Written by Susantha Katukurunda, Economic Development Technical Specialist, World Vision Canada.
Entrepreneurship is essential for economic growth. It creates new businesses, generates jobs, boosts economic activity and increases productivity. Entrepreneurs drive innovation by developing new products, services and technologies that can solve significant societal problems and bring job opportunities to society, contributing to financial stability and a better quality of life. Entrepreneurship also plays a vital role in household economic development by helping families diversify their income and reduce dependence on a single income source, especially in seasonal incomes such as farming. For communities, entrepreneurship stimulates local economies by creating jobs and supporting local industries. Successful enterprises become centers of economic activity, fostering community engagement and development.
World Vision provides entrepreneurship education and support for women and youth through several livelihood development projects, using project models such as Ready for Entrepreneurship, Value Chain Development, and Savings for Transformation.
We are committed to empowering entrepreneurs and fostering innovation. Here are some of the initiatives and individuals making a difference:
Bolivia
The Vision for Vulnerable Youth Initiative (VVYI) is increasing the social agency, skills acquisition and economic empowerment of female and male adolescents and youth in Latin America and Africa. VVYI uses the Youth Ready curriculum, including entrepreneurship, education, employment, mentorship programs, access to funding and networking opportunities, to significantly influence their entrepreneurial journeys.
Leidy, a 22-year-old living in a remote community near Cochabamba, Bolivia, juggles university studies, running her own business and numerous other challenges. Initially shy and struggling with public speaking, Leidy struggled to sell jewelry. Her turning point came with the Youth Ready project, which offered modules like “Who Am I and Who Are We” and “Ready for Entrepreneurship,” teaching self-awareness, entrepreneurship and social perspectives.
Through the project, Leidy gained confidence, empathy and business knowledge, transforming her small jewelry business into a thriving embroidery enterprise. She learned to articulate her ideas and developed a vision for her future. Now in her ninth semester, Leidy successfully manages her business, employing friends and family during busy periods. She envisions a future of supporting victims of violence while expanding her business internationally.
Leidy has transformed her small jewelry business into a thriving embroidery business through the skills she learned from Youth Ready.
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, the RESILIENT-WE Project, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, is increasing the resilience of women and girls in fragile regions to environmental degradation and climate-induced shocks by addressing gender inequality and enterprise development. Hasena, a 40-year-old mother, is one of the women who started an enterprise to diversify her household income and has transformed her family’s economic situation.
Through the RESILIENT-WE project, Hasena joined a women's Gender-Sensitive Value Chain producer group and a Saving for Transformation group, where she actively participated in training on climate-smart agricultural production practices, financial literacy and savings.
Initially, she pursued entrepreneurship by starting a micro-scale business trading vegetables such as tomatoes and onions. Later, she expanded into goat fattening, which has been very successful. Through careful management and application of the techniques she’s learned, Hasena has significantly increased her income.
Now, Hasena is exploring further business opportunities. She plans to expand her agricultural endeavours to include oxen fattening, further diversifying her income sources.
Tanzania
In Tanzania, the AHADI Project, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, is partnering with adolescent girls and boys to realize their sexual reproductive health and economic empowerment in urban Tanzania. AHADI provides skills development, including entrepreneurship, education and business set-up support. The long-term benefits of this program are evident in the success stories of adolescents like Magreti, a young woman who started her own salon with the entrepreneurship knowledge, skills and support she received.
"I aspired to become a hairdresser, a field I am very passionate about. Unfortunately, my family could not afford to pay for my tuition to learn hairdressing, so I was just idle in the streets with nothing to do. The AHADI project has played a major role in fulfilling my dreams by facilitating my travel to college and training in hairdressing. Now that I have returned home, I am getting clients and earning money, improving my livelihood,” Magreti said.
Providing adolescents like Magreti with skills and training opportunities has helped them see an alternative economic path outside risky work.
Entrepreneurs like Leidy, Hasena and Magreti are remarkable individuals who turn challenges into opportunities and shape a brighter future. They are fearless problem-solvers who transform their innovative ideas into reality, driving economic growth, job creation and social progress. By creating household income and employment opportunities, they support the creation of a better future for their families and those around them.