THE ROAD TO THE GIRL POWER CHILD-ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION: JUNE

GIRL POWER CLUBS AFRICA TAKES A BOLD STEP TO BUILD AND SUPPORT BUSINESS INITIATIVES AMONG CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS.

Joy and excitement fill the minds and hearts of members of Girl Power Clubs Africa as we draw near to the competition day which is on the 22nd of June 2024.  In the previous weeks the participants have been grouped into different groups and with the help of their facilitators have been able to come up with outstanding business ideas. During the group formation, the facilitators were keen enough to put the participants in groups without bias and in a way that everyone was comfortable. The facilitators mixed the students in the upper classes with those in the lower classes, those who are quick to learn and who take time to learn a new concept. Each group got to select a leader amongst themselves and the group leaders received instructions from the facilitators and they pass the information to the rest of the group.

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Key areas that will be looked at by the judges focus on teamwork. This will be to see whether the group worked together to develop one idea. Other things to look at will include communication skills in the group, how organized they are, and their confidence while presenting the idea.

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PRICES FOR THE WINNERS

The start-up competition is aimed at evaluating the business ideas that the participants have and selecting the ones that qualify to receive financial support. A total of Ksh. 20,000 has been set aside to be distributed to the winners on this level. This award will motivate the participants to do their best and also help them to begin to realize that their dreams are achievable even at a young age. The winners will also get a chance to get one-on-one mentorship with some of our partners in the business department.

By Medrine

Girl Power Business Formation Groups

Girl Power Clubs Africa members across Nairobi are thrilled about the opportunity to receive business education from our dedicated facilitators. This initiative aims to equip young girls with essential entrepreneurial skills, fostering their creativity and empowering them to explore their potential. The students have been organized into groups of about seven, based on their unique skills and abilities, ensuring a diverse range of talents and perspectives within each team.

Within these groups, the girls engage in dynamic brainstorming sessions, exploring various business ideas they can start at a young age. Some of the innovative business ideas presented by the girls include selling snacks like mandazis to their peers during break time and offering mending services for torn school uniforms. These ideas reflect the girls' keen understanding of their immediate environment and the practical needs of their fellow students.

The girls are confident that, with the support and guidance from the facilitators and teachers, they can successfully implement these business ideas. This confidence is nurtured through hands-on learning experiences and mentorship, which provide the girls with a solid foundation in business principles and practical skills.

As seen in the picture, some Girl Power members are actively discussing their business ideas, demonstrating their enthusiasm and commitment to this initiative. The discussions are vibrant and filled with creative energy, as the girls exchange thoughts and refine their concepts.

Lillian, one of the students, expressed her excitement about the program: 

"When I grow up, I want to become a businesswoman, so getting a business education right now will help me become responsible and achieve my goals in the future."

Her statement highlights the profound impact this program has on the girls, inspiring them to envision a future where they are empowered, responsible, and successful.

This initiative not only provides the girls with valuable business knowledge but also instills in them a sense of responsibility and ambition. By nurturing their entrepreneurial spirit at a young age, the program lays the groundwork for a generation of empowered women ready to contribute positively to their communities and the broader economy.

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Written by Medrine Kidavae

Girl Power Supports Gen50+

As a program we support youth programs that we believe have a positive impact on the girl. This led us to working again with an exciting Kenyan students from Africa Leadership Academy (South Africa), led by Francis Okong'o Kinyanjui, as one of the main sponsors for the workshop that was held in Rusinga school form the 20^th to 22^nd August 2015 dabbed Gen 50+.

The topics covered in this workshop include; Gender based violence, Rape culture (Sexualisation), Women Empowerment, Body Image, Domestic Violence, Self Defense, Art Activism, Writing Activism, Social Media Activism, Visual Activism (Fine Arts, Animation, Film).

On the last day all groups were expected to pitch their ideas to a group of judges on how they are going to help solve one of the issues discussed on the previous days. There were six groups pitching their ideas.

