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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
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Abhigeetha Periyasamy
T. Jefferson HS for Science & Technology
Class of 2024
Abhigeetha Periyasamy is a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology. She is a passionate student with an entrepreneurial mindset, a supportive daughter, and a caring sister that is eager to make an impact on her community.
She is an avid businesswoman who co-founded a startup mobile app company named Sagapo, which focuses on alleviating stress and promoting mental well-being. Her service to the community doesn't end there, she is the co-president of the Student Ambassadors Program for Miracle foundation, which is an organization that helps raise money for underprivileged children in India. When she is not devoted to philanthropy, she is on the field playing varsity field hockey for her school.
Abhigeetha is ecstatic to take part in the International Internship Program for Business and Development this academic school year. She has an innovative spirit with a love for marketing, management, and finance. One day, she hopes to be the proud founder of a huge social enterprise that is making a difference in the world.
Amrutha Pendyala
Westfield High School
Class of 2024
Amrutha is a motivated junior at Westfield High School. She is a devoted student enrolled in several advanced history, art, economics, and English classes. Moreover, she loves learning and furthering her knowledge.
Amrutha loves reading and writing. At school, she is an active member of Creative Writing Club, Art Society, and Debate. Further, she enjoys volunteering with local political campaigns and playing lacrosse.
Amrutha is incredibly excited to have an opportunity to participate in the International Business & Development Internship this year. She loves learning about economic and business developments. In the future, she hopes to utilize the business skills she has learned and apply them through working in public policy
Joshita Nandakumar
Chantilly High School
Class of 2023
Joshita Nandakumar is a senior at Chantilly High School. Joshita is a passionate student who aspires to study computer science and work in healthcare technology.
Our Business Partner
Nimota Ibrahim
Business Statistics
Mrs. Nimota shares so much unconditional love and compassion for her family because she named her sewing materials business after a combination of her children's names.
Mrs. Nimota would love to expand her business on a larger scale to provide tailoring materials to even more customers in her community!
Nimota Ibrahim
About Nimota
Nimota's daily routine consists of waking up in the morning, saying her prayers, cooking breakfast for her lovely children and husband, tidying up the house, and heading to work in the Wuntin Dada market.
She plays a crucial role in contributing to her family's financial and emotional stability. Nimota's husband established an auto paint business that has faced some economic hardship, so Nimota stepped in to provide for the family.
Nimota spends hours at her small sewing materials business to put food on the table for her kids and to financially fuel her husband's business. She is always putting herself before others, making her an amazing businesswoman, wife, and mother.
Nimota Ibrahim
Community Impact
She has set goals to acquire a larger variety of tailoring materials that she currently doesn't have access too, so she can provide more diverse options to appeal to more customers in Bauchi, Nigeria.
Mrs. Nimota wants her shop to be a place where any tailor can buy exactly what they are looking for!
Mrs. Nimota would even love to be a role model for other businesses in Nigeria to follow in her footsteps and to show other women in business that nothing can stop them from making their dreams a reality!
Nimota Ibrahim
Our Partnership
Mrs. Nimota doesn't have too much time on her hands even with 4 apprentices because she performs many tasks on her own. With many of her profits going towards putting her children into school, her shop hasn't been able to expand since she hasn't been able to dedicate time for improvements.
With our help, Mrs. Nimota will be able to create a successful financial tracking plan, reach more customers within her community, be there for her family, and tackle the issue of poverty.
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
$634 RAISED
$116 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.
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