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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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Parker Michaels
Winston Churchill High School
Class of 2024
Parker Michaels is a rising junior at Winston Churchill High school. He is an honor roll student who is enrolled in multiple advanced placement classes.
Parker enjoys exercising and playing football in his spare time. He is the team lead of team BD22048 for the International Business Internship Program. Parker is a member of the Winston Churchill High School Varsity Co-Ed Volleyball team. He is excited to be going into his third season as a starter and hopefully helping to bring his team back to the playoffs.
Parker is excited to be a part of team BD22048 for the International Internship Program. As the team lead, he is prepared, to coordinate his team and to do anything in his power to help out his future business partners. He is thrilled to return for his second year of the International Business Internship Program so he can continue to show off his business knowledge and creativity.
Sami Araji
Winston Churchill High School
Class of 2024
Sami Araji is a junior at Winston Churchill High School who is enrolled in multiple AP and advanced-level classes.
Sami enjoys photography, playing tennis, and playing the saxophone. He was accepted into the school jazz band and participates in multiple extracurriculars for Jazz. He enjoys going out with friends and spending time with family.
Sami is excited to participate in the International Business & Development Internship. He loves problem-solving and finding solutions to help others. He hopes he can learn from his experiences here and apply what he learns to his life in the future.
Vasu Betapudi
Winston Churchill High School
Class of 2024
Vasu Betapudi is a junior at Winston Churchill High School who is an honors and Advanced Placement student.
Vasu enjoys volunteer work and community outreach. She has been an active volunteer with local organizations such as Nourish Now and Kits to Heart. She is also vice president of a student-run non-profit that works to close the digital divide by collecting, refurbishing, and redistributing used laptops and computers to individuals and communities in need. In her spare time, she enjoys going to concerts and reading books.
Vasu is excited to be participating in the International Business & Development internship. She is very passionate about helping underserved groups develop and grow. She is excited about the prospect of using business to do this and would love to carry this on in her future.
Simran Mattikalli
Winston Churchill High School
Class of 2024
Simran Mattikalli is a junior at Winston Churchill High School. She is a hard worker and always strives to make the most of the opportunities around her.
Simran has been dancing Indian classical since she was 7. She also loves all things STEM, particularly math, coding, and biology. She debates outside of school and tutors for Aristotle Circle. She loves a nice pair of sneakers, freezing cold water, and good music.
Simran is excited to participate in the Business internship because she wants to branch out in terms of her experiences and strengths. Working in a business oriented program will allow her to apply her newfound skills to her STEM related pursuits and career.
Our Business Partner
Abubakar Bunu
Business Statistics
Abubakar's passion for tailoring came from his disappointing experiences with previous tailors. He often found that other kids were able to wear new clothes after Christmas, but he was unable to because his tailor always made some sort of mistake. In Nigeria, it is common for tailors to disappoint their customers. That is why he was inspired to learn the art of tailoring for himself and start his own business.
Abubakar learned his craft at the age of 13 and finished his apprenticeship in 2 years. His natural talent for tailoring became even more apparent after he opened his own shop at the age of 15. Since he was unable to pursue education after high school, he focused on growing his tailoring business. Now, he has young boys working as his apprentice.
Abubakar's main goals for his business are to satisfy the needs of his costumer so that no one is left disappointed, and to provide for his wife and family. His school for tailoring is a dream that he hopes to achieve as he continues to grow his business.
Abubakar Bunu
About Abubakar
Abubakar finished his tailoring apprenticeship in 2 years, but it is usually supposed to take 5 years. This is a testament to the natural skill that Abubakar possesses.
Abubakar hopes to open a school for young people who were in a similar spot as him, unable to continue their education and therefore would use tailoring to make a living.
Abubakar Bunu
Community Impact
Abubakar Bunu
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
$672 RAISED
$78 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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