1.     Group 1: looking in to the rape culture; through Unicorns’ don’t rape campaign.

2.     Group 2: Looking in to Abusive relationships; come up with a cartoon program for kids.

3.     Group 3: Looking in to Abusive relationships; through advocacy forums.

4.     Group 4: looking in to Women empowerment; by organizing holiday camps dabbed ‘What are those’.

5.     Group 5: Looking in to body image; using the social media they created an up.

6.     Group 6: looking in to body image; created a blog aimed at changing the way media portrays body image.

The sixth group had the best presentation. They were given certificates and chocolate for each member.

ALA and Sadili Partner To Offer BIAB For Girl Power

On the 11th and 12th of July, Sadili Oval partnered with African Leadership Academy to run a camp at Sadili for 23 select Girl Power Clubs, an exciting way to engage youth in problem identification and solving skills, and developing entrepreneurship ideas run by amazing ALA young leaders, who really inspired the girls.

You can watch it here:
2Jenge Camp (Build-in-a-box) - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9x8dVmEyWZ5S1J1Vkt0azBJdGM/view?usp=sharing

WHAT IS BUILD IN A BOX?
African Leadership Academy (ALA) seeks to transform Africa by developing a powerful network of over 6,000 leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges, achieve extraordinary social impact and accelerate the continent’s growth trajectory. ALA identifies young leaders between the ages of 16-19 from across the continent with demonstrated leadership potential, a passion for Africa, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a track record of community service. These young leaders are then brought together for a two-year pre-university program centred on a unique Entrepreneurial Leadership and African Studies curriculum at our world-class boarding institution in Johannesburg, South Africa.
As part of their leadership journey, ALA students and alumni often take the initiative to run Entrepreneurial Leadership camps in their home countries, embedding them in the practice of leadership through applied learning, and enabling access to networks of opportunities and resources that will further their growth, learning and impact. ALA’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) has designed a toolkit to support our students run these Entrepreneurial Leadership camps called BUILD-in-a-Box. BUILD-in-a-Box is a portable toolkit that provides content and teaching materials that allows a team of ALA students and alumni, as facilitators, to run a professional two- day Entrepreneurial Leadership camp.
BUILD-in-a-Box is centered on a unique curriculum framework for teaching youth entrepreneurship as a way of fighting youth unemployment and engaging youth to lead solutions to local problems. The acronym BUILD stands for:
BELIEVE that you have the power to change the world around you, and embrace a mind-set of continual improvement.
UNDERSTAND the community you intend to serve with an entrepreneurial venture. INVENT a wide range of possible solutions by prototyping and testing their
ideas.
LISTEN to feedback from potential customers & other stakeholders and
continually seek iteration and improvement.
DELIVER impactful new ventures and solutions by mobilizing resources and
leveraging networks.
Allowing ALA students and alumni to run BUILD-in-a-Box camps will activate the entrepreneurial mindsets of participants and create opportunities for them to gain firsthand experience designing and leading enterprises that are directly tied to local issues and opportunities in their countries. 

Entrepreneurship Survey: Siaya Girl Power Clubs

In January 2015, 101 girls from 7 Girl Power Clubs in Sigomre, Siaya County, answered questions in a survey that sought to know their understanding about business and their basic understanding about women's ability to run a business. These girls have been members of the Girl Power Clubs for the last one year, and it was hoped that they could now express themselves without fear or shyness.

This are the results of the survey.

Questions Asked in the survey:

1	Both boys and girls should have equal opportunities to become leaders in their communities .
2	I enjoy play sports, it make me healthy.
3	Business women are well respected.
4	Violence against girls and women is a problem in my community.
5	I would like to have a female mentor/counselor to whom I can turn to for help with a problem.
6	Women can do business alone without men.
7	I know where a health facility in my community is located.
8	I know a woman who runs a business well.
9	I am not able to cope with stress and difficult situations .
10	I live with both of my parents..
11	Having a business is possible for women.
12	I plan to continue with my education.
13	I would be willing to lead a community activity /event.
14	I believe I can run a business in the future.

