Collaboration with Hand in Hand: Implema is now initiating a collaboration with the organization Hand in Hand Sweden. The organization that combats poverty through entrepreneurship and whose efforts make a tangible difference. To date, they have helped over five million entrepreneurs.
The founders started Hand in Hand in the early 90s, when teacher couple Olle and Gunnel Blomqvist fought to eradicate child labor in India. Parents forced their children to work to help support the family because they rarely had jobs. One of the main reasons poverty persists is the lack of jobs and livelihoods. The focus, therefore, was to create jobs for the parents through education and training so that the children could go to school.
Combating poverty through entrepreneurship
The organization has developed a lot, especially after former industrial magnate Percy Barnevik started sponsoring it. In addition to time and commitment, Percy Barnevik has contributed both financially and in developing the organization. His belief in the individual is the basis for the working model. His starting point has been to bring mindsets from the corporate world into the aid sector, including demands for efficiency, results, and follow-up in the fight against poverty.
Today, Hand in Hand works with comprehensive development programs in entrepreneurship training, combating child labor, health, innovation, democracy, and the environment. In addition, the organization carries out efforts primarily in India, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Afghanistan. The target group consists of women and young people who live on less than $3.20 per day. Through education and development, they become entrepreneurs, and self-help groups also give them knowledge, skills, and strengthen their capacity to grow in their entrepreneurial roles, thereby improving their livelihood opportunities and being able to demand their rights.
The vision is a world without poverty and a sustainable future
The vision means that every person should have the power and ability to escape poverty, and that future generations actively develop and contribute to a sustainable future.
By gaining a more stable income, a social safety net, and strengthened resilience to crises, people can begin to take control of their lives and their future – and also contribute to developing their local communities in a sustainable way.
Efforts that produce results
To date, Hand in Hand’s efforts have yielded the following results:
* 4.3 million started businesses
* 6.2 million jobs created
* 24 million people supported
Implema supports project Next Step
Implema has chosen to initiate a long-term collaboration with Hand in Hand. More specifically, we are collaborating on the Next Step project in Kenya.
Kenya has high unemployment, especially among young people. Formal jobs remain at a constant low level. The importance of more successful small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is therefore crucial to creating jobs and livelihoods for the country’s growing population.
Women and young people who run micro-enterprises have it the toughest, as they often find it difficult to get out of the start-up phase, which makes them vulnerable. They are often dependent on the man in the household, who has control over the family’s finances and assets. In addition, they rarely have the skills to grow their micro-enterprises.
Next Step is a so-called accelerator program, also with a “digital edge.” The focus is on supporting already ambitious female and young entrepreneurs who are ready to take the next step. This is done by increasing their knowledge of the market and economy, supporting them in scaling up their business, and improving access to capital. An important part is also an increased understanding of digital business solutions and platforms. Otherwise, women and young people often risk falling behind in the very rapid digital development.
“Hand in Hand has many projects, and we have chosen Next Step, which is really linked to what we do – entrepreneurship and digitalization,” comments Charlott Brask, Process & Quality Manager and responsible for sustainability at Implema.
Goals for Next Step
The changes they want to see within the framework of Next Step are:
* Increased profitability and sustainability of companies
* Upgrading from vulnerable grassroots entrepreneurs to stable small business owners
* Increased economic security that allows companies to grow, hire more people, and contribute to social development
* Increased net income by approximately 100 USD/month in the companies
* Strengthened resilience of companies to withstand crises
* Strengthened social and economic empowerment of women and young entrepreneurs
* 1,000 project participants trained in digital platforms and tools
* 1,000 participants have access to financial services
Important project for Implema
For Implema, this feels like a particularly important project to support and one that is close to our hearts for several reasons. We will return at regular intervals and tell you how the project is progressing, about concrete efforts and results, and about what our commitment looks like.
Read more about Hand in Hand and Next Step here
