What should be done to ensure that all grantees run successful businesses?
Maggie: Capacity building is important and would help them gain important skills. Also, many of them have heard horror stories about micro-loans and are afraid of taking loans to expand their businesses. This year, we are partnering with Technoserve to expand our project and have included a business advisor component to the program who will work and mentor the new businesses. AE: What is Project Baobab doing to be self sustaining? Maggie: Since we are a very young organization, we have not yet developed self-sustaining strategies. However, they are unfolding organically. For example, Technoserve (a US Based NGO) has just partnered with us to expand our programs to five schools and five communities. We are also refining our curriculum to scale up our programs to other sites. We have talked about starting a revolving fund as well as developing a mentoring component where our trained grantees can mentor and support the new trainees. AE: Why do you focus on the girl child and woman? Maggie
