STOP YOUTH POVERTY

HELP YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS TO CREATE JOBS FOR UNEMPLOYED YOUTH

SUPPORT 20 YOUTH INCUBATORS has changed its name for the second time in a bid to convey a clearer message on the objectives of the project. We are totally convinced that the only sure way to guarantee employment for the youth is by empowering young entrepreneurs financially and mentally, to create jobs for themselves and other unemployed youth. Totally Youth believes that this project concept can be replicated anywhere in the world to ensure that the youth are taken care of to secure our futures. Each young entrepreneur we support, can employ at least four other unemployed youth. This takes five unemployed youth off the jobs market. If we can support 20 youth incubators a year, 100 youth will be off the jobs market annually. So imagine what can happen if we support thousands of young entrepreneurs, yearly. Globally, the youth have been forced into entrepreneurship, because of stagnant job markets. This is a very good thing. But if we do not resource them adequately, then good talents will turn into idle hands, depression and poverty will increase, crime and unrest will overflow and we will all be the worse for it.

Since its inception, STOP YOUTH POVERTY has impacted the lives of 55 young people who are now striving to grow their small businesses. They are not yet making “big bucks” but they are able to feed, cloth and shelter themselves. Their self-worth has improved and they have the confidence and determination to succeed. They have acquired the necessary business sense and discipline to know that starting “small” is normal and that their business will grow just as any well-tendered seed grows into a big tree and bears fruits. We are therefore grateful to every single person who helped us raise a total of US$4,185.25 out of the US$51,000, to support Urica, Alice, Seth, Wisdom and Team Network. The amount went a long way to help us provide some needed tools and logistical support and sustain provision of consumables to the incubating start-ups.

The Catering Centre reached break-even point a few times. Unfortunately heavy rains have destroyed our Event Space where customers sit to eat. We are now trying to rehabilitate it so we can continue services and delivery. Furthermore, due to limited resources we are yet to purchase the deep freezer, which will help buy more stock at a time, to avoid the daily increases in prices of consumables and supplies. Hopefully, through the benevolence of our supporters, we will be able to complete these tasks by the end of July 2014 and get back to business. It will cost US$3,500 at the current exchange rate to get things back into ship shape. We are in the process of registering a new set of incubators and interns for the Centre.

The Backyard Space is seeing its first garden of tomatoes, which will be harvested in August 2014. Unfortunately the Garden lost its crop of cabbage and lettuce due to termite attacks. We are therefore planning to plant okra, garden eggs and “kpakpo shito” which are not susceptible to termites, for harvest in October 2014. Produce from the Backyard, will be sold to the Catering Centre and the general public. Everyone at Totally Youth will also buy these produce to ensure revenue generation. We are yet to bring on board the four start-up interns due to limited resources.

The Fashion Centre generated some modest revenue with a small profit through custom tailoring. It is now going to produce ready-made clothing, using African print. These will initially be sold locally but our donors and friends outside Ghana will be able to order our label through our website. Profits from revenue generated, will support all incubators, towards self-sustainability. We will be able to bring on board more Fashion Incubators, if we make enough profit with our first batch of ready-to-wear clothing. We will appreciate support to bring on board the start-up interns as well.

Our last Beauty Incubator – Mami, successfully completed her incubation with enough seed money to start her own hairdressing salon. The Centre is fully equipped and ready for use. Everyone at Totally Youth will use the Centre for all their beauty needs. Old customers will be contacted through our informative complimentary card distribution and on our website. We will be registering new incubators for the Centre next week. This new entrant will need free accommodation at TY during her incubation, since she cannot afford boarding and lodging in Accra.

We are in negotiations with a major television station to start a new Reality Show called FAME – Fashion and Modeling Extravaganza, to help keep young models off the streets and support young fashion designers into business. This will also protect the girl-models from sexual influences. It will be a weekly show, which will earn the participants some income and bring them together as self-agency.

All donations received are used solely for the incubators.To ensure some level of profit for the incubators, Totally Youth covers all utilities, rents, promotions and communications costs, for the incubators. Totally Youth takes care of consumables based a revolving fund for each Centre. We also provide free accommodation (free room and utilities), for up to four homeless participants.  All this allows the incubators to focus completely on business development, instead of overheads and the next meal.

On a sad note, our currency – the cedi is still depreciating. Consequently, several of the imported goods we depend on, are being sold at four times their cedi value, in anticipation of the next drop. This reduces the purchasing power of our foreign earnings, which is at an exchange rate of three times the cedi value. Any time gap between budgeting and purchasing, means that we can only purchase some and not all the supplies and services needed for success. Not reaching our target fundraising amount makes it even harder. Today, 15 July 2014, petrol prices have gone up by over 20% and the market is already adjusting itself to increase profit margins in order to protect purchasing power. Customers can only device cost-savings through cutbacks, sincere no salary/wage increases have been announced.

Within the above contest, we are sincerely appealing to you to consider becoming a recurrent donor. This will help us to plan and deliver successfully, one month at a time. If 10 to 20 donors can consider contributing an amount from US$ 25 – US$ 500 a month for two years, to augment one-off donations, we will be able to successfully turn STOP YOUTH POVERTY into a self-sustaining project. Self-sustainability will be achieved through timely delivery of appropriate levels of requisite materials, tools, supplies and consumables to Incubation Teams (minimum one entrepreneur and four start-up interns) to ensure appropriate profit margins. Appropriate profit margins will earn Incubators adequate seed money and basic business tools for a self-sustaining start-up at the end of their incubation.

We are forever grateful to all our donors for their generous donations. We are grateful to Global Giving for making it possible and to Microsoft's Youth Spark for doubling our efforts whenever we qualify. You are always welcome at http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/stop-youth-poverty. God bless.

With gratitude,

Eva Lokko/CEO