By Gerald P. Kierce | Chief Marketing Officer
If you're receiving this, thank you! Your investment and kindness has helped us - Generation Enterprise (GEN) - professionalize the organization, continue to invest in youth in low-income megacities in Nigeria and India, and improve our Fellows' businesses and livelihood.
Our model provides marketable skills training and creates jobs for young people living in poverty across megacities. In Nigeria, over 300 youth have benefited from high quality entrepreneurial education program, which is hands-on/applied, generates income that allows low-income to continue their education without dropping out of work, and creates sustainable jobs in urban developing areas. We have tested 60+ businesses, and have a current portfolio of 20+ companies, 10+ of which are growing from micro to small. A great example of our impact is evident with Zega, a young entrepreneur from Lagos that partnered with GEN for business training and support. Zega started a facilities management, fumigation, and professional cleaning company that currently employs seven people. Before GEN, he had been homeless and/or living and working in a construction site earning less than $2 a day. Zega, like so many other entrepreneurs that have partnered with GEN to develop sustainable businesses in their communities, has changed his livelihood forever.
Like Zega, there are other examples of young entrepreneurs that have gone from poverty to self-sufficiency to community leadership. However, our job is not done. We're excited to announce our new President & COO, Michael Kuntz! Michael will be leading our U.S. team and focusing on strengthening our internal processes while finding ways to continue to invest heavily in our existing programs, and continue to strengthen our internal capacity to manage this growth. Michael's vibrant leadership is opening the doors for new growth possibilities.
On March 2nd, a group of seventeen young entrepreneurs graduated from our pilot program in New Delhi, India. We're excited to continue to see their personal and professional developments as they grow their businesses to employ fellow youth in their communities and increase the much needed skills and wealth gap. Most of all, we're excited to see their businesses succeed! The Indian entrepreneurs' stories are encouraging. Kapil, who runs a successful food stall, said: "my belief in myself has increased, and I realize that being confident is the biggest force against most challenges." Thanks go GEN, Kapil has gained the confidence to start his own business and become a role model to his peers.
Thanks againfor your support! We have raised over $15,000 (including matchings) for Generation Enterprise, which will be used to invest in our program and young entrepreneurs benefiting from it. Our organization is proud of our accomplishments so far in 2014 and optimistic for the remainder of the year. We are committed to investing in this generation's youth at the Bottom of the Pyramid. We've been called a "ticking time bomb." But there's another way to look at us. We're not a "lost generation." We are GENERATION ENTERPRISE.
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