 

This chart shows that a majority of the students agreed with the statements in the questionnaire

97% agree that both boys and girls should get a chance to be leaders.

92% enjoy sports and it makes them healthy but 3%do not.

62% believe business women are well respected while 17% do not.22% don’t know

55%agree violence against women is a problem in the community, 22% disagree ,the rest do not know.

85% wish to have mentors, 22% don’t , 7% are not sure.

79% agree that women can do business alone while 18%dont and 4% do not know.

8% do not know where health facilities are located, 80% do and the rest don’t understand.

67% know a woman who run a business well. 16%percent don’t know. The rest are not sure

29% of the population are not able to cope with stress while 60% can.

34% of the girls do not live with their parents while 63% do.

80% of the girls believe its possible to own business as women while 8% don't, and 22% do not know.

97% of the girls wish to continue with their education while 2% don’t and 1% are not sure.

90% are willing to lead in community events, 4% don’t and 6% are not sure.

90% believe they can run businesses in the future 7% don’t believe so and 3%are not sure. Conclusion Violence against women should be taught  since a good number seams not acknowledge  its in the community. The number of students not living with their parents is considerable why is this so and is there an underlying problem? Though insignificant, there still are a few girls who do not plan to further their education raises concern. Why is this so? Health facilities are a big resource in the community and their location needs to be known to all. There is a positive out look toward business and most students feel like they are capable of pursuing it now or in the future. There is obviously a strong need for girls to have mentors.

Nairobi Girls Get A Feel Of Finance….Business!

AUGUST HOLIDAY 19^th – 21^st REPORT

THEME: ENTREPRENEURSHIP

We recorded an average attendance of 73 girls. The participants are a holiday group largely from the community around Nairobi County and upcountry, aged between 10 and 19 years, with majority being 14 years of age.

Schools in Attendance

1. Ngei Primary14 girls
2. Uhuru Gardens Primary 9 girls
3. St. Michaels Primary 1 girl
4. Malezi Primary 4 girls
5. Malezi High  2 girls
6. Karen ‘C’ Secondary 3 girls
7. Langata Barracks High 2 girls
8. Langata Barracks Primary 1 girl
9. Nairobi Day Secondary  2 girls
10. Shunem Girls 2 girls
11. Mwaani  Girls 1 girl
12. Kinyw Girls 1 girl
13. Olympic Primary 17 girls
14. St. Catherine’s Primary 5 girls
15. Red Rose Academy 1 girl
16. Soweto Academy 1 girl
17.  Langata West Primary 3 girls
18. Free Methodist School 1 girls
19. St. .Marys Primary 1 girl
20. St. Michaels High 2 girls
21. St. Andrews 1 girl

Day 1 19^th August Tuesday

Covenor/Trainer: Ja Young Margaret

Lifeskill Games: Coach Mary Florence Akinyi and Rehema Akinyi

Attending: 83 Girls

The theme of the day was Being Money Savvy Jayoung Naphtalie Margaret. 

The girls were taught on all the essentials of money ;

• What is money: Girls were able to discuss in groups what they each think money is , why we use it, where we get it from. Answers ranged from ..’its what we use to get needs and wants, …what you take with you to the shop, market or super market…its coins and shillings…..its valuable and has value….its means of exchange in form of coins and bank notes.’’ Some appeared blank having never thought of the question before. With regards to why they answered..,…’use to buy what we need, …use to save….use to start business.’ When presenting on where do we get it from they said …..’ banks,…..savings….parents give….pick ‘’okota’’ ….business…De La Rue’.
• Evolution of money. Under this sub topic girls were able to see and discuss different forms of money as used in the olden days up to today. They discussed and shared what they think currency is some saying its like a form of money as everyone else agreed that it must be an acceptable means. We also got to see some samples of money in different forms as well as discuss the value of it inclusive of learning to know how to , what to change and which currency is used where.
• Papers for Life. This is a session done in goal and was important to teach the girls on what this papers/documents are for the simple reasons that access to lots of facilities in life including money in most instance would require this documents. Birth certificates, IDs, Passports, academic certificates, Marriage Certificates, land and property titles, business permits, health certificates, death certificates, baptism and the like. The girls were able to identify at least each one of the mentioned and see how they can use it in relation to money and other things.
• Skills v Qualities. This session was closely followed after papers for life where the girls were required to differentiate between the two as well as talents vs skills. This is an important session as they girls get to discover themselves have a basic or rough career guide outlook by weighing their abilities as well as seeing income opportunities. Eg one who is attentive to details, artistic and loves beauty would easily see and point out a skill related, develop it and market it and create a business from it therefore, income!
  
