to the sum of $2,100. We have sent Joyce to research the costs of machines for the Fashion training center all at her expenses. We have also told Mr. Reuben to pay the costs of final year projects for 10 students in university and ensure payment of school fees for 5 students whom parents can't afford it as his contribution. We have jointly contributed $1,000 to set up and accelerate small scale businesses.

b. Individual Donations: we also hope to generate revenue from individual donations from friends and well-wishers.

c. Donations from Organizations: We will partner with other charity organizations and hoping to get donations and grants from them.

2. Integrated Method: 

a. We will be overlapping our social programs with business activities like shewing of clothes, shoes and bags from our Fashion training center and sell to the public. This we are confident of being successful as only Nigeria in the region spent 4 Billions dollars annually to import readymade clothing and textiles. 

b. Business Incubation Center: We will be generating revenue from the center by rendering services to the general public and organization. This too we are confident through our customer discovery that it's very viable.

c. Business Acceleration Program: We hope to generate revenue through our business acceleration program as well.

3. Recurring Base: We also hope to generate revenue from donors who will subscribe to donating to us on a monthly or annual basis.

4. Contracts: We will generate revenue by collecting contracts from government, individuals and organizations like sending us people to train them from our training centers at a cost.