Social Entrepreneurs Crowdfund to Empower Women in Tanzania

Unite The World With Africa raises funds through Gladitood for the Unite Small Business Development Program.

(ST. LOUIS / Nov. 11, 2014) Connecticut-based international social enterprise Unite The World With Africa (UNITE) has teamed up with the St. Louis-headquartered socially-minded crowdfunding platform Gladitood.com to raise $11,500 to grow a Small Business Development Program for women in Tanzania, East Africa.

Tanzania is one of the world’s poorest countries. One in five girls has no education at all; nearly one in three adolescents report forced sexual initiation; and cultural traditions prevent women from participating in family and community decision-making. However, it’s also a country in which — when provided access to the necessary education, capital and support — Tanzanian women entrepreneurs can create an average of nearly six new jobs per enterprise. Programs that support such entrepreneurs, their growth and development, can radically transform lives and communities, for the better.

Entrepreneurship may look different in different places — e.g. roadside fruit and vegetable stands in Tanzania vs. technology startups in hotspots across the United States — however, the concept is universal: Harness the power of available resources in new and creative ways to develop innovative solutions and access new markets.

According to the International Finance Corporation, women’s economic empowerment in the developing world is positively correlated with improved economic growth for the society as a whole. UNITE is creating opportunities in impoverished villages in Tanzania by delivering business development education, grants and loans to women who can present solid business plans as well as to those who have pre-established micro- to small-enterprises.

“Our goal is to provide women entrepreneurs the support they need to succeed. Any loans granted will be repaid with 15 percent interest within 15 months and then placed back into a revolving loan fund that will enable more loans,” explains Anne Wells, founder and executive director of UNITE. “In exchange for capital and ongoing education, business owners will be required to take on apprentices and train the next generation of female entrepreneurs. Our mission is to stop the vicious cycle of gender-based discrimination and poverty.”

Wells is no stranger to global social entrepreneurship and in May 2013 the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights named her a “Local Defender” for her work. Her passion for entrepreneurial ventures is what attracted Wells to the idea of crowdfunding through St. Louis tech startup Gladitood.

“UNITE embodies all of the characteristics that Gladitood looks for in projects,” said Ryan Brennell, co-founder and CEO of Gladitood. “Together we are entrepreneurs investing in entrepreneurs. It is incredibly rewarding to see women-owned-businesses on the other side of the world succeed when you understand firsthand the challenges that any business owner goes through much less the barriers they have overcome.”

Gladitood offers nonprofit organizations a platform that focuses on helping humanitarian and conservation projects reach their funding and volunteer goals. Its latest project, International Peace Initiatives, launched in September and reached its goal of more than $14,000 in donations.

The Gladitood campaign for the Unite Small Business Development Program runs from Nov. 11 through Dec. 30, 2014. Interested supporters can back the project at https://gladitood.com/campaigns/empowering-women-in-tanzania/.

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