• Wants & Needs, Spending Decisions & Budgeting. This sessions were done closely together. Girls identifying and distinguishing wants from needs, doing a spending decision exercise where each group must have a budget with everything they want minus an income bit. Then each group is either allocated exact money , less or more their list. They need to use the wants and needs lesson and decide whats worth the spending.
• Saving Game and Saving. After lunch the girls had a saving game from which they drew broad lessons , that would be use through out the week including business , marketing , branding. They also each shared what they know about saving drawing lessons from the game and previous learnt sessions in the day.
• Each group had to prepare a song with the words ‘spend less than you earn and save something everyday or everyweek ‘ to present at the end of workshop. The composition is their own, the tune could be own composition or a tune they like, they could rap or anything as long as its creative.
• End of Day 1!

Day 2 August 20^th  Wednesday

Covenor/Trainer: Dr. Elizabeth Odera

Lifeskill Games: Coach Mary Florence Akinyi and Rehema Akinyi

Attending: 75 Girls in Attendance.
Theme Of The Day: Understanding What A Business Is

We started the day with the girls leading their ice breaker and recap of previous day sessions.

·      What’s a Business. The girls were each given a group to work with and supplied with business demonstration papers. 8 different business in picture and each of the groups needed to share what they see and make comments. Then each picked a business of choice to discuss on with guide questions on what they think the business is, why they think it was developed, what service or product is being provided, advantages to the customer, disadvantages, what could be improved. Each group had an extensive discussion and later each presented their findings.

·      Money, Business, Market game. Coach Mary Florence organized for two games, a number tag game & ‘rounders’. For the mid morning before lunch. We had 4 big groups and four ‘rounder’ fields. Each team had to play by the rules of the game paying attention to details as they relate it to everything we are learning under Girls and Finance. The main concepts and lessons were, learning to count and keep business records, learn to save, learn customer relationship, understand our products, learn value of time and speed in relation to the business products, understand risks, know what are smart risks and what are not, doing prior research on a business before launching on it, understanding the rules of the business, knowing when you need to change the business tactics to keep playing, know the health hazards depending on business.

·      Taking advantage of new opportunities , women in business. The afternoon was spent by girls looking into examples of women in business. They read Esther Pasaris Story and analyzed it by looking at the idea, its uniqueness, her income, and service to the community. We ended the day with each girl going home to think of an idea that they have.

Day 3, 21^st August Thursday

Covenor/Trainer: Dr. Elizabeth Odera

Lifeskill Games: Coach Mary Florence Akinyi and Rehema Akinyi

Attending: 75 Girls in Attendance.

Theme Of The Day: I Have An Idea and SWOT Analysis

Day three started with thorough cleaning of class and environment, with Florence Akinyi and Goal Champions.

• I have an Idea . Each girl had to report their idea to the group and decide which was the best to take.
• SWOT Analysis. Having arrived at the final idea , each group needed to analyze their business idea against its own Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats 
• CAMERA SHOTS were taken by Dr. Liz and Florence of each group and their ideas. THE VIDEOS WILL BE POSTED IN THE UPCOMING PLATFORM FOR GIRL POWER, LATER THIS YEAR.