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The International Business Development Internship
Leadership Initiatives is working to end extreme poverty in Northern Nigeria through entrepreneurship and innovation. As part of the International Business & Development Program, Leadership Initiatives identifies small business owners who live under $1.90 a day, have little formal business education, and are struggling to provide for their family’s basic needs.
Once business owners have completed training, Leadership Initiatives pairs International Business & Development Interns with a business partner and business mentor. Interns are given the opportunity to help tackle major issues at the grassroots level by working directly with small business owners to support and incubate local entrepreneurs. Students will work with Leadership Initiatives staff over the course of nine months to provide income-generating solutions that focus on food supply, women empowerment, environment and sustainability, personal care, and mobility.
The International Business & Development Internship aims to introduce interns to the complexities and challenges of running a small business and working within community development. Interns will gain an understanding of the unwavering commitment, focus, and determination required to work within this field. From working with interns, local business owners will have new knowledge of entrepreneurial skills they need to create business opportunities that will contribute to socio-economic development and significantly transform their lives.
Our Internship Team
CLICK EACH MEMBER TO LEARN MORE.
Anelauiokalani Akiona
Advanced Technologies Academy
Class of 2023
Anelauiokalani (Anela) Akiona is a senior at Advanced Technologies Academy. Anela is in the engineering program at her high school and wants to become a chemical engineer.
She is a dedicated honor student who is involved in various clubs and activities such as band, student council, her schools ambassadors program, and VEX Robotics.
Anela is excited to be participating in the Business and Development Internship Program. She enjoys helping others and would love to use her experiences in STEM to help solve problems outside of her community.
Aria Sperrazza
Advanced Technologies Academy
Class of 2024
Anelauiokalani (Anela) Akiona is a senior at Advanced Technologies Academy. Anela is in the engineering program at her high school and wants to become a chemical engineer.
She is a dedicated honor student who is involved in various clubs and activities such as band, student council, her schools ambassadors program, and VEX Robotics.
Anela is excited to be participating in the Business and Development Internship Program. She enjoys helping others and would love to use her experiences in STEM to help solve problems outside of her community.
Elena Rosales
Advanced Technologies Academy
Class of 2023
Hello, my name is Elena Rosales and I am a senior at Advanced Technologies Academy. I have attended ATech for four years now and I am very excited to see what this year has to offer. I am doing this program with two of my friends, Anela and Izzy and we are thrilled to be able to use our business knowledge and learn so much more about international business to be able to help those in Nigeria who need it.
A fun fact about me is I am 6'1" and I used to be a volleyball player until some injury related issues forced me to quit. I love to cook and bake and one of favorite things to do in my pastime is to read books and paint with watercolors. Painting is one of my new hobbies and I have learned a lot. I have always loved learning new things especially when it comes to anything creative.
I am in the business program at my high school and will be CTE certified by the end of this year so I am thrilled to add on to the basic knowledge with real life experiences. I also aspire to be an entrepreneur in the future so I am very excited to learn from those who are successful in the business industry. Finally, I am thrilled to be able to work and meet with new people and be able to hopefully make lasting connections.
Our Business Partner
Rebecca Jolly Yakubu
Business Statistics
Rebecca Jolly Yakubu
About Rebecca
Rebecca wanted to start a restaurant business in order to inspire others to become independent business owners
Rebecca wanted to meet the needs of her people in her area.
Rebecca Jolly Yakubu
Community Impact
Rebecca Jolly Yakubu
Our Partnership
Our Approach
FINANCIAL TRACKING
Financially literate entrepreneurs make growth-oriented financial and economic decisions for their savings, borrowing, and investments. Our team is working with Isiyaka Sa’ad to create an effective financial tracking system for his business finances, receipts, and daily costs.
OUR ADVERTISING
Our team identified target markets and key demographics to create a customer acquisition plan. We are working with Isiyaka Sa’ad to redesign his brand and create effective marketing campaigns.
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENTS
Steady growth is a critical component of creating self-sustaining communities. Our team is working to identify key areas of opportunity for Isiyaka Sa’ad and design solutions with grant money to improve his business to foster growth.
Our Fundraising
$525 RAISED
$225 NEEDED
$750 GOAL
Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced some of the highest growth rates globally over the past 10 years. While this means that people in these nations have become more optimistic about their social and economic future, the region continues to face a myriad of historical problems. In order to continue steady growth and achieve a future of equitable conditions in the region, our International Internship Program team seeks to build stronger communities from the grassroots level through fundraising for community development.
Funds raised are used to implement community-based education programs, pay staff to run the operations on-site, and invest in training for local leaders. Leadership Initiatives uses fundraised money to develop a network of support for actionable change and accountability between our team, the Leadership Initiatives staff, and the community stakeholders we work with.
CLICK BELOW TO VIEW OUR GLOBALGIVING PAGE
