Josephine Labari had a keen eye for spotting opportunities, a skill that served her well when she noticed a group of women discussing a promising business venture. Intrigued, she approached them to learn more, and they selected Josephine to join as a part of the Act Foundation Changemakers Innovation Challenge.*
Josephine, a widow aged 50 and a mother of four boys, Isaac, 19, Cornelius, 17, Emmanuel, 13, and Ebenezer, 6. was always looking for ways to enhance her family’s future. Life as a single parent is never easy, and my job as a school teacher in Nassarawa State doesn’t pay very well. The roads to my school are not good, especially during the rainy season when the bridge often floods, cutting us off from the other part of Gunduma.
“My involvement with Solar Sister over the last six months has also significantly improved my digital literacy. I’ve learned how to market my products effectively using smart devices and make good use of platforms like WhatsApp to advertise. I proudly display solar products at home, attracting customers. I also encourage more women to join this business to stay busy and to help them make ends meet.
My dream is for my children to complete their education with marketable skills that will make them relevant and successful in the future. By working with Solar Sister and continuing my teaching career, I can provide the financial support they need to achieve this goal.
I enjoy helping my community and neighboring areas to gain access to affordable lighting solutions. Not only does this brighten their homes, but it also enhances their lives, bringing smiles to many faces.
My proudest moments come when I make a sale to a customer I’ve just met.”
*The ACT Foundation sponsors the Changemakers Innovation Challenge grant aimed at recognizing and supporting the remarkable efforts of non-profits, businesses, and social enterprises in Africa that are utilizing technology and digital tools to foster social change within their communities. Evidence suggests that organizations employing these digital means to spearhead projects and community development are advancing and establishing a sustainable impact.
This initiative welcomed applications from non-profits and social enterprises throughout Africa that are employing innovative technological and digital strategies to develop social solutions.
Solar Sister’s project aims to recruit, train, and support fifty new women entrepreneurs and provide business digital skills training to seventy women entrepreneurs across ten communities in Taraba, Benue, and Nassarawa States in Nigeria. Solar Sister is tackling the widening digital gap faced by women entrepreneurs in remote areas through the introduction of a Digital Literacy Program.
This program equips these entrepreneurs with the necessary knowledge, skills, confidence, and technological tools (both hardware and software) needed to digitize and expand their businesses. The training will encompass various key areas, including online marketing, digital sales strategies, gathering customer data digitally, electronic bookkeeping, and navigating new social media platforms. Designed to complement Solar Sister’s existing curriculum, these modules will be integrated into the broader training framework to benefit a larger number of entrepreneurs. The initiative targets twenty current and fifty prospective women entrepreneurs, aiming to enhance their business operations through digital empowerment significantly.
Solar Sister was the first-place winner among the three Changemakers Innovation Challenge winners selected for grant funding and announced in October 2023. This financial support is designated for the expansion of their innovative solutions into various communities.
Reporting on the Changemaker Innovation Challenge is Oisereime Lloyd, Communications Manager, Solar Sister Nigeria