Leadership Initiatives Students Creating Change

Dear Leadership Initiative Donors,

Your donations fund a program that empowers individuals and communities across Bauchi State, Nigeria, giving them the opportunity to form connections and address local issues using community resources. This will create a generation of leaders given the platform to drive progress that starts at the local level but trickles up into the larger community. Contributions from donors give promising individuals access to entrepreneurial, leadership, and project management training. These leaders then identify developmental obstacles within their communities, design practical solutions, and create sustainable business models to overcome those obstacles.

Our students create innovative solutions firmly grounded in principles of social entrepreneurship. We have previously created businesses in Bauchi, Nigeria, including fish farming, welding, tailoring, motorcycle repair & computer education with job placement. Currently, this project will help local business owners as they strive to maximize the profit and impact of their business.

Through Leadership Initiatives and GlobalGiving, interns from IIP Team #1035 have partnered with Maryam, a business owner in Bauchi State, Nigeria, who runs a salon providing hair and nail services to local women. Over the course of the next few months, Roosevelt interns will be working hard to come up with an efficient record-keeping, budgeting, and receipt system to help Maryam better track her finances. Through this partnership, Maryam will be able to develop a plan to purchase new assets for her business – including pedicure machines, hairdryers, and classes to learn recent hair design trends to expand the services offered by her business.

Your support of Team #1035 is instrumental in changing lives like Maryam’s around the world. Not only does your contribution help our teams’ business partners achieve their long term business goals, but it also uplifts their surrounding community in allowing for the creation of resources and critical job opportunities in underserved areas like Bauchi.

As a supporter of this project, Leadership Initiatives would love to have you involved if you ever want to help grow our programs, learn of ways you can participate, or have new ideas on how this team could best help their business partner. Please contact Executive Director Marshall Bailly at mbailly@lichange.org if you have any suggestions, questions, or comments! Your hard work and support is the greatest gift we could receive as we attempt to create a better world.

Thank you once again from the bottom of everyone's heart here at Leadership Initiatives. If you would ever like to speak to our staff in Nigeria or this specific project leader, we would love to communicate with you so you can personally see the change you are creating.

Wishing you, your family, and your friends the absolute best!

Sincerely,

IIP Team #1035